Hybrid thermoplastic gels and their methods of making

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10058001-B2
Application number	US-201715647986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2012
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

Methods, compositions, apparatuses, and systems are provided for a hybrid thermoplastic gel or sealant. The methods comprise providing (a) a base polymer having at least one functional group capable of crosslinking, (b) a functionalized extender, and (c) heat, and reacting the base polymer and functionalized extender in the presence of the heat to form the hybrid thermoplastic gel. The gel composition may comprise 5-40 wt % of a base polymer, 60-95 wt % of a functionalized extender, and 0-10 wt % of a crosslinker. A closure or interconnect system may comprise a housing, a cable, and a hybrid thermoplastic gel or sealant. A telecommunications apparatus may comprise a telecommunications component and a sealant that forms a seal with the telecommunications component. The sealant may comprise a sealant material having a first range of elongation followed by a second range of elongation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hybrid thermoplastic gel prepared from a gel composition comprising:
5-40 wt % of a base polymer having at least one functional group capable of crosslinking, wherein the base polymer comprises a maleated styrenic block copolymer;
60-95 wt % of a functionalized extender, wherein the functionalized extender is a maleated polyisobutylene; and
0.1-10 wt % of a crosslinker having multiple functional groups that are compatible and willing to react with the functional groups in the base polymer or the functionalized extender,
wherein the hybrid thermoplastic gel exhibits a hardness in the range of 24 to 53 Shore OOO hardness.

2. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the gel composition further comprises at least one additive selected from the group consisting of: flame retardants, coloring agents, adhesion promoters, stabilizers, fillers, dispersants, flow improvers, plasticizers, slip agents, toughening agents, and combinations thereof.

3. The gel of claim 2 , wherein the gel composition comprises between 0.1 wt % and 5 wt % of a stabilizer.

4. The gel of claim 3 , wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of antioxidants, acid-scavengers, light and UV absorbers/stabilizers, heat stabilizers, metal deactivators, free radical scavengers, carbon black, antifungal agents, and mixtures thereof.

5. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker is a covalent crosslinker selected from the group consisting of primary amines, secondary amines, tertiary amines, epoxies, hydroxyl-terminated butadienes, polymeric di-isocynates, and mixtures thereof.

6. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker is an ionic crosslinker.

7. The gel of claim 6 , wherein the ionic crosslinker is a metal salt selected from the group consisting of aluminum acetylacetonate, iron acetylacetonate, zinc acetylacetonate, titanium acetylacetonate and zirconium acetylacetonate, aluminum triacetate, aluminium diacetate, aluminium monoacetate, tetra(2-ethylhexyl)titanate, and mixtures thereof.

8. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker is an amine crosslinker selected from the group consisting of ethylene diamine; 1,2- and 1,3-propylene diamine; 1,4-diaminobutane; 2,2-dimethylpropane diamine-(1,3); 1,6-diaminohexane; 2,5-dimethylhexane diamine-(2,5); 2,2,4-trimethylhexane diamine-(1,6); 1,8-diaminooctane; 1,10-diaminodecane; 1,11-undecane diamine; 1,12-dodecane diamine; 1-methyl-4-(aminoisopropyl)-cyclohexylamine-1; 3-aminomethyl-3,5,5-trimethyl-cyclohexylamine-(1); 1,2-bis-(aminomethyl)-cyclobutane; p-xylylene diamine; 1,2- and 1,4-diaminocyclohexane; 1,2-; 1,4-; 1,5- and 1,8-diaminodecalin; 1-methyl-4-aminoisopropyl-cyclohexylamine-1; 4,4′-diamino-dicyclohexyl; 4,4′-diamino-dicyclohexyl methane; 2,2′-(bis-4-amino-cyclohexyl)-propane; 3,3′-dimethyl-4,4′-diamino-dicyclohexyl methane; 1,2-bis-(4-aminocyclohexyl)-ethane; 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-bis-(4-aminocyclohexyl)-methane and -propane; 1,4-bis-(2-aminoethyl)-benzene; benzidine; 4,4′-thiodianiline, dianisidine; 2,4-toluenediamine, diaminoditolylsulfone; 2,6-diaminopyridine; 4-methoxy-6-methyl-m-phenylenediamine; diaminodiphenyl ether; 4,4′-bis(o-toluidine); o-phenylenediamine; o-phenylenediamine, methylenebis(o-chloroaniline); bis(3,4-diaminiophenyl)sulfone; diaminiodiphenylsulfone; 4-chloro-o-phenylenediamine; m-aminobenzylamine; m-phenylenediamine; 4,4′-methylenedianiline; aniline-formaldehyde resin; trimethylene glycol di-p-aminobenzoate; bis-(2-aminoethyl)-amine; bis-(3-aminopropyl)-amine; bis-(4-aminobutyl)-amine; bis-(6-aminohexyl)-amine; isomeric mixtures of dipropylene triamine and dibutylene triamine; and mixtures thereof.

9. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker is a polyol crosslinker selected from the group consisting of 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, N,N,N′,N′-[tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylene diamine], N,N,-diethanolaniline, polycaprolactone diol, poly(propylene glycol), poly(ethylene glycol), poly(tetramethylene glycol), and polybutadiene diol and their derivatives or copolymers, and mixtures thereof.

10. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the base polymer comprises a maleated styrenic block copolymer selected from the group consisting of maleated styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer and maleated styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene (SEPS) triblock copolymer.

11. The gel of claim 10 , wherein the maleated styrenic block copolymer is a maleic anhydride-modified styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer.

12. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized extender comprises a single olefin at a terminal position on the extender.

13. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the gel comprises one or more of the following properties:
a) a hardness in the range of 37 to 45 Shore OOO;
b) a stress relaxation between 20% and 65% when the gel is subjected to a deformation of 50% of its original size;
c) a compression set between 4% and 20% after 50% strain has applied to the gel for 1000 hours at 70° C.; and
d) less than 10% oil bleed out after being under compression of 1.2 atm for 60 days at 60° C.

14. A closure or interconnect system, comprising:
a housing,
and
a hybrid thermoplastic gel forming a cable seal at the housing made by reacting, in the presence of heat:
a functionalized extender, wherein the functionalized extender is a maleated polyisobutylene
a base polymer having at least one functional group capable of crosslinking, wherein the base polymer comprises a maleated styrenic block copolymer and
a crosslinker having multiple functional groups that are compatible and willing to react with the functional groups in the base polymer or functionalized extender.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the gel is compatible with a LSZH cable as determined by a pressure loss test or tightness test following at least one of the following mechanical or environmental tests: axial tension test, flexure test, re-entry test, torsion test, resistance to aggressive media test, resistance to stress cracking test, salt fog test, temperature cycling test, and waterhead test.

16. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a connector and a receptacle for the connector.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the gel has less than 10% oil bleed out after being under compression of 1.2 atm for 60 days at 60° C.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the gel has less than 5% oil bleed out after being under compression of 1.2 atm for 60 days at 60° C.

19. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the gel composition comprises 10-30 wt % of the base polymer, 70-90 wt % of the functional extender, and 0.1-5 wt % of the crosslinker.

20. The gel of claim 1 , wherein the gel composition further comprises a styrenic block copolymer selected from the group consisting of a
polystyrene-poly(ethylene-propylene) diblock copolymer,
a polystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)-polystyrene triblock copolymer,
a polystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene-styrene)-polystyrene triblock copolymer,
a polystyrene-poly(ethylene-propylene)-polystyrene triblock copolymer,
a polystyrene-polybutadiene-poly(styrene-butadiene)-polybutadiene block copolymer, and
a polystyrene-poly(ethylene-ethylene/propylene)-polystyrene triblock copolymer.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the gel exhibits a hardness in the range of 24 to 53 Shore OOO hardness.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Adams Gary W
• Mullaney Julian S
• Oar Michael A

Classifications

• H05K5/062

  sealed by a material injected between a non-removable cover and a body, e.g. hardening in situ · CPC title

• C08L51/06

  grafted on to homopolymers or copolymers of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing only one carbon-to-carbon double bond · CPC title

• C08L25/08

  Copolymers of styrene (C08L29/08, C08L35/06, C08L55/02 take precedence) · CPC title

• C09K2003/1068

  Crosslinkable materials · CPC title

• C08F299/02

  from unsaturated polycondensates · CPC title