Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Brian N Hendy

John B Rose

Eric Nield

John W Smith

Carl F Mathews

Peter I Vincent

Michael B Cinderey

Graham W Scott

Dennis Ernest Evans

Stella M Young

Paul Gough

John Victor Simons

John M Ford

Brian Francis Beckingham

A process for making a polymer carrying a plurality of pendant groups SO.sub.2 Z' (where Z' is halogen) comprises reacting with an inorganic acid halide a substantially water-insoluble derivative of the corresponding polymer sulphonic acid with cations of valency 2, 3 or 4. The process is especially useful when the polymer sulphonic acid is one which in free acid form or monovalent cation salt form is soluble in or heavily swollen by water at temperatures in the range 0.degree.-30.degree. C. Suitably the polymer sulphonic acid is derived from a polyarylether-sulphone or -ketone or -sulphone/-ketone copolymer containing dioxyphenylene groups.

Process of preparing polymer sulphonyl derivatives

Sulphonated polyarylethers or thioethers are formed by polycondensing difunctional monomers having phenolic and/or thiophenolic and/or halogenic end groups in the presence of a dipolar aprotic solvent, at least to one of which monomers a sulphonic acid or a sulphonate salt is attached. The monomer(s) which the sulphonate group is attached is selected from monomers of formula I:

Aromatic polymers

An aryl-ether and/or thioether polymer contains aromatic rings linked to neighboring units Ph X Ph (when Ph is paraphenylene and X is SO.sub.2 and/or CO) through O and/or S and/or a direct link, at least some of said aromatic rings carrying a nuclear suphonamide group having N-aliphatic substitution, preferably with a cationic amino or quaternary ammonium group. A process for making aromatic polymer sulphonyl halides and, thus also sulphonamides, of very low sulphonic acid content, is characterized by working up in substantially anhydrous conditions the mixture resulting from the reaction of an inorganic halide with the corresponding sulphonic acid or salt thereof. The polymer sulphonamides are suitable for separation technologies, especially purification of water by reverse osmosis.

Substituted aromatic polymers

A mixture of two or more gases is contacted with a surface of a gas separation membrane and a gas having a different composition is removed from the vicinity of an opposite surface of the membrane, where the membrane is formed from a sulphonated polyarylsulphone or polyarylketone. The membrane may be a dense film or may be an asymmetric membrane. The process is particularly suitable for the separation of hydrogen from a hydrogen/nitrogen mixture when separation factors considerably in excess of 100 may be achieved together with an acceptable permeability. The membrane is preferably formed from a sulphonated polyarylethersulphone, for example one having repeat units of the formula ##STR1## where Ph.sup.1 is a phenylene residue and at least some of the groups Ph.sup.1 are sulphonated and n is 1 or 2 and the value can differ along the polymer chain. Divalent metal salts give membranes of high permeability which have a good separation factor.

Gas separation

A process for producing a composite membrance in which a sulphonated polymer is appled to the surface of a porous substrate, treating the polymer, in situ, on the substrate with cations of a polyvalent metal and converting the treated coating into a water insoluble layer on the support. The polyvalent metal may preferably by aluminum or chromium.

Process of producing a composite membrane

A sulphonated aromatic polymer containing repeating units (Ar-Y) (where Y is SO.sub.2 and/or CO), where at least half of groups Ar contain a group SO.sub.3 M and M is l/m of a polyvalent metal cation in at least 80% of such groups SO.sub.3 M, and where m is the valency of the ion. The polyvalent cation compound is formed by heating the corresponding sulphonic acid or monovalent cation compound with a salt of a polyvalent metal. The polymer is useful as a membrane and the polyvalent metal salt addition and/or the heat treatment may be applied to polymer in membrane form.

Membrane

Solutions of sulphonated polyaryletherketones in a solvent mixture of at least three liquids or low melting solids which are non-solvents or poor solvents for the polymer, can be used to produce asymmetric semi-permeable membranes. The polymer may be a polymer of

Membranes

The invention relates to an antistatic film having a polypropylene substrate and a polymeric heat-sealable surface layer on which is present an antistatic composition comprising (a) a quaternary ammonium compound, such as choline chloride, (b) an organic polyol containing at least two free hydroxyl groups, such as glycerol, (c) a glyceride of a long chain fatty acid, such as glyceryl monostearate, and, optionally, (d) an ethoxylated amine salt, such as an ethoxylated tallow amine sulphate. The composition is conveniently applied directly to the surface of a polymeric extrudate which is subsequently drawn to yield an oriented film, but at least the glyceride may be preblended into the film-forming polymer. The invention facilitates the production of uniformly antistatic packaging films despite variations in ambient relative humidity.

Antistatic films

A method for coating an axially moving tubular form by depositing a coating medium on a surface of the form, and spreading the deposited medium around at least part of the surface in a direction transverse to the movement of the form. The technique is suitable for the deposition of a uniform coating of a flowable medium on to a tubular film-forming substrate--particularly in the production of antistatic polyolefin films.

Method for producing an oriented tubular film

Oriented polyolefin (especially polypropylene) film having antistatic properties is produced by applying to the cast extrudate a solution of an `Ethomeen` sulphate (e.g. `Ethomeen` T/12 sulphate) before heating and stretching the extrudate to orient it. The corresponding hydrochlorides are not effective. Inclusion of a quaternary ammonium compound, such as choline chloride, in the solution confers improved antistatic properties.

Antistatic polyolefin films

Oriented polyolefin (especially polypropylene) film having antistatic properties is produced by applying to the cast extrudate an aqueous solution of an `Ethoquad` salt (e.g. `Ethoquad` C/12) before heating and stretching the extrudate to orient it. The corresponding tertiary amine chlorides (e.g. prepared from `Ethomeen` T/12) are not effective.

Oriented polyolefin film

The invention relates to apparatus and a method for producing a coated film in which a cooled polymeric tubular extrudate is coated, reheated and inflated to yield an oriented, coated tubular film. The apparatus includes a coating head comprising a rotatable assembly including a support member [13] providing an orifice [14] through which the tubular extrudate may be fed, a plurality of spreading members [19] spaced-apart around the orifice, mounting means [15] for each of the spreading members operatively associated with the support member and displaceable relative thereto, and means [21] for biasing each of the spreading members into engagement with the tubular extrudate. Liquid coating medium is suitably deposited on the extrudate from a spray assembly, and the coating asembly is rotated around the extrudate thereby spreading and polishing the deposited medium to yield a uniformly coated film. The system is particularly suitable for the production of polymeric packaging films having an antistatic coating on the surface thereof.

Apparatus and method for producing coated film

A graft copolymer comprises a substrate of a diene rubber, and a homogeneous superstrate containing units of acrylonitrile and at least one aromatic olefin having a molar ratio of acrylonitrile to olefin between 2 and 9. The superstrate may also contain a minor amount (preferably less than 10 mole %) of at least one other comonomer selected from acenaphthylene, vinyl carbazole and its derivatives, maleimide and its N-substituted derivatives and norbornene and its derivatives.

Graft copolymers containing rubber, acrylonitrile and an aromatic olefin

An apparatus for coating an axially moving tubular form by depositing a coating medium on a surface of the form, and spreading the deposited medium around at least part of the surface in a direction transverse to the movement of the form. The technique is suitable for the deposition of a uniform coating of a flowable medium on a tubular film-forming substrate--particularly in the production of antistatic polyolefin films.

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Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Brian N Hendy