Trinseo Europe Gmbh

Abidin Balan

Claude T E Van Nuffel

Gilbert Bouquet

Mark Vreys

Luc Bosiers

Pascal Erej Lakeman

Elroy Eekman

Pascal Lakeman

Claude Te Van Nuffel

Yao-Chu Chung

Pascal EREJ Lakeman

A foaming composition useful to make an extruded foam is comprised of comprising a plurality of chains of a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated acids, the copolymer having about 0.01 to about 15.0 percent by weight of the one or more unsaturated acids wherein the acid groups are pendant from the copolymer a metal salt, metal oxide or combination thereof, the metal having a valence of at least 2; and one or more blowing agents. The foaming composition may be made into a foam by heating the foaming composition to a temperature sufficient to melt and ionically crosslink said copolymer which is then extruded through a die forming a foam. The foam is comprised of an ionically crosslinked aforementioned copolymer, wherein the copolymer is crosslinked through ionic bonds between the unsaturated acids and the metal of the metal salt or metal oxide.

Foams and method of forming foams of ionomers of copolymers of vinylidene aromatic monomer and unsaturated compounds with acid groups

Disclosed are ionomers of co-polymers of vinylidene substituted aromatic monomers and unsaturated compounds containing acid groups crosslinked by the residue of one or more metal salts and/or metal oxides of a metal having a valence of 2 or greater. The crosslinks are reversible and the weight average molecular weight of the copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated acids may be substantially the same after the crosslinking is reversed as it is before crosslinking. A portion of the chains of the copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated acids are crosslinked with other chains of the copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated acids. Disclosed are methods of preparing such ionomers.

Ionomers of copolymers of vinylidene aromatic monomer and unsaturated compounds with acid groups

Disclosed herein are compositions including a thermoformable sheet having three of more layers. Two layers include one or more monovinylidene aromatic monomer containing polymers which are impact modified by a rubber, one or more monovinylidene aromatic monomer and unsaturated nitrile containing copolymers, or a blend of one or more monovinylidene aromatic monomer containing polymers and a polyolefin, which exhibit resistance to environmental stress cracking. At least one of the two layers is an outer layer. An inner layer includes post-consumer recycled monovinylidene aromatic monomer containing polymers which are impact modified by a rubber, post-industrial recycled monovinylidene aromatic monomer containing polymers which are impact modified by a rubber. Optionally, the composition may include virgin monovinylidene aromatic monomer containing polymers which are impact modified by a rubber. Optionally, the composition may include an outer layer which is a gloss layer.

Monovinylidene aromatic multilayer sheet containing impact modifiers

A composition includes one or more copolymers of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups, and the copolymer has on average about 0.01 to about 15.0 percent by weight of nucleophilic groups pendant from the copolymer. The copolymer is chain extended and/or branched by one or more copolymers of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having electrophilic groups, or a portion of the chains of the copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more nucleophilic groups are crosslinked with other chains of the copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more nucleophilic groups by ionic bonding of anions formed from the pendant nucleophilic groups with a metal cation having a valence of 2 or greater or complexation between pendant acid groups and metal oxides.

Ionomers and/or chain extended/branched copolymers of impact modified vinylidene aromatic monomer and unsaturated compounds

Toughened thermoplastic polymers having elastomeric domains in thermoplastic polymer may be recycled by a method comprising dissolving the thermoplastic polymer in a solvent to form a solution, wherein the elastomer is dispersed within the solution as elastomer particulates or droplets, applying a sufficient centrifugal force to the solution to separate the elastomeric particulates or droplets from the solution to form a separated system and (c) recovering the thermoplastic polymer and elastomeric polymer by removing one or both from the separated system. The recovered elastomer and thermoplastic polymer may then be reused in the same type, similar or differing plastics avoiding degradation typically found when recycling toughened thermoplastic polymers.

Recycling method for elastomer toughened thermoplastic polymers

A composition comprising: a) one or more copolymers of i) one or more of one or more vinyl or vinylidene aromaticmonomers and/or (meth)acrylates; with ii) one or more unsaturated compounds containing one or more nucleophilic groups wherein the copolymer contains on average about 0.01 to about 5.0 percent by weight of nucleophilic groups based on the weight of the copolymer; b) one or more thermoplastic elastomer based polymers containing one or more nucleophilic groups; and c) one or more polymers having electrophilic groups; wherein the electrophilic groups have reacted with the nucleophilic groups and at least a portion of the one or more copolymers containing nucleophilic groups are bonded to at least a portion of the one or more thermoplastic elastomers containing one or more nucleophilic groups by at least a portion of the one or more polymers having electrophilic groups.

Impact modified copolymers of (meth)acrylate esters and/or free radically polymerizable monomers containing nucleophilic groups

Disclosed are such co-polymers of vinylidene substituted aromatic monomers and unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups chain extended by a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having pendant electrophilic groups which copolymerize with the one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers. Disclosed are compositions comprising vinylidene substituted aromatic monomers and unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups and a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having pendant electrophilic groups, which may optionally, contain salts of alkaline earth metals, alkali metals, transition metals, post transition metals or metalloids. Disclosed are methods of preparing such chain-extended and/or branched copolymers.

Chain expended or branched copolymers of vinylidene aromatic monomer and unsaturated compounds with electrophilic groups

Compositions comprising at least one copolymers comprising: a) from 20 to 90 percent by weight of one or more vinylidene substituted aromatic compounds; b) from 10 to 80 percent by weight of one or more cyclic (meth)acrylate esters; c) from 0 to 40 percent by weight of one or more unsaturated nitriles; and, d) from 0 to 60 percent by weight of an alkyl (meth)acrylate; wherein based on the weight of the copolymer and the copolymer has a weight average molecular weight of 120,000 g/Mole or greater and a glass transition temperature of 100&#xb0; C. or greater. Disclosed are articles prepared from the compositions which may be fabricated in any known manner. The copolymers, compositions and articles disclosed contain reduced levels of the one or more free/residual/unreacted monomers, such as unsaturated nitriles; may be transparent or opaque; or have a biobased monomer content of 5 percent by weight or greater.

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Breda, Netherlands

Abidin Balan