Block expandable polymeric compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11078342-B2
Application number	US-201716314098-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to an expandable polymeric composition that comprises: a) from 60% to 88% by weight of a vinyl aromatic polymer and/or copolymer, calculated respect to (a)+(b); b) from 12% to 40% by weight of a block copolymer, containing at least one vinyl aromatic polymer and/or copolymer and at least one hydrogenated diene polymer, calculated respect to (a)+(b); c) from 3 parts to 10 parts by weight of a blowing agent, calculated on 100 parts of (a)+(b).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An expandable polymeric composition comprising:
a. from 60% to 88% by weight of a vinyl aromatic polymer and/or vinyl aromatic copolymer, calculated with respect to (a)+(b);
b. from 12% to 40% by weight of a block copolymer, containing at least one vinyl aromatic polymer and/or vinyl aromatic copolymer and at least one hydrogenated diene polymer, calculated with respect to (a)+(b);
c. from 3 parts to 10 parts by weight of a blowing agent, calculated on 100 parts of (a)+(b);
wherein all of the polymer and/or (co)polymer of the composition consists of components a) and b);
wherein the vinyl aromatic polymer and/or vinyl aromatic copolymer (a) is obtained from a vinyl aromatic monomer of formula (I):

alone, or from a mixture of said vinyl aromatic monomers of formula (I), or from a mixture containing said vinyl aromatic monomers of formula (I) and copolymerizable vinyl monomers; in which R is a hydrogen or a methyl group; n is zero or an integer that ranges from 1 to 3; Y is selected from a halogen; a chloromethyl; an alkyl group or an alkoxy group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms;
wherein said copolymerizable vinyl monomers are selected from (meth)acrylic acid, maleic anhydride, alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, or amides and nitriles of (meth)acrylic acid.

2. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 consisting of elements a), b) and c).

3. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer is a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene.

4. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 wherein the vinyl aromatic monomer is selected from styrene, α-methylstyrene, methyl-styrene, ethyl-styrene, vinyltoluene isomers, ethylstyrene isomers, propylstyrene isomers, chloro styrene isomers, methylchlorostyrene isomers, methoxystyrene isomers, acetoxystyrene isomers, hydroxystyrene isomers, methylhydroxystyrene isomers, and mixtures thereof.

5. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 wherein the block copolymers are selected from polystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)-polystyrene or block copolymers of polystyrene poly(ethylene-propylene)-polystyrene type.

6. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 wherein conjugated dienes used for the preparation of block copolymers (b) are those having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms.

7. Polymeric composition according to claim 6 wherein the conjugated dienes are selected from 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, piperylene, and mixtures thereof.

8. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 in which a vinyl aromatic component content in the block copolymer (b) ranges from 20% to 45% by weight.

9. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 , wherein the Melt Flow Index (MFI) of the vinyl aromatic copolymer in the block copolymer is greater than or equal to 1 g/10 min, measured with ASTM D1238 method; 5 kg, 200° C.

10. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 wherein the blowing agent is selected from aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms and the halogenated derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

11. Expanded beads which contain the polymeric composition according to claim 1 .

12. Packaging comprising the beads according to claim 11 .

13. Packaging comprising the polymeric composition according to claim 1 .

14. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 , wherein the block copolymer is a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene.

15. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 wherein the block copolymers are selected from polystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)-polystyrene or block copolymers of polystyrene poly(ethylene-propylene)-polystyrene type.

16. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 wherein conjugated dienes used for the preparation of block copolymers (b) are those having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms.

17. Polymeric composition according to claim 16 wherein the conjugated dienes are selected from 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, piperylene, and mixtures thereof.

18. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 in which the vinyl aromatic copolymer content in the block copolymer (b) ranges from 20% to 45% by weight.

19. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 , wherein the Melt Flow Index (MFI) of the vinyl aromatic copolymer in the block copolymer is greater than or equal to 1 g/10 min, measured with ASTM D1238 method; 5 kg, 200° C.

20. Polymeric composition according to claim 2 wherein the blowing agent is selected from aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms and the halogenated derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

21. Expanded beads which contain the polymeric composition according to claim 2 .

22. Packaging comprising the beads according to claim 21 .

23. Packaging comprising the polymeric composition according to claim 2 .

24. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 comprising from 18% to 30% by weight of said block copolymer, containing said at least one vinyl aromatic polymer and/or vinyl aromatic copolymer and said at least one hydrogenated diene polymer, calculated with respect to (a)+(b).

25. Polymeric composition according to claim 1 consisting essentially of elements (a), (b) and (c).

Assignees

• Versalis Spa

Inventors

• Cuder Giovanni
• Comba Stefano

Classifications

• C08J9/232

  by sintering expandable particles · CPC title

• C08J2453/02

  of vinyl aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes · CPC title

• C09D125/06

  Polystyrene · CPC title

• C08J9/224

  Surface treatment · CPC title

• C08J2201/036

  Use of an organic, non-polymeric compound to impregnate, bind or coat a foam, e.g. fatty acid ester · CPC title