Process for Producing Expandable Thermoplastic Resin Beads

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a process for producing expandable thermoplastic resin beads, especially those which have superior foamability and molding fusability and the resulting foamed articles made from such beads provide good thermal stability.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Generally, it is easy to obtain polystyrene beads having a high expansion ratio. The resulting foamed articles made from such beads have high rigidity and good shape retention, but have the disadvantage in that they are fragile and have poor chemical resistance, oil resistance and thermal stability. Foamed products of polypropylene resin, on the other hand, have better elasticity, chemical resistance, oil resistance and thermal stability than polystyrene foams. A blowing agent impregnated in polypropylene resin beads tends to dissipate rapidly, and it is necessary, therefore, to pre-foam them rapidly after preparation to obtain expandable beads, or to store these expandable resin beads in a container under pressure. Accordingly, such impregnated polypropylene resin beads have disadvantages during storage and transportation and it is generally difficult to obtain polypropylene expandable beads having a high expansion ratio.

When polypropylene and polystyrene are simply mixed in an attempt to obtain a resin having the desirable characteristics of both polymers, a uniform mixture cannot be obtained. A foamed product prepared from such a mixture undergoes phase separation, and does not have an attractive appearance. Many investigations have been undertaken to remedy this disadvantage. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 36097/72 discloses a process for producing foamable pellets of a vinyl aromatic polymer which comprises heat-melting a vinyl aromatic polymer (polystyrene) containing 1 to 15% by weight, based on the total amount of the resin, of a polyolefin, pelletizing the melt, and impregnating the pellets with a blowing agent. According to this method, the amount of the polyolefin mixed is small, and since the vinyl aromatic polymer is simply physically mixed with the polyolefin, the two resins are not uniformly mixed and phase separation occurs. As a result, the impregnation of the blowing agent and the expansion ratio become non-uniform, and a uniform foamed article cannot be obtained. Moreover, because of the low polyolefin content, of pliability and elasticity of the resulting foamed product cannot be improved.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 32623/70 discloses a process for producing a foamable granular thermoplastic polymer which comprises dispersing in an aqueous medium a granular thermoplastic resin composed mainly of an aliphatic olefin resin, a polymerizable vinyl monomer capable of dissolving or swelling the thermoplastic resin, a polymerization catalyst and a cross-linking agent composed of an organic peroxide, introducing a blowing agent which is normally gaseous or liquid into the aqueous dispersion, and heating the mixture to a temperature at which the vinyl monomer has a solubilizing power for the aliphatic olefin resin and the heat also causes decomposition of the cross-linking agent, whereby the polymerization of the vinyl monomer, the impregnation of the blowing agent, and the cross-linking reaction occurs simultaneously under pressure. Since the polymerization of the vinyl monomer, the impregnation of the blowing agent and the cross-linking reaction are performed simultaneously under pressure in this process, a special manufacturing apparatus is required, and the process has disadvantages for commercial mass production. In specific embodiments of this process, the content of polyolefin is very high, and, therefore, the resulting foamable pellets do not have a sufficient gas retaining property. Moreover, the resulting foamed product has the same properties as a foamed article of polyolefin alone.

The present inventors made investigations in order to obtain foamed resins having good properties due to the use of polypropylene such as superior chemical resistance and thermal stability, good expansion characteristics, and good cushioning properties. These investigations led to the discovery that expandable thermoplastic resin particles of good quality can be obtained by graft polymerizing a vinyl aromatic monomer in the presence of a polymerization catalyst onto a backbone of a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene as a nucleus, and impregnating the resulting thermoplastic resin beads with a blowing agent.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a process for producing thermoplastic resin beads which comprises suspending in an aqueous medium 20 to 70% by weight of a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene containing 1 to 10% by weight of ethylene and 99 to 90% by weight propylene and 30 to 80% by weight of a vinyl aromatic monomer, adding a polymerization catalyst and graft polymerizing the vinyl aromatic monomer onto the backbone of the random copolymer to form graft-copolymerized thermoplastic resin beads.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for producing expandable thermoplastic resin beads, which comprises introducing a blowing agent composed of an easily volatilizable hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon into the aforesaid thermoplastic resin beads.

In the process of this invention, the random copolymer of propylene and ethylene containing 1 to 10% by weight of ethylene and 99 to 90% by weight propylene is used as a nucleus into which the vinyl aromatic monomer is absorbed and the vinyl aromatic monomer is polymerized in the presence of a polymerization catalyst. The random copolymer itself may include in admixture of at least one of polyethylene, an ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, an ethylene/vinyl chloride copolymer, a styrene/propylene rubber, polyisobutylene, butyl rubber, styrene/butadiene rubber, polybutene, polybutadiene, etc., prior to polymerization with the vinyl aromatic monomer. Mixing of such a polymer, for example, serves to increase impact strength at low temperatures and gives rise to other advantages.

In order to cause rapid absorption of the vinyl aromatic monomer, the random copolymer is used in a particulate form. It is preferably in the form of spheres, flattened particles or pellets having a diameter of about 0.5 to 10 mm.

Examples of vinyl aromatic monomers used in the process of this invention are styrene, .alpha.-methylstyrene, ethylstyrene, chlorostyrene, bromostyrene, vinyltoluene, vinylxylene, and isopropylxylene. These monomers may be used either alone or in admixture. A mixture of at least 50% of the vinyl aromatic monomer and a monomer copolymerizable with it, such as acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate or methyl acrylate can also be used.

The polymerization catalysts used in the process of this invention include, for example, organic peroxides such as benzoyl peroxide, tertiary butyl perbenzoate, lauroyl peroxide, tertiary butyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanate and tertiary butyl peroxide, and azo compounds such as azobisisobutyronitrile and azobisdimethylvaleronitrile.

In the process of this invention, a cross-linking agent is not always necessary, but may be added. Examples of such cross-linking agents are di-t-butyl peroxide, t-butyl cumyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, .alpha.,.alpha.-bis(t-butyl peroxy)-p-di-isopropylbenzene, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(t-butyl peroxy)hexyne-3,2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(benzoyl peroxy)hexane, and t-butyl peroxy isopropyl carbonate. The cross-linking agent is used generally together with a cross-linking promotor. Examples of cross-linking promotors include functional vinyl compounds such as divinylbenzene, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triallyl cyanurate, diallyl phthalate, 1,3-butadiene, 1,2-polybutadiene and 1,4-polybutadiene; quinone dioxime; and bisamide.

The process of this invention is described specifically. First, a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene containing 1 to 10% by weight ethylene and 99 to 90% by weight propylene (to be referred to as a nuclear resin) is reduced to pellets having a size of 1 to 3 mm by, for example, extruding through an extruder. The pellets of the nuclear resin are suspended in an aqueous medium containing a dispersing agent. The dispersing agent may be, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, calcium phosphate, magnesium pyrophosphate, calcium carbonate, etc. The amount of the dispersing agent employed is 0.01 to 5% by weight based on the amount of water. Then, a vinyl aromatic monomer such as styrene monomer and a polymerization catalyst are added to the resulting suspension containing the nuclear resin particles dispersed therein. These materials may be added all at one time, or gradually in small portions. The vinyl aromatic monomer and the polymerization catalyst may be added separately. Alternatively, the polymerization catalyst may be first dissolved in, or mixed with, the vinyl aromatic monomer, and the solution or mixture then added. The polymerization catalyst may be used as a solution in a solvent which does not hamper the polymerization reaction. Examples of solvents that can be used for this purpose include toluene, benzene and 1,2-dichloropropane.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the aqueous medium is heated to a temperature at which the vinyl aromatic monomer can be polymerized, and then the vinyl aromatic monomer and the polymerization catalyst are added. Alternatively, these materials are added at room temperature, and then the suspension is heated to the polymerization temperature. When the cross-linking agent is used in the process of this invention, it may be used by dissolving in the vinyl aromatic monomer, or in the solvent for the polymerization catalyst. When the vinyl aromatic monomer is used in a relatively large amount, it is desirable to add the vinyl aromatic monomer gradually in small portions to the suspension in order to prevent the formation of a homopolymer of the vinyl aromatic monomer.

The vinyl aromatic monomer added to the suspension penetrates into the inside portion of the nuclear resin particles and is there polymerized, or polymerized and cross-linked, in the nuclear resin particles. As the result of this reaction, graft polymerization and homopolymerization of the vinyl aromatic monomer take place simultaneously. In this reaction, 20 to 70% by weight of the nuclear resin and 30 to 80% by weight of the vinyl aromatic monomer are used. When the amount of the vinyl aromatic monomer is smaller than that above-specified, the expansion ratio of a resulting foamed structure decreases, and a foamed structure of a high expansion ratio cannot be obtained. On the other hand, when the amount of the vinyl aromatic monomer is larger than the upper limit specified, elasticity, thermal stability and oil resistance of the resulting foamed product are deteriorated. Accordingly, the proportions of the nuclear resin and the vinyl aromatic monomer employed should be in the range of from 20 to 70% by weight, preferably from 50 to 30% by weight, of the nuclear resin, and from 30 to 80% by weight, preferably from 50 to 70% by weight, of the vinyl aromatic monomer.

The vinyl aromatic monomer added to the suspension is rapidly absorbed into the inside portion of the nuclear resin particles, and polymerized, or polymerized and cross-linked, within the nuclear resin particles. Thus, the thermoplastic resin beads, in accordance with this invention, are obtained. The resulting thermoplastic resin particles consist of a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene, a vinyl aromatic homopolymer and a graft polymer of the random copolymer and vinyl aromatic monomer. Since the above reaction provides thermoplastic resin beads containing the graft random copolymer-vinyl aromatic monomer, phase separation as seen in the case of simply mixing the random copolymer and the vinyl aromatic homopolymer does not occur, and, thus, this graft polymer exhibits a binder effect of increasing compatibility between the random copolymer and the vinyl aromatic homopolymer. For this reason, the random copolymer-vinyl aromatic graft copolymer is required in an amount of at least 2%. If its proportion is less than 2%, the binder effect is not sufficient, and partial phase separation occurs in the resulting resin beads.

The cross-linked polymer, if prepared by the process of this invention, precipitates as an insoluble portion (gel) when dissolved in hot toluene, xylene, etc. The amount of the reaction product resulting from the grafting of the vinyl aromatic monomer onto polypropylene is determined by the weight increase from the initial amount of polypropylene used, which, in turn, is determined from the residue of extraction with a 1:1 boiling mixture of acetone and benzene. The presence of the gel or the graft reaction product improves the retention of the blowing agent by the resulting thermoplastic resin beads and the molding fusability of the resin beads at the time of foaming.

In the process of this invention, for example, a blowing agent is impregnated under pressure in the resulting thermoplastic resin beads in an aqueous suspension. The suspending agent used in the aqueous suspension is added in order to prevent bonding or coalescing of the thermoplastic resin beads during impregnation of the blowing agent. Examples of the suspending agent are organic compounds such as partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid salt, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, carboxymethyl cellulose, calcium stearate and ethylenebis stearamide, and, sparingly, water-soluble fine powders of inorganic compounds such as calcium pyrophosphate, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium phosphate, magnesium pyrophosphate and magnesium oxide. When an inorganic compound is used as the suspending agent in the process of this invention, it should be desirably used together with a surface active agent such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate.

Easily volatilizable blowing agents are used in the process of this invention. Examples of blowing agents include aliphatic hydrocarbons such as propane, n-butane, i-butane, n-pentane, i-pentane and n-hexane; cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclopentane and cyclohexane; and halogenated hydrocarbons such as methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, dichlorodifluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane and trichlorofluoromethane. These blowing agents are used in an amount of generally in the range of from 3 to 40% by weight based on the weight of the thermoplastic resin beads. A small amount (for example, 1 to 5% by weight) of an organic solvent such as toluene or xylene may be used together therewith.

The impregnation of the blowing agent is performed, for example, by suspending the thermoplastic resin beads in water containing the suspending agent in an autoclave, heating the suspension, and introducing the blowing agent under pressure. This procedure affords expandable thermoplastic resin beads. Impregnation may also be accomplished by, for example, dipping the thermoplastic resin beads into a liquid blowing agent after the beads have been prepared.

The glowing agent impregnated in the expandable thermoplastic resin beads obtained by the process of this invention does not easily escape from the beads, and the resin beads can be stored in a stable condition over long periods of time. As a result, it is not necessary, for example, as is the case with polyethylene-styrene beads, to pre-foam the beads within 24 hours after preparation, or to store them in a container under pressure. Therefore, resulting expandable thermoplastic resin beads can be stored or transported as prepared. For example, when the expandable resin particles, in accordance with this invention, are prefoamed with steam after one week storage at atmospheric pressure, foamed beads having a sufficient expansion ratio can be obtained.

A foamed article having a high expansion factor can be prepared by heating the expandable thermoplastic resin beads, in accordance with disclosure of this invention, by a heating medium such as steam. However, it has been found that, when a homopolymer of propylene or a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene is used as the nuclear resin, it is difficult to obtain a foamed product having a high expansion factor. According to the process of this invention, a foamed article having an expansion ratio of 40 to 70 can be easily obtained. This is believed to be due to the following reason. Since the nuclear resin used in the process of this invention consists of a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene, the degree of crystallinity of polypropylene decreases and its melting point and flow initiating temperature are lowered to retard crystallization. Hence, the dissipation of the blowing agent from the beads at the time of foaming under heat can be prevented.

The expandable thermoplastic resin beads obtained by the process of this invention can be formed into a foamed shaped article of a desired configuration by pre-foaming the beads and foaming and shaping them in a mold cavity. The resulting foamed shaped article has superior thermal stability, chemical resistance (e.g., oil resistance), and flexural strength due to the foamed polypropylene. In particular, when the foamed article is used as an underlayer of a roofing material to be subject to high temperatures, it is not shrunk nor softened by heat, and, therefore, it finds extensive use as a heat or sound insulating material or a cushioning material.

Since according to the process of this invention, the blowing agent is impregnated after the thermoplastic resin beads have been prepared, it is not necessary to use a high pressure reactor for polymerization and, optionally, cross-linking, and polymer beads can be very easily obtained. While it has previously been thought that cross-linking before the impregnation of a blowing agent causes difficulty of impregnation of the blowing agent (Japanese Patent Publication No. 32622/70), the process of this invention makes it possible to obtain sufficiently expandable resin beads by first performing polymerization and, optionally, cross-linking, and thereafter impregnating the blowing agent. According to the process of this invention, therefore, thermoplastic resin beads can be obtained prior to the impregnation of the blowing agent by polymerizing the vinyl aromatic monomer with the nuclear resin in the presence of a polymerization catalyst and, optionally, a cross-linking agent to induce graft polymerization or both graft polymerization and cross-linking. These resin beads can be formed into expandable thermoplastic resin beads in the manner described hereinabove. These resin beads can also be used as a resin for extrusion shaping. For example, it is possible to feed these beads into an extruder, force a blowing agent into it, and extrude a foamed sheet, plate or rod.

Furthermore, according to the process of this invention, it is possible to add a fire retarding agent, a coloring agent, an antistatic agent, etc.

The following Examples illustrate the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all parts and percentages are by weight.

Forty(40) parts of a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene containing 1% of ethylene which copolymer had been pelletized to a diameter of 1 mm to 3 mm by an extruder was dispersed in a mixture consisting of 150 parts of water, 0.2 part of magnesium pyrophosphate prepared by the double decomposition-method and 0.02 part of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate. While maintaining the dispersion at 85.degree. C. a solution of 0.3 part of benzoyl peroxide and the amounts indicated in Table 1 of dicumyl peroxide and a cross-linking promotor in 60 parts of styrene monomer was added dropwise over the course of 7 hours. After the addition, the reaction was conducted at 140.degree. C. for 4 hours. The reaction product was cooled to obtain polymer beads. Then, a pressure reactor was charged with 100 parts of the resulting polymer beads, 100 parts of water, 0.02 part of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and 0.2 part of magnesium pyrophosphate, and 20 parts of butane was introduced under pressure. The mixture was maintained at 80.degree. C. for 6 hours. The mixture was then cooled to 30.degree. C., dehydrated and dried to obtain expandable thermoplastic resin beads. The resin beads were maintained in an environment at 20.degree. C. in a closed vessel, and pre-foamed 3 to 4 days later. These resin beads did not expand when contacted with hot water or steam at 100.degree. C., but by heating them with steam or an oil bath at 110.degree. to 150.degree. C., a foamed structure having uniform closed cells was obtained.

The pre-expanded resin beads were placed into a mold having vapor holes, and steam under a pressure of about 3.0 kg/cm.sup.2 (gauge pressure) to 5.0 kg/cm.sup.2 was introduced for 30 to 100 seconds. Then, the resulting foamed product was cooled with water, and removed from the mold. The resulting foamed product was a good quality molded product.

The amounts of the cross-linking agent and the cross-linking promotor and the properties of the resulting foamed products are shown in Table 1.

The properties of the foamed products were measured by the following methods.

Gel Concentration

Polymer beads obtained by polymerization were extracted with boiling toluene for 16 hours, cooled, and then filtered. The insoluble portion was dried under reduced pressure for 3 hours in an oven at 120.degree. C. The percentage of the weight of the dried insoluble portion based on the polymer beads was determined, and made the gel concentration.

Expansion Ratio

This refers to the expansion ratio of expandable thermoplastic resin beads to expanded beads which were prefoamed 4 days after preparation. For example, in Example 1, expandable beads=1 and expanded beads=50. Therefore, expansion ratio=1:50.

Molding Fusability

The molded product was broken by hand. When individual shapes of foamed beads did not appear at all on the fractured surface, the molding fusability was determined to be 100%. When the fractured surface was entirely a surface showing individual shapes of foamed beads, the molding fusability was determined to be 0%. Based on this standard, the percentage of foamed particles at the fractured surface was determined.

Graft Ratio

The sample was extracted with a 1:1 boiling mixture of acetone and benzene for 6 hours, and the extraction residue was dried until its weight became constant. The graft ratio was calculated in accordance with the following equation. ##EQU1## W.sub.0 =the weight of the sample W.sub.i =the weight of the extraction residue

X=the proportion of polypropylene in the sample

The amount of polystyrene in the gel was determined by IR analysis.

The procedure of Examples 1 to 10 was repeated using the random copolymer of propylene and ethylene including styrene with varying contents of ethylene. The results are shown in Table 2. In these Examples, dicumyl peroxide (0.2%) and 1,2-polybutadiene (1.0%) were used.

In Examples 15, 16 and 17, a mixture of 100 parts of the random copolymer with 10, 15 and 5 parts, respectively, of low-density polyethylene and 10, 10 and 5 parts, respectively, of EP rubber was used.

The procedure of Examples 1 to 10 was repeated except that the random copolymer of propylene and ethylene containing 2% of polyethylene was used in each of the amounts indicated in Table 3, and the amount of styrene monomer was changed as shown in Table 3. The results are shown in Table 3. In these examples, 2.0% of 1,2-polybutadiene and 1.0% of dicumyl peroxide were used.

For comparison, the above procedure was repeated except that the proportion of the styrene monomer was decreased and the proportion of the random copolymer was increased (Comparative Example 1). The results are also shown in Table 3.

In the above table, the heat dmensional stability denotes the dimensional shrinkage of the sample based on the original dimension compared with the sample after it was allowed to stand for 24 hours in a hot air constant-temperature tank at 100.degree. C. Foamed polystyrene itself has a heat dimensional stability of -23%.

The foamed product obtained in Comparative Example I had a low expansion ratio, and very poor molding fusability.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.