The Dow Chemical Company

Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Other

Sk Saran Americas LLC

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Douglas E Beyer

Lu H Tung

Steven R Jenkins

Grace Y Lo

Junqiang Liu

Edward M Calverley

Chan Han

Janet M Goss

Joseph W Rakshys, Jr

David E Henton

Hyun K Jeon

Robert C West

Augustin T Chen

Paul J Moses

Benjamin S Ehrlich

Eric K Lee

Steven P Sandor

Kurt W Olson

Michael L Mounts

William R LaFollette

Koichi Komatsu

Valerie Renard

Edward T Carrington

Eric K C Lee

A process for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture having hydrogen and a larger gas molecule is comprised of flowing the gas mixture through a carbonized polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) copolymer membrane having a hydrogen permeance in combination with a hydrogen/methane selectivity, wherein the combination of hydrogen permeance and hydrogen/methane selectivity is (i) at least 30 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 200 hydrogen/methane selectivity or (ii) at least 10 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 700 hydrogen/methane selectivity. The carbonized PVDC copolymer may be made by heating and restraining a polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film or hollow fiber having a thickness of 1 micrometer to 250 micrometers to a pretreatment temperature of 100° C. to 180° C. to form a pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film and then heating and restraining the pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film to a maximum pyrolysis temperature from 350° C. to 750° C.

Separation of gases via carbonized vinylidene chloride copolymer gas separation membranes and processes therefor

The present disclosure is directed to a composition comprising (a) a vinylidene chloride/methyl acrylate interpolymer having greater than 6 wt % methyl acrylate mer units in the interpolymer, (b) greater than 6 wt % of an epoxy plasticizer; and (c) less than 4 wt % of an acrylate polymer. The composition exhibits a crystallization time greater than 25 minutes to crystallization at 35&#xb0; C. Films made from the present composition show improved processability and find advantageous application as permeable barrier film for food packaging, for specialty food packaging, and for gassy cheese.

Vinylidene chloride copolymer composition for barrier film

A carbonized PVDC copolymer useful for the separation of an olefin from its corresponding paraffin may be made by heating a polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film or hollow fiber having a thickness of 1 micrometer to 20 micrometers to a pretreatment temperature of 100&#xb0; C. to 180&#xb0; C. to form a pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film and then heating the pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film to a maximum pyrolysis temperature from 350&#xb0; C. to 750&#xb0; C. A process for separating an olefin from its corresponding paraffin in a gas mixture is comprised of flowing the gas mixture through the aforementioned carbonized polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) copolymer to produce a permeate first stream having an increased concentration of the olefin and a second retentate stream having an increased concentration of its corresponding paraffin.

A process for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture having hydrogen and a larger gas molecule is comprised of flowing the gas mixture through a carbonized polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) copolymer membrane having a hydrogen permeance in combination with a hydrogen/methane selectivity, wherein the combination of hydrogen permeance and hydrogen/methane selectivity is (i) at least 30 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 200 hydrogen/methane selectivity or (ii) at least 10 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 700 hydrogen/methane selectivity. The carbonized PVDC copolymer may be made by heating and restraining a polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film or hollow fiber having a thickness of 1 micrometer to 250 micrometers to a pretreatment temperature of 100&#xb0; C. to 180&#xb0; C. to form a pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film and then heating and restraining the pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film to a maximum pyrolysis temperature from 350&#xb0; C. to 750&#xb0; C.

A process to prepare a vinylidene chloride heteropolymer comprising copolymerizing vinylidene chloride with at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylates, non-vinylidene chloride vinyl monomers and combinations thereof in the presence of an indicator, wherein the indicator is soluble in vinylidene chloride, the at least one comonomer, or a mixture of the vinylidene chloride and the at least one comonomer is provided.

Process to produce a vinylidene chloride-based heteropolymer

Novel carbon molecular sieve (CMS) compositions comprising carbonized vinylidene chloride copolymer having micropores with an average micropore size ranging from 3.0 to 5.0. These materials offer capability in separations of gas mixtures including, for example, propane/propylene; nitrogen/methane; and ethane/ethylene. Such may be prepared by a process wherein vinylidene chloride copolymer beads, melt extruded film or fiber are pretreated to form a precursor that is finally carbonized at high temperature. Preselection or knowledge of precursor crystallinity and attained maximum pyrolysis temperature enables preselection or knowledge of a average micropore size, according to the equation ?=6.09+(0.0275&#xd7;C)&#x2212;(0.00233&#xd7;T), wherein ? is the average micropore size in Angstroms, C is the crystallinity percentage and T is the attained maximum pyrolysis temperature in degrees Celsius, provided that crystallinity percentage ranges from 25 to 75 and temperature in degrees Celsius ranges from 800 to 1700. The beads, fibers or film may be ground, post-pyrolysis, and combined with a non-coating binder to form extruded pellets, or alternatively the fibers may be woven, either before or after pre-treatment, to form a woven fiber sheet which is thereafter pyrolyzed to form a woven fiber adsorbent.

Vinylidene chloride copolymer-based carbon molecular sieve adsorbent compositions and processes therefor

A polymer blend including a vinylidene chloride interpolymer; an ethylene-acrylate interpolymer; and optionally one or more additives selected from the group consisting of stabilizers, plasticizers, and processing aids is provided. Also provided is an extruded film and a packaging or container which includes the film.

Composition, a film made therefrom and an article including the film

Disclosed is a process to produce an improved formulated vinylidene chloride polymer comprising a solid inorganic additive and producing improved vinylidene chloride polymer film products. The process includes adding the inorganic solid additive (such as magnesium hydroxide and/or other inorganic acid scavenger) in a dispersion of a liquid, such as a liquid plasticizer or stabilizer to improve distribution through the polymer and reduction of relatively large sized particles or agglomerates in the polymer and film.

Process of incorporating solid inorganic additives into solid polymers using a liquid dispersion

The present invention includes a polymer composition of at least one vinylidene chloride/alkyl acrylate polymer having from about 3.4 to about 6.7 percent mole percent of mer units derived from at least one alkyl acrylate monomer polymerized with the vinylidene chloride and comprising a plasticizer and having at least one of the following compositional characteristics (1) and (2): (1) at least one low molecular weight vinyl chloride polymer having a molecular weight of at most about 70,000 Daltons in an amount sufficient to increase affinity for at least one ink; and (2) at least one methacrylic polymer in an amount sufficient to increase the affinity for at least one ink. Surfaces comprising such a composition and articles having such surfaces are surprisingly printable and are aspects of the invention as is printing thereon.

Printable monolayer polyvinylidene chloride structures

Barrier films made from a composition comprising vinylidene chloride (VDC) interpolymer and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) exhibit improved tear resistance in both the machine and cross directions without a significant deterioration in oxygen transmission rate as compared to barrier films made under like conditions and from a composition alike in all respects except that the PBS is replaced with additional VDC interpolymer.

Vinylidene chloride interpolymer and poly(butylene succinate) blend

The present invention includes a monofilament obtainable by extruding a composition comprising: (a) at least one vinylidene chloride polymer/methyl acrylate interpolymer having at most about 6 weight percent methyl acrylate mer units in the polymer; and (b) at least about three weight percent total plasticizer, of which about 0.5 weight percent based on total composition weight is an epoxy plasticizer or combination thereof through a die such that monofilament is formed. Optionally, and preferably in extruders wherein the composition of (a) and (b) exhibits less uniformity in extrusion than is desired, at least one methacrylic polymer is also added. The invention also includes a process of extruding a composition of at least (a) and (b) to form a monofilament.

Polyvinylidene chloride compositions and their use in monofilament structures

The invention includes a copolymer of vinylidene chloride with at least one monounsaturated comonomer and at least one branching monomer in an amount sufficient to increase molecular weight over that of a polymer prepared using the same process and same monomers in the same relative amounts except without the branching monomer, but preferably the branching monomer is present in a quantity not sufficient to result in measurable crosslinking as determined by solubility in tetrahydrofuran at up to 83&#xb0; C. The invention includes a process for making the polymer and processes for forming the copolymer or compositions thereof as well as articles comprising the copolymer and compositions thereof. The copolymer exhibits improved bubble stability and is particularly useful for processes in which the copolymer is at least partially oriented in formation such as blow molding, formation of monofilament fiber and film blowing.

Bubble stability

Articles comprise a monolayer blown film prepared from a composition comprising at least one vinylidene chloride polymer and at least one plasticizer wherein at least one vinylidene chloride polymer comprises vinylidene chloride and at least one alkyl acrylate, selected from methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, or butyl acrylate or a combination thereof in an amount of from 2.5 to 9 mole percent of the monomer content of the vinylidene chloride polymer and wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount of from 1 to 15 parts by weight per hundred parts of polymer, wherein the article is selected from a package, a container, a laminate, sausage casing or combination thereof, particularly a sausage casing, wherein at least 4 of designated characteristics are present. The invention also includes processes for making articles of the invention and films used therein.

Plasticzer in alkyl acrylate vinylidene chloride polymer

The toughness of a thermoplastic, rigid polyurethane is markedly improved by incorporating a mass ABS resin such as styrene/butadiene rubber grafted with a copolymer of styrene and acrylonitrile. This toughened polyurethane is particularly useful in making structural automotive body parts and housings for electrical appliances.

Growing community of inventors

Midland, MI, United States of America

Douglas E Beyer