Thermoplastic gel compositions and their methods of making

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016347914-A1
Application number	US-201515110594-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and compositions are provided for preparation of thermoplastic gels. The compositions have a base composition including a thermoplastic gel and a softener oil and the gel has a hardness between 15 Shore 000 and 65 Shore 000. The gel may also include an additive, such as a mineral filler, an anti-tack agent, and a mixture of a mineral filler and an anti-tack agent. The softener oil may be a high molecular weight oil having a molecular weight greater than about 250 g/mol.

First claim

1 . A thermoplastic gel comprising:
a base composition consisting of a thermoplastic rubber and a softener oil; and at least one additive selected from the group consisting of a mineral filler, an anti-tack agent, and mixtures thereof, wherein the base composition and at least one additive define an overall composition, and wherein the gel has a hardness between 15 Shore 000 and 65 Shore 000.

2 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the gel exhibits less than 20 wt %, less than 15 wt %, or less than 10 wt % oil bleed out after being under compression of 1.2 atm after at least 25 days at 70° C.

3 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic rubber comprises a styrenic block copolymer.

4 . The gel of claim 3 , wherein the styrenic block copolymer is a styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene or styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene copolymer.

5 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises a mineral filler, and wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition.

6 . The gel of claim 5 , wherein the mineral filler is selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof.

7 . The gel of claim 5 , wherein the mineral filler is talc.

8 . The gel of claim 7 , wherein the talc is approximately 30 wt % of the overall composition.

9 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises an anti-tack agent, and wherein the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

10 . The gel of claim 9 , wherein the anti-tack agent is selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof.

11 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises (a) a mineral filler selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof, and (b) an anti-tack agent selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof; and wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition and the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

12 . The gel of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic rubber comprises: (a) a base polymer having at least one functional group capable of crosslinking, (b) a functionalized extender, and (c) an optional crosslinker having multiple functional groups that are compatible and willing to react with the functional groups in the base polymer or the functionalized extender.

13 . The gel of claim 12 , wherein the softener oil is a high molecular weight oil having a molecular weight greater than 250 g/mol.

14 . The gel of claim 13 , wherein the high molecular weight oil is derived from one of the following: a mineral oil, a paraffin oil, a naphthenic oil, an aromatic oil, a poly-alpha olefin, or a combination thereof.

15 . The gel of claim 12 , wherein the at least one additive comprises a mineral filler selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof; and wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition.

16 . The gel of claim 15 , wherein the mineral filler is talc, and wherein the talc comprises approximately 30 wt % of the overall composition.

17 . The gel of claim 12 , wherein the at least one additive comprises an anti-tack agent selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof, and wherein the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

18 . The gel of claim 12 , wherein the at least one additive comprises (a) a mineral filler selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof and (b) an anti-tack agent selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof; and wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition and the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

19 . The gel of claim 1 further comprising an additional additive selected from the group consisting of a stabilizer, flame retardant, coloring agent, adhesion promoter, dispersant, flow improver, plasticizer, toughening agent, and combinations thereof.

20 . The gel of claim 19 , comprising a stabilizer at between 0.1 wt % and 5 wt % of the overall composition.

21 . The gel of claim 20 , wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant, acid-scavenger, light and UV absorber/stabilizer, heat stabilizer, metal deactivator, free radical scavenger, carbon black, antifungal agent, and mixtures thereof.

22 . A thermoplastic gel comprising:
a base composition consisting of a thermoplastic rubber and a softener oil, wherein the softener oil is a high molecular weight oil having a molecular weight greater than 250 g/mol, and wherein the gel has a hardness between 15 Shore 000 and 65 Shore 000.

23 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the gel exhibits less than 10% oil bleed out after being under compression of 1.2 atm for 26 days at 70° C.

24 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the high molecular weight oil is derived from one of the following: a mineral oil, a paraffin oil, a naphthenic oil, an aromatic oil, a poly-alpha olefin, or a combination thereof.

25 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the thermoplastic rubber comprises a styrenic block copolymer.

26 . The gel of claim 25 , wherein the styrenic block copolymer is a styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene or styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene copolymer.

27 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the thermoplastic gel has an overall composition and further comprises a mineral filler, wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition.

28 . The gel of claim 27 , wherein the mineral filler is selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof.

29 . The gel of claim 27 , wherein the mineral filler is talc.

30 . The gel of claim 29 , wherein the talc is approximately 30 wt % of the overall composition.

31 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the thermoplastic gel has an overall composition and further comprises an anti-tack agent, and wherein the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

32 . The gel of claim 31 , wherein the anti-tack agent is selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof.

33 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the thermoplastic gel has an overall composition and further comprises (a) a mineral filler selected from the group consisting of talc, calcium carbonate, clay, wollastonite, silicates, glass, and combinations thereof, and (b) an anti-tack agent selected from the group consisting of a silicone, silane, siloxane, or copolymer thereof; and wherein the mineral filler is between 0.1 wt % and 50 wt % of the overall composition and the anti-tack agent is between 0.1 wt % and 10 wt % of the overall composition.

34 . The gel of claim 22 , wherein the thermoplastic rubber comprises: (a) a base polymer

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Raychem Bvba
• Tyco Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Overdulve Bjorn
• Radelet Chris
• Adams Gary W
• Bryan William B
• Ruelle Marie-Christine Dela
• Hendrickx Nathalie Jeanne

Classifications

• C08L2201/08

  Stabilised against heat, light or radiation or oxydation · CPC title

• C08L2205/025

  containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure · CPC title

• C08J2353/00

  Characterised by the use of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Derivatives of such polymers · CPC title

• C08L53/02

  of vinyl-aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes · CPC title

• C08L2205/03

  containing three or more polymers in a blend · CPC title