Article comprising tubular particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018072861-A1
Application number	US-201615564977-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Mar 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An article has a density of from 0.03 to 0.45 g/cc. The article includes a plurality of anisotropic tubular particles that are randomly oriented in the article. The tubular particles include a thermoplastic elastomer foam and a non-foamed polymer disposed on an exterior surface of the thermoplastic elastomer foam as an outermost layer of the tubular particles. Each of the thermoplastic elastomer foam and the non-foamed polymer independently has a softening temperature determined according to DIN ISO 306. Moreover, the non-foamed polymer includes an additive that is responsive to non-heat energy to selectively heat the non-foamed polymer to its softening temperature prior to the thermoplastic elastomer foam reaching its softening temperature.

First claim

1 . An article having a density of from 0.03 to 0.45 g/cc and comprising a plurality of anisotropic tubular particles that are randomly oriented in said article, wherein said tubular particles comprise a thermoplastic elastomer foam and a non-foamed polymer disposed on an exterior surface of said thermoplastic elastomer foam as an outermost layer of said tubular particles, wherein each of said thermoplastic elastomer foam and said non-foamed polymer independently has a softening temperature determined according to DIN ISO 306, and wherein said non-foamed polymer comprises an additive that is responsive to non-heat energy to selectively heat said non-foamed polymer to its softening temperature prior to said thermoplastic elastomer foam reaching its softening temperature.

2 . The article of claim 1 wherein said non-heat energy is chosen from microwave energy, radio frequency energy, laser energy, infrared energy, ultraviolet energy, x-ray energy, e-beam energy, electromagnetic energy, magnetic energy, electrical energy, and combinations thereof.

3 . The article of claim 1 wherein said non-heat energy is microwave or radio-frequency energy.

4 . The article of claim 1 wherein said additive is chosen from barium, titanate, aluminum, carbon, and combinations thereof.

5 . The additive of claim 1 wherein said additive is present in an amount of from 0.1 to 10 weight percent based on a total weight of said non-foamed polymer.

6 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam and said non-foamed polymer are chemically identical.

7 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam and said non-foamed polymer are chemically different.

8 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam is a thermoplastic polyurethane foam.

9 . The article of claim 8 wherein said thermoplastic polyurethane foam is the foamed reaction product of a polyether polyol, an isocyanate component, and a chain extender.

10 . The article of claim 8 wherein said thermoplastic polyurethane foam is the foamed reaction product of a polyester polyol, an isocyanate component, and a chain extender.

11 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam is formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane that has a hardness from 40A to 83D as determined using DIN ISO 7619-1.

12 . The article of claim 8 wherein said thermoplastic polyurethane foam is the foamed reaction product of an aliphatic and/or olefinic polyol, an isocyanate component and a chain extender.

13 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam is formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane that has a hardness from 80A to 95A as determined using DIN ISO 7619-1.

14 . The article of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer foam has a density of from 0.1 to 0.6 g/cc.

15 . The article of claim 1 having an ultimate breaking strength of from 0.1 to 4.0 megapascal as determined using ASTM D 5035.

16 . The article of claim 1 wherein said tubular particles are fused together at a plurality of points.

17 . The article of claim 1 wherein each of said tubular particles independently has a length from 1 to 30 mm and a diameter from 1 to 30 mm.

18 . The article of claim 1 that is further defined as a shoe sole, a cushion, a flooring material, or a flooring substrate.

19 . A method of forming an article having a density of from 0.03 to 0.45 g/cc, said method comprising the steps of:
A. providing a thermoplastic elastomer and a non-foamed polymer each independently having a softening temperature determined according to DIN ISO 306, wherein the polymer comprises an additive that is responsive to non-heat energy to selectively heat the non-foamed polymer to its softening temperature prior to the thermoplastic elastomer foam reaching its softening temperature; B. co-extruding the thermoplastic elastomer and the non-foamed polymer to form a tubular extrudate wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is foamed to form a thermoplastic elastomer foam during co-extrusion and the non-foamed polymer is disposed on an exterior surface of the thermoplastic elastomer foam as an outermost layer of the tubular extrudate; C. segmenting the tubular extrudate to form a plurality of anisotropic tubular particles comprising the thermoplastic elastomer foam and the non-foamed polymer disposed on an exterior of the thermoplastic elastomer foam as an outermost layer of the tubular particles; D. disposing the plurality of anisotropic tubular particles in a mold; and E. applying non-heat energy to the plurality of anisotropic tubular particles to selectively heat the non-foamed polymer to its softening temperature prior to the thermoplastic elastomer foam reaching its softening temperature and form the article such that the plurality of anisotropic tubular particles are randomly oriented in the article.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the non-heat energy is chosen from microwave energy, radio frequency energy, laser energy, infrared energy, ultraviolet energy, x-ray energy, e-beam energy, electromagnetic energy, magnetic energy, electrical energy, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Martin Brad J
• Manitiu Mihai
• Kujawski Mark Paul

Classifications

• C08J9/232 Primary

  by sintering expandable particles · CPC title

• B29C48/21

  the layers being joined at their surfaces · CPC title

• C08G18/48

  Polyethers · CPC title

• C08J2375/08

  from polyethers · CPC title

• C08J9/228 Primary

  Forming foamed products · CPC title