Fluorocopolymer and film made therefrom

Details Fluorocopolymer and film made therefrom Fluorocopolymer and film made therefrom

1999-03-09

2002-09-24

Zitomer, Fred (Department: 1713)

Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser

Synthetic resins

Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...

C526S242000, C526S250000, C526S253000, C526S254000, C526S255000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06455658

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel fluorine-containing copolymer and a film comprising the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a fluorine-containing polymer comprising ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene, which can be extrusion molded to provide a film having high transparency and tensile strength.
PRIOR ART
Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers (hereinafter referred to as “ETFE”) are widely used as materials of molded articles, wire coatings, linings, coatings, etc. since they have good chemical resistance, heat resistance, electrical properties and the like, and furthermore they are easily melt processed.
In these years, ETFE films are used as protective films of agricultural houses and building materials by making use of their good transparency and weather resistance.
JP-B-3-20405 discloses an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer comprising ethylene, tetrafluoroethylene and a fluorovinyl compound of the formula:
CH
2
═CFRf
wherein Rf is a fluoroalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, in which a molar ratio of tetrafluoroethylene to ethylene is from 40:60 to 60:40 and the content of the fluorovinyl compound is from 0.1 to 10 mole % based on the whole copolymer.
However, films obtained by the extrusion molding of ETFE have a drawback that they have the large anisotropy of tear strength between a machine (extrusion) direction (MD) and a transverse direction (TD), that is, the tear strength in the transverse direction is lower than that in the machine direction They have another drawback that the tear strength of the films decreases as a molecular weight decreases. The films are required to have improved tear strength, particularly when they are used to cover agricultural houses.
In connection with transparency, films having a haze of about 60% or less at a film thickness of 2 mm are desired. To this end, a large amount of expensive fluorovinyl monomers should be copolymerized to impart such transparency to the films, but the use of fluorovinyl monomers in a large amount is disadvantageous from the economical viewpoint.
JP-A-49-24295 discloses a copolymer comprising ethylene, tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene, and describes that the copolymerization of hexafluoropropylene improves the transparency of copolymer films. However, such an effect to improve the transparency is still insufficient. Hexafluoropropylene should be copolymerized in a large amount, when it is used alone as the third monomer. Furthermore, the use of hexafluoropropylene decreases the melting point of copolymers, and thus such copolymers cannot be used in applications requiring heat resistance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a novel fluorine-containing copolymer comprising ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene, which is extrusion molded to provide films having good transparency and tear strength.
The above object is accomplished by a fluorine-containing copolymer comprising ethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, a fluorovinyl compound of the formula:
CH
2
═CFRf  (1)
wherein Rf is a fluoroalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, and hexafluoropropylene, in which a molar ratio of tetrafluoroethylene to ethylene is from 40:60 to 90:10, the content of the above fluorovinyl compound of the formula: CH
2
═CFRf is from 0.1 to 10 mole % based on the whole copolymer, and the content of hexafluoropropylene is from 0.1 to 30 mole % based on the whole copolymer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The molar ratio of tetrafluoroethylene to ethylene in the fluorine-containing copolymer of the present invention is generally from 40:60 to 90:10. The decomposition-starting temperature of the copolymer greatly decreases, as the proportion of ethylene increases. Thus, the amount of tetrafluoroethylene is preferably at least equimolar to ethylene. When the proportion of ethylene is too larger, a polymerization rate decreases. Thus, the molar ratio of tetrafluoroethylene to ethylene is preferably less than 70:30.
The first modifying monomer used in the present invention is a fluorovinyl compound of the above formula (1).
The number of carbon atoms in the Rf group is usually from 2 to 10. When the Rf group has only one carbon atom, the properties of copolymers are not satisfactorily modified or improved. When the number of carbon atoms in the Rf group exceeds 10, the polymerization reactivity of the compound disadvantageously decreases.
The Rf group is preferably a perfluoroalkyl group, or an &ohgr;-hydro- or &ohgr;-chloroperfluoroalkyl group from the viewpoint of heat resistance of obtained copolymers.
Among the fluorovinyl compounds (1), a fluorovinyl compound of the formula:
CH
2
═CF(CF
2
)
n
H  (2)
wherein n is an integer of 2 to 10 is preferable, and in particular, a fluorovinyl compound of the formula (2) in which n is 3 to 5 is preferable, from the viewpoint of copolymerization properties, the costs of monomer preparations, and the properties of obtained copolymers.
The content of a fluorovinyl compound (1) is usually in the range between 0.1 and 10 mole % based on the whole copolymer. When the content of a fluorovinyl compound (1) is less than the above lower limit, molded articles of the copolymers are cracked in the molding process, so that no acceptable products are obtained. When the content of a fluorovinyl compound (1) exceeds the above upper limit, obtained polymers become economically disadvantageous, since the fluorovinyl compound (1) is more expensive than ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene. The content of the fluorovinyl compound (1) is preferably from 0.1 to 6 mole % based on the whole copolymer.
The second modifying monomer used in the present invention is hexafluoropropylene. The content of hexafluoropropylene is generally in the range between 0.1 and 30 mole % based on the whole monomer, and a small amount of hexafluoropropylene can achieve the objects of the present invention.
When the content of hexafluoropropylene is less than the above lower limit, the anisotropy of the films is not sufficiently suppressed. When the content of hexafluoropropylene exceeds the above upper limit, a polymerization rate greatly decreases, which is economically disadvantageous. The content of hexafluoropropylene is preferably from 0.1 to 20 mole %, more preferably from 0.1 to 10 mole %, based on the whole copolymer.
The effect of hexafluoropropylene to improve the transparency of films is greatly enhanced by the copolymerization of the fluorovinyl compound (1) together with hexafluoropropylene.
In addition to the above four monomers, the fluorine-containing copolymer of the present invention may comprise at least one additional fluorine-containing monomer or fluorine-free monomer in an amount such that the object of the present invention is not impaired. Examples of such additional monomers include vinylidene fluoride, chlorotrifluoroethylene, trifluoroethylene, propylene, etc.
The fluorine-containing copolymer of the present invention may be prepared by any conventional methods employed to prepare ETFE, such as bulk polymerization, solution polymerization, suspension polymerization, emulsion polymerization, vapor phase polymerization, and the like.
In the industrial production, suspension polymerization in an aqueous medium is preferable, which uses fluorine-containing solvents, and organic peroxides as polymerization initiators.
Preferable examples of fluorine-containing solvents include hydrochlorofluorocarbons (e.g. CH
3
CClF
2
, CH
3
CCl
2
F, CF
3
CF
2
CCl
2
H, CF
2
ClCF
2
CFHCl, etc.), and perfluoroalkanes (e.g. perfluorocyclobutane, CF
3
CF
2
CF
2
CF
3
, CF
3
CF
2
CF
2
CF
2
CF
3
CF
3
CF
2
CF
2
—CF
2
CF
2
CF
3
, etc.). Among them, perfluoroalkanes are preferable.
The amount of a solvent is preferably in the range between 10 and 100 wt. % of water from the viewpoint of suspension properties and costs.
Examples of organic peroxides used as polymerization initiators includes hydrocarbon type organic peroxides such as diisobutylperoxide, diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di-n-propyl peroxydicarbonate

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