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
2000-05-23
2002-07-02
Woodward, Ana (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...
C525S069000, C525S125000, C525S133000, C525S155000, C525S166000, C525S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06414081
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compatibilized blends of non-polar polyolefinic thermoplastic elastomers and polar thermoplastic polymers which have been compatibilized by a suitable compatibilizer. Furthermore, the present invention relates to shaped articles consisting of said compatibilized blends.
The concept of using compatibilizers as interfacial agent in polymer blends is almost as old as the polymers themselves. For a detailed background information it is referred to: “Polymer Blends” by D. R. Paul and S. Newman, Volume 1, 2, Academic Press, Inc., 1978.
As widely described in the literature, a remarkable balance of diverse properties is achievable with blends of different polymers, provided that a suitable stability of the morphology between the different polymeric ingredients of the blend is achieved.
The object of the present invention is to provide blends of specific polymers which, under normal circumstances, would be incompatible with each other, and consequently their blends show poor physical properties or in many cases they can not or can only hardly be blended, mixed or otherwise processed. In detail, it is an object of the present invention to provide compatibilized blends of non-polar thermoplastic elastomers with polar thermoplastic polymers thus achieving improved properties of the final product blend which resemble the properties of both components in the blends.
For instance, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is an inert flexible thermoplastic which is known for its excellent resistance to chemicals and fluids and its abrasion resistance. Furthermore, PVDF has a high service temperature and a low surface coefficient of friction. Another example for thermoplastic polymer would be thermoplastic urethanes (TPU) which are known for their bonding to different polar substrates such as ABS, PVC, etc., its paintability, abrasion resistance and gloss. Both, PVDF and TPU are incompatible with non-polar thermoplastic elastomers, i.e., they do not form homogeneous blend nor can they be satisfactorily processed. The overall physical properties of such incompatible “blends” are poor.
The same situation is faced when an attempt is made to blend the polar polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyesters with the non-polar thermoplastic elastomers.
The object of the present invention has surprisingly been solved by the addition of a suitable compatibilizer to the blend comprising the non-polar thermoplastic elastomer and the polar thermoplastic polymers.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a compatibilized blend of non-polar thermoplastic elastomers with polar thermoplastic polymers showing good adhesion to polar substrates, in particular to polar polymeric substrates.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In detail the present invention relates to a compatibilized blend comprising
a non-polar thermoplastic elastomer,
a polar thermoplastic polymer selected from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), chloro containing polymers, fluoro containing polymers, polyesters, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, and
a compatibilizer.
The compatibilized blends of the present invention comprise
50 to 98% by weight, preferably 60 to 95% by weight, most preferably 70 to 90% by weight of the non-polar thermoplastic elastomer,
50 to 2% by weight, preferably 40 to 5% by weight, most preferably 30 to 10% by weight of the polar thermoplastic polymer,
based on the total amount of the non-polar thermoplastic elastomer(s) and the polar hermoplastic polymer.
In terms of the present invention the term “non-polar thermoplastic elastomer” means that the thermoplastic component is a polyolefinic polymer including optional additives. Likewise the term “polar thermoplastic polymer” means a thermoplastic polymer which contains in its molecular structure at least one atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and halogen in addition to carbons and hydrogens.
The term “non-polar thermoplastic elastomer” also extends to blends of different but compatible non-polar thermoplastic elastomers. Likewise the term “polar thermoplastic polymer” as used in the description and the claims also extends to blends of different but compatible polar thermoplastic polymers.
Of course, the compatibilized blend may contain optional additives which can be added to blend as such or as additives of its constituents.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
1. Non-polar Thermoplastic Elastomer
The term “thermoplastic elastomer” (TPE) in general defines blends of polyolefins and rubbers in which blends the rubber phase is not cured, i.e., so called thermoplastic olefins (TPO), blends of polyolefins and rubbers in which blends the rubber phase has been partially or fully cured by a vulcanization process to form thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), or unvulcanized block-copolymers or blends thereof.
According to the present invention the non-polar thermoplastic elastomer is selected from
(A)
(a) a thermoplastic polyolefin homopolymer or copolymer, and
(b) an olefinic rubber which is fully crosslinked, partially crosslinked or not crosslinked, and optionally
(c) common additives;
(B)
(a) a block-copolymer of styrene/conjugated diene/styrene and/or its fully or partially hydrogenated derivative, optionally compounded with
(b) a thermoplastic polyolefin homopolymer or copolymer and/or
(c) common additives and
(C) any blend of (A) and (B).
1.1 Non-polar Thermoplastic Elastomer (A)
1.1.1 Thermoplastic Polyolefin
Polyolefins suitable for use in the compositions (A), (B) or (C) of the invention include thermoplastic, crystalline polyolefin homopolymers and copolymers. They are desirably prepared from monoolefin monomers having 2 to 7 carbon atoms, such as ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, isobutylene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, 3-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 5-methyl-1-hexene, mixtures thereof and copolymers thereof with (meth)acrylates and/or vinyl acetates. Preferred, however, are monomers having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, with propylene being preferred. As used in the specification and claims the term polypropylene includes homopolymers of propylene as well as reactor and/or random copolymers of polypropylene which can contain about 1 to about 30 wt % of ethylene and/or an a-olefin comonomer of 4 to 16 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof. The polypropylene can be highly crystalline isotactic or syndiotactic polypropylene. Commercially available polyolefins may be used in the practice of this invention. Further polyolefins which can be used in terms of the invention are high, low, linear-low, very low-density polyethylenes and copolymers of ethylene with (meth)acrylates and/or vinyl acetates.
The polyolefins mentioned above can be made by conventional Ziegler/Natta catalyst-systems or by single-site catalyst-systems.
The amount of polyolefin found to provide useful compositions (A) is generally from about 8 to about 90 weight percent, under the proviso that the total amount of polyolefin (a) and rubber (b) is at least about 35 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polyolefin (a), rubber (b) and optional additives (c). Preferably, the polyolefin content will range from about 10 to about 60 percent by weight.
1.1.2 Olefinic Rubber
Suitable monoolefin copolymer rubbers comprise non-polar, rubbery copolymers of two or more (&agr;-monoolefins, preferably copolymerized with at least one polyene, usually a diene. Saturated monoolefin copolymer rubber, for example ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber (EPM) can be used. However, unsaturated monoolefin rubber such as EPDM rubber is more suitable. EPDM is a terpolymer of ethylene, propylene and a non-conjugated diene. Satisfactory non-conjugated dienes include 5-ethylidene-2-norbomene (ENB); 1,4-hexadiene; 5-methylene-2-norbomene (MNB); 1,6-octadiene; 5-methyl-1,4-hexadiene; 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene; 1,3-cyclopentadiene; 1,4-cyclohexadiene; dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and vinyl norbomene
Advanced Elastomer Systems, LP.
Skinner William A.
Woodward Ana
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