POLYDIENE RUBBERS WITH FUNCTIONALIZED END GROUPS

An end-group functionalized polymer having one or more end groups according to the general formula (I) wherein R1 represents a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, preferably aliphatic, hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which, in addition to C and H, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably independently of one another selected from O, N, S or Si; R2, R3 are identical or different and represent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein the hydrocarbon group may contain, in addition to C and H atoms, one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of O, N, S and Si; A represents a residue selected from the group consisting of O-R4-OH, R5-OH and R6-NH-R7, preferably O-R4-OH wherein R4, R5 and R6 represent a saturated or unsaturated linear or branched hydrocarbon group which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, independently selected from O, N, S or Si and which contains from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein R7 represents H or a linear or branched or cyclic aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S or Si; and wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of a conjugated diene or a copolymer of at least one or more conjugated diene and one or more vinylaromatic monomer and, optionally one or more other comonomers. Also provided are a process for making the polymers and articles made with the polymers.