Vinyl acetate-ethylene/acrylic polymer emulsions and products and methods relating thereto

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10294355-B2
Application number	US-201514882077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 13, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

Methods of producing hybrid polymer emulsions by incorporating a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersion as the seed for subsequent polymerization of an acrylic and/or methacrylic monomer mixture are described. In certain embodiments, new particle formation is observed. Also described are the resulting polymeric products. And hybrid polymer emulsions formed from the methods with pressure sensitive adhesion performance are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polymer emulsion comprising:
particles comprising both a vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) copolymer and a (meth)acrylic polymer or copolymer,
wherein the (meth)acrylic polymer or copolymer is prepared in situ by polymerization and/or copolymerization of a (meth)acrylic monomer mixture, and
wherein the polymer emulsion has a monomodal particle size distribution.

2. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises from about 0.05% to about 95% by weight of the total polymer weight.

3. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 10% by weight of the total polymer weight.

4. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 20% by weight of the total polymer weight.

5. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 50% by weight of the total polymer weight.

6. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 75% by weight of the total polymer weight.

7. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 85% by weight of the total polymer weight.

8. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture comprises at least 5% by weight of the total polymer weight.

9. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture comprises one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, propyl acrylate, propyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, lauryl acrylate, lauryl methacrylate, iso-octyl acrylate, iso-octyl methacrylate, iso-decyl acrylate, iso-decyl methacrylate, stearyl acrylate, stearyl methacrylate, vinyl propionate, styrene, alkyl-substituted styrenes, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, and combinations thereof.

10. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture comprises butyl acrylate.

11. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture comprises 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.

12. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture further comprises a polar monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate, aminomethyl methacrylate, N-methyl aminoethyl methacrylate, N,N-dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate, ureido methacrylate, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide, methacrylamide, and combinations thereof.

13. The polymer emulsion of claim 12 wherein the polar monomer is methacrylic acid.

14. The polymer emulsion of claim 12 wherein the polar monomer is acrylic acid.

15. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture further comprises an internal cross-linking agent.

16. The polymer emulsion of claim 15 wherein the internal cross-linking agent is selected from the group consisting of 1,4-butanediol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, allyl methacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, propylene glycol diacrylate, diallyl maleate, diallyl phthalate, and combinations thereof.

17. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture comprises a chain transfer agent.

18. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture is combined with a surfactant prior to polymerization.

19. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the monomer mixture is combined with an initiator prior to polymerization.

20. The polymer emulsion of claim 19 wherein the initiator is selected from the group consisting of ammonium persulfate, potassium persulfate, sodium persulfate, hydrogen peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, benzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, sodium persulfate with sodium metabisulfite, hydrogen peroxide with ferrous ion, sulfite ion, bisulfite ion or ascorbic acid, hydroperoxides with sulfoxylates, tert-butyl hydroperoxide with sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, and combinations thereof.

21. The polymer emulsion of claim 20 wherein the initiator is a persulfate.

22. The polymer emulsion of claim 19 wherein the initiator is selected from the group consisting of 2,2′-azobis-(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobis-(2-isobutyronitrile), 1,1′-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), 2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethyl valeronitrile), 2,2-azobis[N-(2-propenyl)-2-methylpropionamide], 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine)dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis{2-[1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazolin-2-yl]propane}dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis(1-imino-1-pyrrolidino-2-ethylpropane)dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis{2-methyl-N-[1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]propionamide}, 2,2′-azobis[2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide], and combinations thereof.

23. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the polymer is prepared by polymerizing the (meth)acrylic monomer mixture at a temperature between about 10° C. and about 100° C.

24. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the polymerization temperature of the monomer mixture is about 80° C.

25. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein an average particle size of the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersion is in the range of from about 50 nm to about 4000 nm.

26. The polymer emulsion of claim 1 wherein the polymer emulsion has an average particle size in the range of about 100 nm to about 4000 nm.

27. A process for producing a polymer emulsion comprising:
providing a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersion as a seed;
providing a monomer feed;
providing an initiator;
combining the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersion, the monomer feed, and the initiator to produce the polymer emulsion comprising a combination of particles that comprise particles comprising both a vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) copolymer and a (meth)acrylic polymer or copolymer,
wherein the polymer emulsion has a monomodal particle size distribution.

28. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises from about 0.05% to about 95% by weight of the total polymer weight.

29. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 10% by weight of the total polymer weight.

30. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 20% by weight of the total polymer weight.

31. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 50% by weight of the total polymer weight.

32. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 75% by weight of the total polymer weight.

33. The process of claim 27 wherein the vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprises at least 85% by weight of the total polymer weight.

34. The process of claim 27 wherein the monomer feed comprises a monomer mixture comprising at least 5% by weight of the total polymer weight.

35. The process of claim 27 wherein the monomer feed and the initiator are concurrently combined.

36.

Assignees

• Avery Dennison Corp

Inventors

• Hu Xiaochuan

Classifications

• C08F255/026

  on to ethylene-vinylester copolymers · CPC title

• C09J123/0853

  Vinylacetate · CPC title

• C09J133/08

  Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic acid esters · CPC title

• C08L23/0853 Primary

  Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers · CPC title

• C08L2201/52

  Aqueous emulsion or latex, e.g. containing polymers of a glass transition temperature (Tg) below 20°C · CPC title