Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-04
2002-08-20
Nutter, Nathan M. (Department: 1711)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
C525S221000, C525S222000, C525S227000, C525S240000, C427S388100, C427S409000, C427S420000, C428S068000, C428S075000, C428S461000, C428S463000, C428S545000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437046
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low-density polyethylene composition useful for coating polar substrates. This invention particularly relates to a low-density polyethylene composition useful for coating metal foils.
2. Description of the Related Art
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) can be used in packaging applications and/or other applications as a coating on polar substrates such as aluminum foil, paper, primed films, and metallized films, for example. LDPE can be useful as either a sealant, as an adhesive, or both, in these applications.
Other methods of coating LDPE on a polar surface are known, but typically LDPE can either be extrusion-coated or laminated onto a polar substrate. In such a process, the polymer is melted and coated as a curtain—that is as a thin, wide band of polymer melt carefully poured onto the substrate—as the substrate is pulled across a cold chill roll at high speed. The LDPE freezes on the cold surface of the substrate. To promote adhesion in this high-speed process, the polymer curtain can be oxidized by application of high temperature with long exposure to air or ozone, flame, corona, or other treatments. The results are inconsistent and the strength of the adhesion is not reliable, and the resulting bond is typically weak. Other problems encountered while using this process are that the coated substrate can have poor organoleptic properties, there is off-gassing, smoke generation, polymer degradation, and other processing problems.
Acid copolymer resins (ACR's), such as Nucrel®, and ionomers such as Surlyn®, available from E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company can be used in place of LDPE to bond to polar substrates in extrusion coating or lamination processes. Resins such as these can bond well to foils in high line-speed processes having short exposure times and lower melt temperatures. These resins can include from 6 to 12 wt. % methacrylic acid or acrylic acid, and therefore can be more expensive than LDPE. Consequently, acid copolymers and ionomers are more typically used in the more demanding applications.
Some applications are moderately demanding, and can utilize acid copolymers having a lower acid content. For example, resin grades having only 4 wt % methacrylic acid, and only 3 wt % acrylic acid are available commercially for use in applications wherein only moderate performance is required of the adhesive. However, these resins can nevertheless be too expensive for most applications.
A resin with grafted anhydride functionality can be blended with LDPE and can improve adhesion to foil, but anhydride grafted resins do not bond to polar substrates well in high speed extrusion coating processes. Rubber and/or other elastomeric materials are typically added to resins having grafted anhydride functionality to improve adhesive properties. Polyolefins having acrylic acid grafted functionality of 6 wt % can be purchased commercially. These polymers cannot be processed at temperatures typical in an extrusion coating process, typically from 260° C. to 320° C. Blends of high acid copolymers or ionomers, having acid content of from 6% to 12%, with LDPE have been considered for improving adhesion of LDPE to foil because (1) high acid resin grades are normally used in extrusion coating, and (2) resins having high-acid content normally give better adhesion to foil than low acid resins. Surprisingly, however, in some cases blending high-acid acid copolymer resins with LDPE does not enhance the adhesion of LDPE to foil. More surprising in view of this is that blends of low acid copolymer resins with LDPE have significantly improved adhesion to polar substrates over LDPE.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect the present invention is a polymer blend, suitable for coating a polar substrate in a high-speed coating process, the blend comprising LDPE and a lowacid content acid copolymer resin (low-acid ACR), wherein the blend includes from about 5 to about 45% by weight low acid ACR and from about 95% to about 55% by weight LDPE, and wherein the low-acid ACR is an ethylene/(meth)acrylic copolymer comprising from about 0.1 to about 4 wt % (meth)acrylic acid and from about 0 to about 20 wt % other ethylenically unsaturated comonomer.
In another aspect the present invention is a high-speed extrusion process for coating polar substrates comprising the steps: melting a blend comprising a low-acid content acid copolymer resin (low acid ACR) and LDPE, wherein the polymer blend comprises from 5 to 45% by weight low acid ACR, wherein the low acid ACR is an ethylene/(meth)acrylic copolymer comprising from about 0.1 to about 4 wt % (meth)acrylic acid, and from about 0 to about 20 wt % other ethylenically unsaturated comonomer; extruding the polymer melt as a curtain through a polymer die onto a polar substrate, wherein the substrate is moving at a line speed in the range of from about 100 feet per minute (fpm) to about 2000 fpm; and pulling the polar substrate over a cold chill roll to solidify the polymer melt on the substrate.
In another aspect, the present invention is a high-speed extrusion lamination process for coating polar substrates comprising the steps: melting a blend comprising a low-acid content acid copolymer resin (low acid ACR) and LDPE, wherein the polymer blend comprises from 5 to 45% by weight low acid ACR, wherein the low acid ACR is an ethylene/(meth)acrylic copolymer comprising from about 0.1 to about 4 wt % (meth)acrylic acid, and from about 0 to about 20 wt % other ethylenically unsaturated comonomer; extruding the polymer melt as a curtain through a polymer die onto a polar substrate, wherein the substrate is moving at a line speed in the range of from about 100 feet per minute (fpm) to about 2000 fpm; sandwiching the polymer melt between the polar substrate and a second substrate to form a laminate, and pulling the laminate over a cold chill roll to solidify the polymer melt between the two substrates.
In still another aspect the present invention is a coated article wherein the article comprises a polar substrate and a polymer coat on at least a portion of one surface of the substrate, wherein the polymer coat is a blend comprising LDPE and a low acid ACR, wherein the blend includes from about 5 to about 45% by weight low acid ACR and from about 95 to about 55% by weight LDPE, and wherein the low acid ACR is a ethylene/(meth)acrylic copolymer comprising from about 0.1 to about 4 wt % (meth)acrylic acid, and from about 0 to about 20 wt % other ethylenically unsaturated comonomer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In one embodiment, the present invention is a polymer blend useful for coating a polar substrate in a high-speed coating process. The blend comprises low density polyethylene (LDPE) and a low acid content acid copolymer resin (low acid ACR). Blends of the present invention include from about 5 wt % to about 45 wt % low acid ACR. Preferably blends of the present invention include from about 5 to about 40 wt % low acid ACR, more preferably from about 10 to about 35 wt % low acid ACR. Most preferably, blends of the present invention include form about 15 to about 30 wt % low acid ACR. Concomitantly, blends of the present invention include from about 95 wt % to about 55 wt % LDPE, preferably from about 95 to about 60 wt % LDPE. More preferably, blends of the present invention include from about 90 wt % to about 65 wt %, and most preferably from about 85 wt % to about 70 wt % LDPE.
LDPE can be manufactured by known processes, or can be obtained commercially. The LDPE is manufactured using a high pressure free radical polymerization process. Alternatively, LDPE suitable for use in the practice of the present invention can be obtained commercially from various manufacturers. For example, LDPE can be purchased from Equistar under the tradename of Petrothene. The LDPE sutiable for this invention is designed for the extrustion coating/lamination process, typically has a MI (melt index, ASTM D1238, Condition 190/2.16) from 4 to 15 g/10 min and density 0.915-0.925 g/cc. Other versions of
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Nutter Nathan M.
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