Polypropylene backbone, and nanoporous polypropylene membrane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12215199-B2
Application number	US-202017440475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a film Film comprising a random graft copolymer having a polypropylene (PP) backbone and from 3 to 8 polyester segments covalently bonded to said backbone, wherein the number average molecular weight (Mn) of the polypropylene backbone ranges between 10.000 and 100.000 Dalton (as determined with HT-SEC in o-DCB at 150° C.), wherein the Mn of each polyester segment ranges between 5.000 and 25.000 Daltons, wherein the amount of PP ranges between 45 and 80 mol %, wherein the amount of polyester segments ranges between 55 and 20 mol %, wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01-10 mm, wherein the polypropylene and polyester domains form independently continuous phases, and wherein the mol % is calculated relative to the total moles of monomer units present in the copolymer. The invention further relates to a nano porous PP membrane and its use.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A film comprising a random graft copolymer having a polypropylene (PP) backbone and from 3 to 8 polyester segments covalently bonded to said PP backbone,
wherein the number average molecular weight, Mn, of the PP backbone ranges between 10 and 100 kDa,
wherein the M n of each polyester segment ranges between 5 and 25 kDa,
wherein the amount of PP ranges between 45 and 80 mol %,
wherein the amount of polyester segments ranges between 55 and 20 mol %,
wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01-10 mm,
wherein the PP and polyester domains form gyroid bicontinuous morphology,
wherein the mol % is calculated relative to the total moles of monomer units present in the copolymer
wherein the polyester segments are self-arranged in domains suitable to form porous channel through the film after a segment sacrifice process.

2. The film according to claim 1 , wherein the PP backbone is prepared from a PP-homopolymer or from a copolymer of propylene and ethylene, wherein the amount of ethylene is less than 5 wt %.

3. The film according to claim 1 , wherein the PP in the backbone of the copolymer has a melting temperature of at least 120° C.

4. The film according to claim 1 , wherein the film has a Young's modulus between 300 and 1500 MPa and the toughness of the film ranges between 1 and 150 J/m 3 .

5. The film according to claim 1 , wherein the polyester segment comprises monomer units derived from caprolactone and/or valerolactone.

6. The film according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of PP ranges between 50-75 mol %, while the amount of polyester is between 50-25 mol %.

7. A nanoporous membrane, comprising at least 90 wt % of PP,
wherein the PP comprises —OX functional groups randomly distributed on the polymer chain,
wherein the amount of functional groups ranges between 3 and 8 per polymer chain, as determined with 1 H NMR and
wherein X is chosen from Mg, Zn, Al, H, Li, Na or K.

8. The membrane according to claim 7 , wherein the PP in the membrane has an M n between 10 and 100 kDa, and is isotactic or syndiotactic.

9. The membrane according to claim 7 , wherein the membrane has a thickness between 0.01 and 10 mm,
wherein the membrane has pores having a size between 10-50 nm as measured with N 2 -desorption according to Barret-Joyner-Halenda model and a BET surface area between 50-200 m 2 /g determined by the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller method.

10. The membrane according to claim 7 , wherein the membrane has a melt temperature, T m between 120° C. and 160° C. as measured with DSC.

11. The membrane according to claim 7 , wherein the membrane has a Young's modulus between 50 and 400 MPa and the membrane has a toughness between 0.1 and 15 J/m 3 .

12. An article comprising the film according to claim 1 , wherein the film is a water filter or battery separator.

13. A water filter system comprising the nanoporous membrane as defined in claim 7 .

14. A battery comprising the nanoporous membrane as defined in claim 7 .

15. A PP membrane unit, which is a multilayer membrane or multi membranes, in which the layers or the membranes are
the nanoporous membrane according to claim 7 ,
a microporous PP membrane and/or a PP non-woven material.

16. The nanoporous membrane of claim 7 , wherein the polymer chain is a homopolymer of propylene, or a copolymer of ethylene and propylene, wherein the amount of ethylene is less than 5 wt %.

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Rozanski Artur
• Jasinska-Walc Lidia
• Bouyahyi Miloud
• Yang Lanti
• Duchateau Robbert
• Defize Thomas
• Bernaerts Katrien Veerle

Classifications

• B01D71/262

  Polypropylene · CPC title

• B01D2325/02833

  more than 10 and up to 100 nm · CPC title

• B01D71/261

  Polyethylene · CPC title

• B01D67/0031

  by elimination of at least one of the blocks of a block copolymer · CPC title

• B01D71/48 Primary

  Polyesters · CPC title