Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or... – Composite having voids in a component
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-14
2001-10-16
Woodward, Ana (Department: 1711)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or...
Composite having voids in a component
C428S319700, C428S319900, C428S424200, C428S424800, C428S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303216
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to novel compositions of thermoplastic blends of polyphenylene ethers and poly(alkenylaromatic) compounds that improve adhesion with polyurethane foam. More particularly, the invention relates to substrate compositions containing polyphenylene ether resins and primary or secondary amine-containing materials. It also relates to a method for promoting the adhesion of polyurethane foam to the surfaces of said substrate compositions. The invention is further related to resinous articles with foam inserts.
Thermoplastic resins have become of interest in recent years as a replacement for metal in the interior parts of automobiles, such as the manufacture of instrument panels, top covers and arm rests in the interior of the car. In these applications one requirement of the plastic resin is that it must adhere to polyurethane foam. Currently, there are plastic products available that are in use for these applications. However, there is a need for improved properties of the plastics and improved adhesion of the plastic with the polyurethane foam.
One such product that has potential for use in the automotive industry is a General Electric Company product called “Noryl”. Noryl® is a registered Trademark for the resinous mixture of polyphenylene ether and poly(alkenylaromatic) compound. Noryl is a good choice for automotive applications because of its high impact strength, flame retardant properties, low cost and dimensional stability. The successful application of Noryl for automotive interior components requires excellent adhesion performance with polyurethane foam. Previously, a resinous mixture of 38 parts by weight polyphenylene ether with 62 parts by weight polystyrene has shown little or no adhesion with polyurethane foam. Thus, there is a need to have a Noryl composition utilizing the properties of the thermoplastic resin mixture that will also provide improved adhesion with polyurethane foam.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, this invention provides a composition and method for promoting improved adhesion between a thermoplastic resinous substrate and polyurethane foam. In one aspect of this invention, the composition comprises a thermoplastic mixture of at least one polyphenylene ether and at least one poly(alkenylaromatic) compound; and at least one primary amine-containing material or secondary amine-containing material. By primary amine-containing material is meant a material having one or more —NH
2
groups. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, cyclohexylamine and 1-hexadecylamine. Further, the primary amine-containing material can be a poly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)]-&agr;-hydro-&ohgr;-(2-aminomethyl-ethoxy)ether with 2-ethyl-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol in a ratio of 3:1, commercially available as Jeffamine® T-403. By secondary amine-containing material is meant a material containing at least one R
2
NH moiety where R is any alkyl or aryl group. A class of secondary amine-containing materials would be polyethylenimines. Additional examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, diethylamine and dipropylamine.
Another aspect of the invention is an article comprising a resinous thermoplastic substrate and a layer of polyurethane foam on a surface of said substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a thermoplastic mixture of at least one polyphenylene ether and at least one poly(alkenylaromatic) compound; and at least one primary amine-containing material or secondary amine-containing material.
Still another aspect of the invention is a method for improving the adhesion of polyurethane foam to a resinous thermoplastic substrate comprising the steps of: forming a resinous substrate containing a thermoplastic mixture of at least one polyphenylene ether and at least one poly(alkenylaromatic) compound with at least one primary amine-containing material or secondary amine-containing material; placing the resinous thermoplastic substrate in a foaming mold shell; pouring a homogeneous foaming mixture into the foaming mold on the substrate; and removing the mold shell after a sufficient amount of time to cure the foam layer adhering to the substrate.
It is an object of this invention to provide a composition for a thermoplastic resin that is capable of providing enhanced adhesion between polyurethane foam and resinous thermoplastic substrates.
It is another object of this invention to provide an article containing a resinous thermoplastic substrate with an adhering polyurethane foam layer.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for making the article consisting of a resinous thermoplastic substrate with the foam layer. Also in accordance with this invention, there is provided a thermoplastic article of manufacture that could be used as an automotive instrument panel. A thermoplastic substrate used in the instrument panel is treated with polyurethane foam, exhibiting excellent adhesion between the polyurethane foam and the substrate material.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As noted above, the principal components of the inventive composition that will yield a resinous thermoplastic substrate with enhanced adhesion to polyurethane foam are: a thermoplastic mixture or blend of at least one polyphenylene ether and at least one poly(alkenylaromatic) compound and at least one primary amine-containing material or secondary amine-containing material. Other compounds can be present in the composition such as flame retardants, impact modifiers, mold releases, antioxidants, stabilizers, and mixtures thereof. The amount of polyphenylene ether in the polyphenylene ether-poly(alkenylaromatic) compound mixture is at least about 20 parts by weight based on a total of 100 parts. The preferred amount is about 30-50 parts by weight. The amount of at least one poly(alkenylaromatic) compound in the polyphenylene etherpoly(alkenylaromatic) compound mixture is at least about 20 parts by weight based on a total of 100 parts.
Representative examples of polyphenylene ethers are known polymers comprising a plurality of structural units of the formula
wherein in each of said units independently, each Q
1
is independently halogen, primary or secondary lower alkyl (i.e., alkyl containing up to seven carbon atoms), phenyl, haloalkyl, aminoalkyl, hydrocarbonoxy, or halohydrocarbonoxy, wherein at least two carbon atoms separate the halogen and the oxygen atoms; and each Q
2
is independently hydrogen, halogen, primary or secondary lower alkyl, phenyl, haloalkyl, hydrocarbonoxy or halohydrocarbonoxy as defined for Q
1
. Most often, each Q
1
is alkyl or phenyl, especially C
1-4
-alkyl, and each Q
2
is hydrogen.
Both homopolymer and copolymer polyphenylene ethers are included. The preferred homopolymers are those containing 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether units. Suitable copolymers include random copolymers containing such units in combination with, for example, 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether units. Also included are polyphenylene ethers containing moieties prepared by grafting onto the polyphenylene ether in known manner such materials as vinyl monomers or polymers such as polystyrenes and elastomers, as well as coupled polyphenylene ethers in which coupling agents such as low molecular weight polycarbonates, quinones, heterocycles and formals, undergo reaction in known manner with the hydroxy groups of polyphenylene ether chains to produce a higher molecular weight polymer.
The polyphenylene ether generally has a number average molecular weight within the range of about 3,000-40,000 and a weight average molecular weight within the range of about 20,000-80,000, as determined, by gel permeation chromatography. Its intrinsic viscosity (i.v.) is most often in the range of about 0.15-0.6 dl./g., as measured in chloroform at 25° C.
The polyphenylene ethers are typically prepared by the oxidative coupling of at least one monohydroxyaromatic compound such as 2,6-xylenol or 2,3,6-trimethylphenol. Catalyst systems are generally employed for such coupling; they typically contain at least one hea
Chao Herbert Shin-I
Riding Geoffrey Henry
Swanson David John
Brown S. Bruce
General Electric Company
Johnson Noreen C.
Woodward Ana
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