High crystallinity polyamide foam particles and foam moldings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12319802-B2
Application number	US-202017753712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2020
Priority date	Sep 17, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

Described herein are polyamide foam particles including a polymer mixture including: (A) from 25 to 95 wt.-% of at least one polyamide, which is different from a copolyamide (B); and (B) from 5 to 75 wt.-% of at least one copolyamide prepared by polymerizing the following components: (B1) from 15 to 84 wt.-% of at least one lactam; and (B2) from 16 to 85 wt.-% of monomer mixture (M) including; (M1) at least one C 32 -C 40 dimer acid; and (M2) at least one C 4 -C 12 diamine; where the sum of the components (B1) and (B2) are 100 wt.-%. Also described herein is a process for preparing such polyamide foam particles and polyamide particle foam moldings obtainable by steam-chest molding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Polyamide foam particles comprising a polymer mixture comprising:
(A) from 25 to 95 wt.-% of at least one polyamide, which is different from a copolyamide (B); and
(B) from 5 to 75 wt.-% of at least one copolyamide prepared by polymerizing the following components:
(B1) from 15 to 84 wt.-% of at least one lactam; and
(B2) from 16 to 85 wt.-% of monomer mixture (M) comprising,
(M1) at least one C 32 -C 40 dimer acid; and
(M2) at least one C 4 -C 12 diamine;

wherein the sum of the components (B1) and (B2) are 100 wt.-%.

2. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , wherein the monomer mixture (M) comprises in the range from 45 to 55 mol % of component (M1) and in the range from 45 to 55 mol % of component (M2), based in each case on the total molar amount of component (M).

3. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , wherein component (B1) is selected from the group consisting of 3-aminopropanolactam, 4-aminobutanolactam, 5-aminopentanolactam, 6-aminohexanolactam, 7-aminoheptanolactam, 8-aminooctanolactam, 9-aminononanolactam, 10-aminodecanolactam, 11-aminoundecanolactam, and 12-aminododecanolactam.

4. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , wherein component (M2) is selected from the group consisting of tetramethylenediamine, pentamethylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine, decamethylenediamine, and dodecamethylenediamine.

5. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one copolyamide (B) has a melting temperature T m in the range from 150 to 210° C.

6. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , comprising a polymer mixture consisting of from 40 to 90 wt.-% of polyamide (A), from 10 to 60 wt.-% of copolyamide (B).

7. The polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk density is in the range from 100 to 500 kg/m 3 .

8. A process for preparing polyamide foam particles, comprising the steps of:
a) Providing a polymer mixture comprising:
(A) from 25 to 95 wt.-% of at least one polyamide;
(B) from 5 to 75 wt.-% of at least one copolyamide prepared by polymerizing the following components:
(B1) from 15 to 84 wt.-% of at least one lactam; and
(B2) from 16 to 85 wt.-% of monomer mixture (M) comprising;
(M1) at least one C 32 -C 40 dimer acid; and
(M2) at least one C 4 -C 12 diamine;
wherein the sum of the components (B1) and (B2) are 100 wt.-%;

b) melting the polymer mixture and adding 0 to 5 wt.-%, based on 100% of the polymer mixture, of a nucleating agent before or after melting;
c) impregnating the melted polymer mixture with 0.1 to 4.0 wt.-% carbon dioxide, nitrogen or mixtures thereof, based on 100% of the polymer mixture, to form an impregnated polymer melt; and
d) extruding and granulating the impregnated polymer melt in an underwater pelletizer to form polyamide foam particles.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein 0.1 to 1 wt.-% of talcum is added as nucleating agent.

10. A process for preparing polyamide particle foam moldings by steam-chest molding of polyamide foam particles according to claim 1 at a temperature in the range from 100 to 150° C.

11. Polyamide particle foam moldings obtained according to the process of claim 10 .

12. Use of A method of using the polyamide particle foam moldings according to claim 11 , the method comprising using the polyamide particle foam moldings for reinforcement of structural parts in an automotive, aerospace, or consumer industry.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Longo-Schedel Daniela
• Queiroz Da Fonseca Isa Alexandra
• Spies Patrick
• Holschuh Rene
• Birli Rainer
• Keller Angelika

Classifications

• C08L2205/02

  containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group · CPC title

• C08L77/08

  from polyamines and polymerised unsaturated fatty acids · CPC title

• C08L77/02

  Polyamides derived from omega-amino carboxylic acids or from lactams thereof (C08L77/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08J2477/08

  from polyamines and polymerised unsaturated fatty acids · CPC title

• C08J2477/02

  Polyamides derived from omega-amino carboxylic acids or from lactams thereof (C08J2477/10 takes precedence) · CPC title