Advanced Elastomer Systems, L.p.

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

The B. F. Goodrich Company

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Tonson Abraham

Norman Glenn Barber

Robert C Evers

Sabet Abdou-Sabet

Sunny Jacob

Alistair Duncan Westwood

Kuo-Shein Shen

Edward J Soloski

Edward John Blok

Trazollah Ouhadi

William F Masler, Iii

Krishna Venkataswamy

August H Jorgensen, Jr

Philip H Starmer

Bahar Azimipour

Gary R Cornell

Danny Van Hoyweghen

Norman C Barber

In one or more embodiments of this invention, TPE compositions having between 55 and 85 Shore A hardness and having good adhesion to metal substrates, are produced by blending an amount of unsaturated carboxylic acid functionalized thermoplastic resin with a very soft TPV, namely, a TPV base having a hardness of 45 Shore A or less.

Adhesive thermoplastic vulcanizates

Methods for making a crosslinked elastomeric composition and articles made of the same are provided. In at least one specific embodiment, an elastomeric composition comprising at least one propylene-based polymer is blended with at least one component selected from the group consisting of multifunctional acrylates, multifunctional methacrylates, functionalized polybutadiene resins, functionalized cyanurate, and allyl isocyanurate; and blended with at least one component selected from the group consisting of hindered phenols, phosphites, and hindered amines. The propylene-based polymer can include propylene derived units and one or more dienes, and have a triad tacticity of from 50% to 99% and a heat of fusion of less than 80 J/g. The blended composition can then be extruded and crosslinked. The extruded polymer can be crosslinked using electron beam radiation having an e-beam dose of about 100 KGy or less. The crosslinked polymers are particularly useful for making fibers and films.

Polyolefin-based crosslinked articles

Thermoplastic vulcanizate compositions having good adhesion to unheated polar substrates include an amount of functionalized polyolefin that comprises greater than 80% of the total polyolefin of the TPV. The functional group may be an anhydride. Exemplary TPVs may further include polyamide, and an elastomer, which may include one or more of conjugated diene rubber, unsaturated styrenic triblock copolymer rubber, hydrogenated styrenic triblock copolymer rubber, ethylene/alpha-olefin rubber, and ethylene/alpha-olefin/non-conjugated diene rubber. The TPVs may have hardness values of less than 85 Shore A and peel forces with respect to unheated polar substrates of greater than 15 pli. Articles comprising polar substrates and TPVs are also taught.

Thermoplastic vulcanizates having improved adhesion to polar substrates

Provided in one aspect is a method of melt blending comprising providing an extruder possessing addition points from a zero point to a 100 point the length of the extruder; adding at least one thermoplastic and at least one curable polymer at the zero to 10 point of the extruder; adding at least one silicone hydride at the 5 to 30 point of the extruder; adding at least one metal catalyst at the 20 to 60 point of the extruder, with the proviso that the metal catalyst is added at least 5 points farther down the extruder than the silicone hydride. Provided in another aspect is a hydrosilylation curative composition comprising a silicone hydride having the formula wherein H is hydrogen, and each R' is independently selected from hydrogen and Cto Calkyl groups; R&#x2033; is selected from Cto Calkyl groups; n is an integer from 5 to 45; and m is an integer from 5 to 45.

Method of melt blending curable polymer compositions using silicone hydrides

A thermoplastic vulcanizate comprising a dynamically-cured rubber, where the rubber is selected from the group consisting of ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated diene rubber, propylene-based rubbery copolymers with units derived from non-conjugated diene monomers, butyl rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber, where dynamic vulcanization is effected with a phenolic resin or a silicon-containing curative, and where the rubber is dynamically cured to an extent where greater than 94% by weight of the rubber is insoluble in cyclohexane at 23&#xb0; C., and from about 25 to about 250 parts by weight of a thermoplastic polymer phase per 100 parts by weight rubber, where about 85% to about 50% by weight of the thermoplastic polymer phase includes a propylene-based polymer, and where from about 15% to about 50% by weight of the thermoplastic polymer phase includes a butene-1-based polymer.

Thermoplastic vulcanizates with improved mechanical properties

A thermoplastic vulcanizate comprising a dynamically-cured rubber, where the rubber is selected from the group consisting of ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated diene rubber, propylene-based rubbery copolymers with units derived from non-conjugated diene monomers, and butyl rubber, where dynamic vulcanization is effected with a phenolic resin or a silicon-containing curative, and where the rubber is dynamically cured to an extent where greater than 94% by weight of the rubber is insoluble in cyclohexane at 23&#xb0; C., and from about 25 to about 250 parts by weight of a thermoplastic polymer phase per 100 parts by weight rubber, where from about 75% to about 100% by weight of said thermoplastic polymer phase includes a butene-1-based polymer.

Thermoplastic vulcanizates with low compression set

The compression set [(70&#xb0; C., 22 hr), (100&#xb0; C., 22 hr)] of TPVs can be improved by substituting, within their respective constituent plastic phase, all or portions of polyolefins having a high melting point, with polyolefins having lower melting point (Tm from between 115&#xb0; C. to 140&#xb0; C.). Exemplary polyolefins having melting points in this range include homopolyethylene, syndiotactic polypropylene, and isotactic poly(1-butene). Composition and methods of formulating thermoplastic vulcanizates to achieve an improved high temperature (between 70&#xb0; C. 100&#xb0; C.) compression set by selecting between suitable polyolefins on the basis of melting point temperature and substituting from 30% to 100% of high melting point polyolefins with low melting point polyolefins in the plastic phase are taught.

Method for improving compression set in thermoplastic vulcanizates

Disclosed herein are low Shore A Hardness thermoplastic vulcanizate compositions having high Rebound values. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the compositions include a dispersed at least partially vulcanized rubber component; a thermoplastic component; and process oil; wherein the weight ratio of the thermoplastic component to the rubber component ranges from 80:20 to 15:85; and the thermoplastic component comprises more than 80 wt % of a polypropylene (preferably a random propylene copolymer) having a melting point less than about 105&#xb0; C. The compositions can be used in molded products, consumer goods and the like.

Soft thermoplastic vulcanizate compositions

This invention relates to a soft thermoplastic vulcanizate composition comprising: a) from about 2-10 wt %, based upon total polymer content weight a)+b)+c), of a thermoplastic polyethylene or polypropylene homopolymer, or ethylene-propylene copolymer, or copolymer that includes ethylene or propylene together with one or more Cto C&#x3b1;-olefins, said thermoplastic having at least 25% crystallinity by DSC; b) from about 15 to about 36 wt. %, based upon total polymer content weight a)+b)+c), of an ethylene-&#x3b1;-olefin random or block copolymer thermoplastic having less than 5% crystallinity by DSC; c) from about 60 to about 80 wt. %, based upon total polymer content weight a)+b)+c), of a cross-linked elastomer; and d) from about 50 to about 65 wt %, based upon total composition weight a)+b)+c)+d), of a process oil; wherein said thermoplastic vulcanizate composition has a Shore A Hardness of less than 35. The invention compositions may also comprise from about 0 to about 40 wt. %, based upon the total composition weight, of conventional additives.

Soft thermoplastic elastomers

A blend of an EPDM made with VNB instead of ENB and specified melt viscosity reducers is imbued with a unique ability to form a processable blend with a polyolefin phase in which PE is present in a major amount by weight relative to PP. In the substantially fully cured vulcanizate (TPV) of the blend the ratio of PE to pEPDM is in the range from more than 1:3 up to about 1:0.6. This blend is made processable with less than 200 phr of a processing oil in presently available commercial processing equipment by using an inert melt viscosity reducer which is compatible with the pEPDM and PE phases without being substantially miscible in either. A preferred melt viscosity reducer is chosen from (a) a polyolefin selected from the group consisting of isotactic poly(1-butene), ethylene-co-1-butene, propene-co-1-butene and ethylene-co-propene-co-1-butene; (b) oils and waxes having a solubility parameter in the range from about 19.5 to 21.5; and (c) a block copolymer of a fatty acid and polyethylene oxide having a melting point lower than 150&deg; C.

Processable polyethylene/EPDM thermoplastic vulcanizates

A polar thermoplastic and acrylate or ethylene acrylate based polar rubbers form a useful thermoplastic vulcanizate when the rubber is selectively cured with curatives which do not affect the polar thermoplastic and do not generate volatile organics. Examples of thermoplastics include aromatic polyesters, polycarbonates, poly(phenylene oxide), or combinations thereof. Examples of curatives include compounds with a multifunctional oxazoline, oxazine or imidazoline, which can react with functional groups such as carboxylic acid groups on the rubber.

High temperature, oil resistant thermoplastic vulcanizates made from polar plastics and acrylate or ethylene-acrylate elastomers

Low oil swell, non sticky readily processable carboxylated nitrile rubber-thermoplastic polyurethane vulcanizate compositions have increased upper service temperature over comparable thermoplastic polyurethanes. The compositions of the present invention are made utilizing a processing aid, for example, maleated polyolefins and addition type curing agents such as bisoxazolines or bisimidazolines. The compositions generally contain thermoplastic polyurethane as a continuous phase with the carboxylated nitrile rubber being dispersed therein.

Thermoplastic vulcanizates of carboxylated nitrile rubber and thermoplastic polyurethanes

Dynamic vulcanizates of an engineering thermoplastic ('plastic'), e.g. a polyamide or polyester, with acrylate rubbers having dissimilar functional groups are prepared with a metal fatty acid salt in the absence of a conventional curative, provided the rubbers are molecularly intermixed. An acrylate rubber with halogen functionality ('AcrRubHal') is thus crosslinked in a single mixing stage with an acrylate rubber having carboxyl, hydroxyl or epoxy functionality ('AcrRubX') in a 'plastic'. Quaternary ammonium salts and tertiary amines do not function as curatives, as one might expect. But a metal fatty acid salt, preferably a metal stearate or oleate and concentrates thereof effectively crosslink the rubbers. TPVs produced without conventional curing agents are relatively 'soft', but have highly desirable low temperature physical properties and oil resistance.

Dynamic vulcanizates of engineering thermoplastic and acrylate rubber

Low oil swell, processable carboxylated nitrile rubber thermoplastic vulcanizate compositions having high melting points are made utilizing a processing aid, for example, maleated polyethylene, and addition type curing agents such as bisoxazolines or bisimidazolines. The compositions generally contain polar thermoplastic high melting point crystalline polymers such as polyester as a continuous phase with the carboxylated nitrile rubber being dispersed therein.

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Strongsville, OH, United States of America

Tonson Abraham