Process for a Polymeric Polyblend Composition Comprising a Matrix Phase Terpolymer of Alkenyl Aromatic Alkenyl Nitrile and Myrcene Monomers and a Diene Rubber Phase Grafted With Said Monomers

Prior art processes for ABS polyblends have generally grafted diene rubber particles contained in aqueous emulsion with alkenyl aromatic and alkenyl nitrile monomers to form grafted rubber phase particles dispersed in a matrix phase of said monomers.

The rubber particle size in such rubber emulsions ranges generally from about 0.01 to 0.50 microns which will toughen the matrix phase if incorporated in relatively high concentrations, i.e., 10 to 25% by weight.

The surface gloss of such polyblends is high, as extruded into profiles or molded into articles, because the particle size is too small to disturb the surfaces of the article.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,237 discloses that the toughness of ABS polyblends can be improved by adding large particles of grafted rubber, i.e., in the range of about 1 to 2.5 microns to ABS polyblends having rubber particles ranging from 0.01 to 0.50 microns.

It was noted that the large particles lowered gloss and no more than about 3 to 30% of large particles could be used to improve toughness and yet maintain reasonable gloss. Gloss as measured by the well known Hunter Gloss Test could be reduced from about 90 to about 60 using up to about 50% large particles.

Recent commercial requirements for extruded sheet and molding require higher gloss and toughness without the use of large particles of about 0.7 to 3 microns to toughen the polyblend. It has now been discovered that if the smaller rubber particles can be grafted more efficiently with larger amounts of monomers as a superstrate that the particles will toughen the polyblend substantially yet provide high gloss to extruded and molded polyblend parts.

In particular, alkenyl aromatic and alkenyl nitrile monomers can be grafted in larger amounts and with greater efficiency to rubber particles in latices by emulsion polymerization if the monomers have present about 1 to 30% by weight of a myrcene present during polymerization. The mechanism is not completely understood but it is believed that the myrcene has a conjugated diene structure present which is highly reactive with the unsaturated rubber substrate and provides multiple sites for the alkenyl monomers to graft to increasing the efficiency and amount of grafting superstrate monomers which can be placed on the rubber particle substrate. Such higher levels of superstrate are believed to increase the compatibility of the rubber particles in the matrix phase giving substantially improved gloss and toughness.

This invention relates to a process for preparing polymeric polyblends comprising the steps:

A. charging an aqueous latex having diene rubber particles dispersed therein to a reaction zone,

B. mixing a monomer formulation of alkenyl aromatic, alkenyl nitrile and myrcene with said latex, said myrcene being present in about 1 to 30% by weight of said monomer formulation,

C. polymerizing said monomers in the presence of said latex such that said rubber particles become grafted with at least a portion of said monomers while said monomers form a matrix polymer phase of said monomers, and

D. separating said matrix polymer having said grafted rubber particles dispersed therein from said latex forming said polymeric polyblend.

The invention also relates to a composition prepared by said process.

The monomer formulation comprises, at least principally, a monoalkenylaromatic monomer, a ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer and a conjugated diolefin monomer. The amonoalkenylaromatic monomer comprises at least one monomer of the formula: ##STR1## where Ar is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, halophenyl, alkylphenyl and alkylhalophenyl and mixtures thereof and X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl radical of less than three carbon atoms.

Exemplary of the monomers that can be employed in the present process are styrene; alpha-alkyl monovinylidene monoaromatic compounds, e.g., alpha-methylvinyl toluene, etc.; ring-substitute alkyl styrenes, e.g., vinyl toluene, o-ethylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, etc., ring-substituted halostyrenes, e.g., o-chlorostyrene, p-chlorostyrene, o-bromostyrene, 2,4-dichlorostyrene, etc., ring-alkyl, ring-halo-substituted styrenes, e.g., 2-chloro-4-methylstyrene, 2,6-dichloro-4-methylstyrene, etc. If so desired, mixtures of such monovinylidene aromatic monomers may be employed.

Exemplary of the unsaturated alkenyl nitriles which may be used in the interpolymers are acrylonitrle, methacrylonitrile, ethacrylonitrile and mixture thereof.

Myrcene is a C.sub.10 H.sub.16 hydrocarbon having three double bonds characterized by the formula:

called 2 methyl-6-methylene-2,7-octadiene or 3 methylene-7-methyl-1,6,octadiene. It has the form of a colorless, lubricous liquid at room temperature having a boiling point of 167.degree. C. Myrcene has been found to polymerize with butadiene or styrene and will graft readily to polybutadiene rubber polymers providing active sites for styrene and acrylonitrile grafting with greater efficiency having three double bonds in its structure. The triple unsaturated hydrocarbon appears to graft to the rubber without any apparent crosslinking of the rubber to cause large gels and poor gloss. It was unexpected that myrcene would provide high efficient grafting when used as a monomer in a monomer formulation with alkenyl aromatic and nitrile monomer giving grafted rubber phases greater compatibility and toughtening properties in the ABS type polyblends. This is to be contrasted with 1,3 diolefins such as butadiene that crosslink rubber particles to large gels if used in a grafting monomer formulation as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,912.

The alkenyl aromatic and alkenyl nitrile monomers are present in the monomer formulation in an amount of about 85 to 99% by weight wherein the weight ratio of alkenyl aromatic to alkenyl nitrile is about 85:15 to 60:40 respectively.

Water soluble catalysts that can be used are the alkali metal peroxides, persulfates, perborates, peracetates and percarbonates, preferably potassium persulfate and hydrogen peroxide. Such water soluble catalysts may be activated with reducing agents to form conventional redox systems. Here, the preferred reducing agent can be sodium bisulfite or salts of ferrous ions or reduced transitional metals such as cobalt, nickel and copper. A preferred redox system is made up of the ion couple of Fe++/S.sub.2 O.sub.8 --/HSO.sub.3.sup.-.

The catalyst is generally included within the range of 0.001 to 3.0% by weight and preferably on the order of 0.005 to 1.0% by weight of the polymerizable monomers depending primarily upon the monomer present.

As is well known, it is often desirable to incorporate molecular weight regulators such as mercaptans and halides in relatively small percentages by weight, on the order of 0.001 to 1.0% by weight of the polymerizable material. In addition, it may be desirable to include relatively small amounts of antioxidants or stabilizers such as the conventional alkylated phenols. Alternatively, these may be added during or after polymerization. The formulation may also contain other additives such as plasticizers, lubricants, colorants and non-reactive preformed polymeric materials which are suitable or dispersible therein.

The preferred rubbers are diene rubbers, including mixtures of diene rubbers, i.e., any rubbery polymer (a rubbery polymer having a second order transition temperature not higher than 0.degree. centigrade, preferably not higher than -20.degree. centigrade, as determined by ASTM Test D-746-52%) of one or more of the conjugated, 1,3-dienes, e.g., butadiene, isoprene, 2-chloro-1,3 butadiene, 1-chloro-1,3 butadiene, piperylene, etc. Such rubbers include copolymers and block copolymers of conjugated 1,3-dienes with up to an equal amount by weight of one or more copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers, such as monovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g. styrene; an aralkylstyrene, such as the o-, m- and p-methylstyrenes, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, the arethylstyrenes, p-tertbutyl styrene, etc.; and alphamethylstyrene, alphaethylstyrene, alpha-methyl-p-methyl styrene, etc.; vinyl naphthalene, etc.); arhalo monovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbon (e.g. the o-, m- and p-chlorostyrene, 2,4-dibromostyrene, 2-methyl-4-chlorostyrene, etc.); acrylonitrile; methacrylonitrile; alkyl acrylates (e.g. methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, etc.), the corresponding alkyl methacrylates; acrylamides (e.g. acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-butylacrylamide, etc.); unsaturated ketones (e.g. vinyl methyl ketone, methyl isopropenyl ketone, etc.); alpha-olefins (e.g. ethylene, propylene, etc.); pyridines vinyl esters (e.g. vinyl acetate, vinyl stearate, etc.); vinyl and vinylidene halides (e.g. the vinyl and vinylidene chlorides and vinylidene chlorides and bromides, etc.); and the like.

Another preferred group of rubbers are those consisting essentially of 75 to 100% by weight of butadiene and/or isoprene and up to 25% by weight of a monomer selected from the group consisting of monovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g. styrene) and unsaturated nitriles (e.g. acrylonitrile), or mixtures thereof. Particularly advantageous substrates are butadiene homopolymer or an interpolymer of 90 to 95% by weight butadiene and 5 to 10% by weight of acrylonitrile or styrene. The diene rubber may contain up to about 2% of a crosslinking agent based on the weight of the rubber monomer or monomers. The crosslinking agent can be of any of the agents conventionally employed for crosslinking diene rubbers, e.g., divinylbenzene, diallyl maleate, diallyl fumarate, diallyl adipate, allyl acrylate, allyl methacrylate, diacrylates and dimethacrylates of polyhydric alcohols, e.g. ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, etc.

In the emulsion polymerization grafting process, the monomers and rubber substrate are emulsified in water by use of suitable emulsifying agents, such as fatty acid soaps, alkali metal or ammonium soaps of high molecular weight, alkali or alkaryl sulfates and sulfonates, mineral acid salts of long chain aliphatic amines, etc. Emulsifying agents which have proven particularly advantageous are ammonium oleate, sodium palmitate, sodium stearate and other sodium soaps. Generally, the emulsifying agent is provided in amounts of from about 0.1 to 15 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the monomers and water is provided in an amount of from about 1 to 4 parts per part of monomers and even in larger ratios where greater dilution is desirable, all as those skilled in the art appreciate.

If desired, an aqueous latex formed in the emulsion polymerization of the rubber substrate may provide the aqueous solution onto which the monomers are grafted, with or without the addition of further emulsifying agents, water and the like.

Typical emulsion polymerization conditions involve temperatures in the range of from about 20.degree. to 100.degree. C. with agitation and preferably an inert atmosphere. Pressures of from about 1 to 100 pounds per square inch may be employed and monomers and/or additional catalysts may be added incrementally or continuously over a portion of the reaction cycle. Polymerization is preferably continued until substantially all, that is more than 90%, of the monomers have polymerized. The remaining monomers and other volatile components are then distilled away from the latex, preferably, which is then ready for further treatment.

Particle size of the emulsion latex graft particles may be varied by seeding, emulsifying agent concentration, agitation, rubber size variation through agglomeration prior to grafting, coagulation techniques, etc. Preferred agglomeration procedures are provided by Dalton's U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,541 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,370.

The particle size of the rubber has an effect upon the optimum grafting level for a graft copolymer. For example, a given weight percentage of smaller size rubber particles will provide considerably higher surface area for grafting than the equivalent weight of a larger size rubber particle. Accordingly, the density of grafting can be varied depending upon the size of the rubber particle. Generally, smaller graft polymer particles will tolerate a higher superstrate/substrate ratio than larger size particles.

The particle size of the emulsion rubber graft copolymer has a significant effect upon the gloss and physical properties of the product produced by the processes of this invention. Typically, the particle size of the graft copolymers used in the practice of the present invention may be varied from as little as about 0.01 microns to as large as about 0.65 microns and preferably from about 0.1 to 0.6 microns depending upon the ultimate properties desired for a given product. A most preferred rubber graft copolymer for use in the practice of this invention are graft copolymers having a weight average particle size of from about 0.2 to 0.5 microns for the grafted rubber.

For the emulsion rubber polymerization processes, the rubber particles desirably has a significant degree of crosslinking internally. With respect to the graft copolymers, at least some degree of crosslinking is inherent during the graft polymerization process and this desirably may be augmented through the addition of crosslinking agents or control of the polymerization conditions.

The grafted rubber particles being crosslinked internally disperse as individual particles to toughen the polyblend. The crosslinked particles do not break up or agglomerate, retaining their integrity as grafted particles during mechanical processing with no gel formation and, hence, high gloss.

The dispersed rubber phase increases the toughness of the ABS type polymeric polyblend as measured by its Izod impact strength by Test ASTM D-256-56. It has been found that the impact strength of polyblends increase with the weight percent rubber dispersed in the polyblend as used in the present invention. The impact strength is also determined by the size of the dispersed rubber particles, with the larger particles providing higher impact strength measured as a weight average particle size diameter with a photosedimentometer by the published procedure of Graves, M. J., et. al., "Size Analysis of Subsieve Powders Using a Centrifugal Photosedimentometer," British Chemical Engineering 9:742-744 (1964). A Model 3000 Particle Size Analyzer from Martin Sweets Co., 3131 West Market St., Louisville, Ky., was used.

The product of the emulsion grafting process is the diene rubber particles grafted with a portion of the monomers charged to the rubber latex. In addition, the monomers form a terpolymer of said monomers as a matrix phase. The grafted monomers form a superstrate on the diene rubber particles as a substrate when the monomers are grafted with water soluble catalysts.

Although the amount of polymeric superstrate grafted onto the rubber substrate may vary from as little as 10.0 parts by weight to 100.0 parts of substrate to as much as 250.0 per 100.0 parts and even higher, the preferred graft copolymers will generally have a superstrate to substrate ratio of about 20 to 200:100 and most desirably about 30 to 150:100. With graft ratios about 30 to 160:100; a highly desirable degree of improvement in various properties generally is obtained.

Such surface or superstrate grafting causes the rubber particle to disperse readily in the matrix phase terpolymers when melt colloided during extrusion. In addition, the superstrate provides a compatible interface with the matrix phase to increase toughness or impact strength. As taught supra the larger the amount of the rubber moiety in a polyblend the tougher the polyblend with ABS polyblends containing 2 to 50% of said rubber moiety depending on toughness desired.

The aqueous latex charged in step (A) contains about 20 to 60% of emulsified diene rubber particles have a rubber particle size of about 0.01 to 0.5 microns. The matrix polymer phase formed during polymerization has a molecular weight of about 50,000 to 500,000. The diene rubber particles after grafting and the matrix polymer formed can be separated from the aqueous emulsion by coagulation with inorganic salts such as MgSO.sub.4, Al.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.3 or acids such as acetic, hydrochloric or sulfuric used in amounts sufficient to stoichometrically neutralize the emulsify agents and cause coagulation. The grafted rubber particles and the matrix polymer particles will form a coagulated crumb which separate from the aqueous phase of the latex and can be easily removed by filtration, decanting or centrifuging followed by washing and drying. As disclosed, the matrix polymer phase formed during emulsion polymerization cocoagulates with the rubber particles as part of the coagulate forming an intimate mixture as a new polyblend of grafted rubber particles and matrix polymer particles. The melt extrusion of such blends can further colloidally disperse the grafted rubber particles and macrogels in the matrix phase polymer as an ABS polyblend.

Another suitable method for separating said grafted rubber particles and said matrix phase from said latex is to mix additional monomer formulation into said latex after grafting in amounts sufficient to extract said grafted rubber particles and said matrix polymer particles into said additional monomer formulation as a liquid monomer phase and removing said liquid monomer phase from the aqueous phase of said latex by decanting or centrifugation.

The ratio of the additional monomer used for extraction to the weight of grafted rubber particles and matrix phase polymer in the latex can be about 2 to 1 to 5 to 1 by weight. The higher the amount of monomers used the less viscous is the liquid monomer phase formed and the more readily it separates from the aqueous phase of the latex. Improved dewatering of the liquid monomer phase can be carried out by adding inorganic salts or acids to the latex to deemulsify the grafted rubber particles and matrix phase particles so that water is not occluded with the particles as extracted into the monomer phase. Said liquid monomer phase can be mass polymerized thermally or with said monomer-soluble catalysts at temperatures of 100.degree. to 180.degree. C. to completion or to conversions of 50 to 90% followed by conventional devolatilization of the residual monomers providing the new polyblend with additional matrix phase polymers. Such mass polymerization can be carried out in stirred reactors, in plug flow towers or tubular reactors. U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,010 discloses a stirred horizontal, evaporatively cooled reactor which is suitable for the mass polymerization of said liquid monomer phase to form such polyblends.

The following examples are illustrative of the present process and are not meant to limit the scope or spirit of the invention.

Various modifications and alterations will be readily suggested to persons skilled in the art. It is intended then that the examples be considered as exemplary only and that the scope and the spirit of the invention be ascertained from the claims.

A diene rubber aqueous latex containing polybutadiene rubber particles having a weight average particle size diameter of about 0.12 microns (35% rubber solids) is grafted with styrene, acrylonitrile and myrcene monomers at 65.degree. C. using potassium persulfate catalyst using the following formulation:

Example 1 was repeated using a rubber latex having polybutadiene rubber particles with an average weight diameter of about 0.47 microns using the following formulation:

It is evident from the examples that the presence of myrcene in the monomer formulation increases the percent of monomers grafted to the rubber phase as a percent of the total polymers formed, i.e., graft and matrix polymers, during polymerization.

The grafted polymers above were mixed with styrene/acrylonitrile (S/AN) copolymers having a 70/30 (S/AN) weight ratio respectively of said monomers.

The final rubber moiety of the graft polymer/copolymer polyblend was about 20%. The mixture was extruded into sheeting. Sheeting prepared from the (A) polymers of the Examples wherein myrcene was not used in grafting were found too rough with a matt finish. Those sheets extruded from the (B) polymers were found to be smooth with a much higher gloss and toughness than the (A) materials. The sheeting was compounded and extruded through a Killion 1" extruder at a screw speed of about 100 rpm and temperatures of 420.degree. F. (215.degree. C.) to produce 10 mil sheeting.