Soft gel polymers for high temperature use

The instant invention provides a soft gel composition comprising a hydrogenated block copolymer, a polyphenylene ether and a substantially amorphous polyolefin or hydrogenated polydiene blended in respective proportions sufficient to provide the composition with a Shore A hardness of 30 or less, and a service temperature of up to, and including about 150.degree. C.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to hydrogenated block copolymer containing
 gel compositions being superior in high-temperature (100.degree. C.)
 compression set, mechanical strength and moldability, having utility at
 temperatures up to 150.degree. C. and being useful as a molding material
 for various molded products.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 It is extremely desirable to develop thermoplastic elastomers of a
 rubber-like soft material, requiring no vulcanization, and having
 moldability like thermoplastic resins, for applications in the fields of
 automobile parts, household electric appliance parts, electric
 wire-protecting materials, medical appliance parts, miscellaneous goods,
 footwear, and the like. Various elastomer compositions containing the
 hydrogenated product of vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon/conjugated
 diene block copolymers (hereinafter referred to as hydrogenated block
 copolymer) have been used in thermoplastic elastomeric applications.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,206, to Francis et al, discloses gels containing block
 copolymers, polyphenylene ether and at least 500 parts of an extender oil
 per 100 parts by weight of the block copolymer. Such mixtures are too soft
 having low tensile strength and lower than desirable compression set.
 WO 81/020020 discloses high-impact polyphenylene compositions comprising a
 polyphenylene ether resin, the hydrogenated block copolymer and an oil.
 The compositions obtained here provided thermoplastic resins having a good
 processability, but could not substantially provide thermoplastic
 elastomers superior in processability as well as compression set at
 100.degree. C.
 Japanese Pat. 89-49423 B teaches a composition of polyphenylene ether
 (PPO), hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene block copolymer (SEBS) and a
 non-aromatic oil; wherein the parts by weight per hundred parts by weight
 of rubber hydrocarbon (hereinafter "PHR") of SEBS is 100 PHR; the weight
 proportion of SEBSIPPO ranges from about 90/1.about.30/70; the PHR of
 non-aromatic oil is from about 10.about.300; and, the composition has a
 compression set of less than 65% at 100.degree. C. Japanese Pat. 94-70162
 B teaches a composition of PPO, SEBS and a non-aromatic oil; wherein the
 PHR of SEBS is about 100; the weight proportion of SEBS/PPO ranges from
 about 90/10.about.30/70; the weight proportion of non-aromatic oil to the
 sum of SEBS and PPO is greater than 0.43; and, the composition has a
 compression set of less than 65% at 100.degree. C.
 It has long been recognized that two or more polymers may be blended
 together to form a wide variety of random or structured morphologies to
 obtain products that potentially offer desirable combinations of
 characteristics. However, in many cases, it may be difficult or even
 impossible in practice to achieve many potential combinations through
 simple blending because of some inherent and fundamental problem.
 Frequently, the two polymers are thermodynamically immiscible, which
 precludes generating a truly homogeneous product. This immiscibility may
 not be a problem per se since often it is desirable to have a two-phase
 structure. However, the situation at the interface between these two
 phases very often does lead to problems. The typical case is one of high
 interfacial tension and poor adhesion between the two phases. This
 interfacial tension contributes, along with high viscosities, to the
 inherent difficulty of imparting the desired degree of dispersion to
 random mixtures and to their subsequent lack of stability, giving rise to
 gross separation or stratification during later processing or use. Poor
 adhesion leads, in part, to the very weak and brittle mechanical behavior
 often observed in dispersed blends and may render some highly structured
 morphologies impossible.
 The hydrogenated block copolymer-based thermoplastic elastomers produced
 according to the prior arts have a high-temperature (100.degree. C.)
 compression set of 65% or more, do not reach the required level of
 high-temperature compression set for vulcanized rubber applications.
 Consequently, hydrogenated block copolymer-based thermoplastic elastomer
 compositions that are molded repeatedly without losing their excellent
 high-temperature (100.degree. C.) compression set, often require the use
 of a fourth ingredient such as a polyolefin or polystyrene, or in other
 instances a curative such as a peroxide as shown in the prior art such as
 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,657, to Akiyama et al.
 The use of low molecular weight oils, as required in the prior art to
 obtain soft gels, often results in an undesirable property, called
 bleeding; whereupon oil exudes to the surface of a molded part formed from
 such gels, resulting in potential contamination of the immediate area and
 increasing the hardness of the part. Furthermore, oils are readily
 extractable from a molded part containing oil when that part is bought
 into contact with cleaning fluids or aqueous solutions containing solvents
 or surfactants, thereby limiting the areas of use of such parts.
 The present invention was made to solve the above problems that could not
 readily be solved with the conventional molding materials for elastomers.
 Particularly, it was found that thermoplastic elastomer compositions which
 can be processed easily and used repeatedly, and yet which are superior in
 high-temperature (100.degree. C.) compression set, can be obtained by a
 simple blending technique.
 OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
 Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a soft gel
 that has utility at temperatures up to about 150.degree. C.
 More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a
 composition of hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene block copolymer
 (SEBS), polyphenylene ether (PPO) and ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR)
 blended in proportions sufficient to provide a soft gel product having
 utility at temperature up to about 150.degree. C.
 Still more specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a
 composition consisting essentially of SEBS, PPO and ethylene-propylene
 rubber (EPR) blended in proportions sufficient to provide product having
 utility as a super soft gel at temperature up to about 150.degree. C.
 Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively low molecular
 weight component composition of blended polymers that exhibit improved
 properties including: low Shore A hardness of less than about 30; high
 damping properties and a service temperature of up to about 150 .degree.
 C.; and are useful in the production of various other rubber compounds.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention is most broadly directed to compositions useful in
 the manufacture of articles comprised of soft gels and having a service
 temperature of up to, and including, about 150.degree. C.
 More specifically, the primary object of the present invention under such
 circumstances is to provide a composition of hydrogenated block copolymer
 such as hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene block copolymer (SEBS),
 polyphenylene ether (PPO) and ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) blended in
 proportions specifically selected with respective weight proportions
 sufficient to provide a soft gel having: a service temperature of up to,
 and including, about 150.degree. C. and a Shore A hardness of about 30 or
 less. The compositions of the invention have damping properties useful in
 producing molded products having heat resistance and a high elasticity and
 damping properties, such as industrial materials, electric and electronic
 materials, industrial construction materials, car parts, sporting goods,
 shoes, domestic electrical appliances, various mechanical parts, and the
 like.
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention provides a hydrogenated block copolymer composition
 having a compression set (100.degree. C.) of 65% or less which comprises:
 (a) 100 parts by weight of a hydrogenated block copolymer obtained by
 hydrogenating a block copolymer comprising at least two polymer blocks A
 composed mainly of a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon and at least
 one polymer block B composed mainly of a conjugated diene, (b) 10 to 150
 parts by weight of a homopolymeric and/or copolymeric polyphenylene ether
 resin comprising a binding unit represented by the general formula,
 ##STR1##
 wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4, which may be the same or
 different, represent substituents selected from the group consisting of
 hydrogen, halogen, hydrocarbon groups and substituted hydrocarbon groups,
 and (c) 10 to 500 parts by weight of a substantially amorphous polyolefin
 such as ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) or a hydrogenated polyolefin.
 In the present invention, the hydrogenated block copolymer is obtained by
 hydrogenating a block copolymer comprising at least two polymer blocks A
 composed mainly of a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon and at least
 one polymer block B composed mainly of a conjugated diene. This
 hydrogenated block copolymer has the polymer structure of hydrogenated
 products of vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon/conjugated diene block
 copolymers represented by the formulae such as for example (A-B-).sub.(n)
 A, (B-A-B-).sub.(n) A, (B-A-B-).sub.(n) A-B, (A-B-).sub.(m) X,
 (B-A-B-).sub.(m) X, etc., wherein n is an integer of 1 or more, m is an
 integer of 2 or more and X represents a coupling or polyfunctional
 initiator residue having two or more functional groups.
 This hydrogenated block copolymer contains 5 to 60 wt. %, preferably 10 to
 50 wt. % of a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. Referring now to its
 block structure, the polymer block A composed mainly of a
 vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon has the structure of the
 homopolymer block of a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon or the
 copolymer block of a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon containing
 more than 50 wt. %, preferably not less than 70 wt. % of vinyl-substituted
 aromatic hydrocarbon with a hydrogenated conjugated diene and the polymer
 block B composed mainly of a hydrogenated conjugated diene has the
 structure of the homopolymer block of a hydrogenated conjugated diene or
 the copolymer block of a hydrogenated conjugated diene containing more
 than 50 wt. %, preferably not less than 70 wt. % of hydrogenated
 conjugated diene with a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. Also, as
 to the distribution of the hydrogenated conjugated diene or the
 vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon contained in the molecular chains
 of the polymer block A composed mainly of a vinyl-substituted aromatic
 hydrocarbon and the polymer block B composed mainly of a hydrogenated
 conjugated diene, the both polymer blocks may take any of random, tapered
 (the monomer components increase or decrease along the molecular chain)
 and partial block arrangements and combinations thereof; and when the
 numbers of both said polymer blocks A and B are 2 or more, the structures
 of the respective polymer blocks may be the same or different.
 The vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon constituting the hydrogenated
 block copolymer is one or more members selected from the group consisting
 of styrene, .alpha.-methylstyrene, vinyltoluene, and the like. Of these
 compounds, styrene is preferred. A conjugated diene before hydrogenation
 constituting the hydrogenated conjugated diene is one or more members
 selected from the group consisting of butadiene, isoprene, 1,3-pentadiene,
 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, etc. Of these, butadiene, isoprene and
 combination of the both are preferred. The polymer block composed mainly
 of a conjugated diene before hydrogenation may contain any amount,
 expressed by mole %, of the conjugated diene micro structure, and for
 example a polybutadiene block contains 5 to 90 mole %, preferably 10 to 50
 mole percent of the 1,2-vinyl bond.
 The hydrogenated block copolymer of the above structure used in the present
 invention has a number average molecular weight in a range of from 100,000
 to 1,000,000, preferably from 125,000 to 800,000, more preferably 150,000
 to 500,000, and the molecular weight distribution ratio (M.sub.w /M.sub.n)
 of weight average molecular weight (M.sub.w) to number average molecular
 weight (M.sub.n) is 10 or less. The molecular structure type of the
 hydrogenated block copolymer may be any of straight-chain, branched
 involving partial coupling with a coupling agent, radial and the
 star-shaped types and combinations thereof
 There is no limitation to a method for producing these hydrogenated block
 copolymers, so far as they have the structure described above. These
 copolymers can be obtained by synthesizing a vinyl-substituted aromatic
 hydrocarbon/conjugated diene block copolymer in an inert solvent using an
 organo-lithium and if necessary, a 1,2-vinyl bond modifier such as ether
 compounds, tertiary amines, etc. according to the methods, for example,
 disclosed in British Pat. No. 1,130,770 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,281,383 and
 3,639,517, and then hydrogenating the resulting block copolymer according
 to the well-known methods, for example, disclosed in British Pat. No.
 1,020,720 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,333,024 and 4,501,857. In this case, the
 polymer block composed mainly of the conjugated diene can be changed in
 form to the polymer block of an olefinic compound by hydrogenating at
 least 80 mole % of the aliphatic double bond coming from the conjugated
 diene of the vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon/conjugated diene block
 copolymer.
 Also, there is no particular limitation to the hydrogenation ratio of the
 aromatic double bond coming from the polymer block A composed mainly of
 the vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon and the vinyl-substituted
 aromatic hydrocarbon which has been incorporated as a co-monomer, as need
 arises, in the polymer block B composed mainly of the conjugated diene,
 but the hydrogenation ratio is preferably 20 mole % or less. The amount of
 unhydrogenated aliphatic double bonds contained in the hydrogenated block
 copolymer can easily be determined by infrared spectrophotometer, nuclear
 magnetic resonance apparatus, etc.
 In the present invention, the polyphenylene ether resin (PPO) is essential
 to improve the high-temperature (100.degree. C.) compression set. This
 resin is a homopolymer and/or copolymer comprising a binding unit
 represented by the general formula:
 ##STR2##
 wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4, which may be the same or
 different, represent substituents selected from the group consisting of
 hydrogen, halogen, hydrocarbon groups and substituted hydrocarbon groups.
 The well-known polyphenylene ether resins (PPO) may be used, and examples
 of such resins include for example poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether),
 poly(2-methyl-6-ethyl-1,4-phenylene ether),
 poly(2,6-diphenyl-1,4-phenylene ether),
 poly(2-methyl-6-phenyl-1,4-phenylene ether),
 poly(2,6-dichloro-1,4-phenylene ether), and the like. Furthermore,
 copolymers of 2,6-dimethylphenol with other phenols (e.g.
 2,3,6-trimethylphenol, 2-methyl-6-butylphenol) may also be used. Of these
 polymers, poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) is preferably used.
 The amount of the polyphenylene ether, blended is preferably selected from
 a range of from 10 to 150 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of
 the hydrogenated block copolymer. When the amount exceeds 150 parts by
 weight, the hardness of hydrogenated block copolymer compositions obtained
 is too high, so that the compositions lose flexibility to become resinous.
 While when the amount is less than 10 parts by weight, no improvement in
 high-temperature compression set due to the addition of the polyphenylene
 ether resin can be observed.
 The polyphenylene ether resins component contemplated by the instant
 invention may be made according to the processes disclosed in U.S. Pat.
 Nos. 3,306,874, 3,306,875, 3,257,357 and 3,257,358.
 Modified PPO is also optionally contemplated by the invention. It is formed
 by modifying the above-mentioned PPO by the use of a modifier. As the
 modifier used for modifying the PPO, there is used a compound having an
 ethylenic double bond and a polar group in the same molecule, which is
 specifically exemplified by maleic anhydride, maleic acid, maleic acid
 ester, maleimide, N-substituted compound thereof, acrylic acid, acrylic
 acid ester, methacrylic acid, methacrylic acid ester and glycidyl
 methacrylate, among which is preferably used maleic anhydride in
 particular.
 In the present invention, the use of a substantially amorphous polyolefin
 such as ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) or hydrogenated polydienes as
 component (c), is essential to obtain soft and rubber-like compositions.
 The EPR useful in the blends of this invention are substantially amorphous
 having less than 10% by weight of crystallinity. The EPR is formed from
 copolymerized monomers of ethylene, alpha-olefins, e.g., propylene, and,
 optionally, known DM's, e.g., 1,4-hexadiene and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene.
 The weight average molecular weight range of these EPR polymers using
 styrene constants typically ranges between 5,000 and 60,000.
 EPR is prepared by procedures known in the art. Examples of commercially
 available polymers are poly(propylene-co-ethylene) from Aldrich Chemical
 Company, Milwaukee, Wis. (Catalog Nos. 42819-1 and 42820-5), and TRILENE
 (poly(propylene-co-ethylene)) from Uniroyal Chemical Company.
 These ethylene copolymers, terpolymers, tetrapolymers, etc., are readily
 prepared using soluble Ziegler-Natta catalyst compositions. For a review
 of the literature and patent art see: "Polyolefin Elastomers Based on
 Ethylene and Propylene", by F. P. Baldwin and G. VerStrate in Rubber Chem.
 & Tech. Vol. 45, No. 3, 709-881 (1972) and "Polymer Chemistry of Synthetic
 Elastomers", edited by Kennedy and Tornqvist, Interscience, New York,
 1969. For more recent review see: "Elastomers, Synthetic
 (thylene-Propylene)" by E. L. Borg in Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology,
 3d Ed., Vol. 8, 492-500 (Kirk-Othmer, 1979) and "Ethylene-Propylene
 Elastomers", by G. VerStrate in Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and
 Engineering, Vol. 6, 2d Ed., 522-564 (J. Wiley & Sons, 1986).
 Suitable hydrogenated polydienes include but are not limited to
 hydrogenated polyisoprene and hydrogenated vinyl polybutadiene, however,
 any hydrogenated polydiene having a weight average molecular weight using
 styrene constants between 5,000 and 60,000 is suitable for use in the
 present invention.
 Suitable polymers may be prepared in either batch or continuous reactor
 systems, in gas phase, solution or slurry polymerizations. In particular,
 effective use can be made of a tubular reactor system to achieve novel
 molecular composition and molecular weight distribution in accordance with
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,753, which is incorporated herein by reference. In
 common with all Ziegler-Natta polymerizations, monomers, solvents and
 catalyst components used in the present invention are dried and freed from
 moisture, oxygen or other constituents which are known to be harmful to
 the activity of the catalyst system. The feed tanks, lines and reactors
 may be protected by blanketing with an inert dry gas such as purified
 nitrogen. Chain propagation retarders or stoppers, such as hydrogen and
 anhydrous hydrogen chloride, may be fed continuously or intermittently, to
 any but the tubular reactor of U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,753, for the purpose of
 controlling the molecular weight and/or molecular weight distribution
 within the desired limits. Additionally, as described above, it is known
 to incorporate "branch suppressors" such as certain Lewis Bases, e.g.,
 NH.sub.3, and certain silicates, during the EPDM polymerization to reduce
 branching.
 The amount of the ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR), component (c), blended
 is 10 to 500 parts by weight, preferably 100 to 400 parts by weight based
 on 100 parts by weight of the component (a). If the amount of the
 component (c) is less than 10 parts by weight, the resulting product
 becomes resin-like, increases its hardness and loses its flexibility.
 Additionally, the product itself can be considered not to be economical
 due to a small quantity in the use of cheap softening agent. If the
 component (c) is blended in a range of 10 to 400 parts by weight, a
 composition superior in the high-temperature (100.degree. C.) compression
 set can be obtained.
 It is frequently desirable to include other additives well known in the
 rubber art to the compositions of the present application. Stabilizers,
 antioxidants, conventional fillers, reinforcing agents, reinforcing
 resins, pigments, fragrances and the like are examples of some such
 additives. Specific examples of useful antioxidants and stabilizers
 include 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl) benzotriazole, nickel
 dibutyldithiocarbamate, zinc dibutyl dithiocarbamate, tris(nonylphenyl)
 phosphite, 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol and the like. Examples of
 granular or powdery filler include talc, carbon black, graphite, titanium
 oxide, silica, mica, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium carbonate,
 magnesium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, barium sulfate, tin oxide,
 alumina, kaolin, silicon carbide, metallic powder, glass powder, glass
 flake and glass bead. These compounding ingredients are incorporated in
 suitable amounts depending upon the contemplated use of the product,
 preferably in the range of 1 to 350 parts of additives or compounding
 ingredients per 100 parts of soft gel.
 A reinforcement may be defined as the material that is added to a resinous
 matrix to improve the strength of the soft gel. Most of these reinforcing
 materials are inorganic or organic products of high molecular weight.
 Various examples include glass fibers, asbestos, boron fibers, carbon and
 graphite fibers, whiskers, quartz and silica fibers, ceramic fibers, metal
 fibers, natural organic fibers, and synthetic organic fibers. Other
 elastomers and resins are also useful to enhance specific properties like
 damping properties, adhesion and processability. Examples of other
 elastomers and resins include adhesive-like products including Reostomer
 (produced by Riken-Vinyl Inc.), hydrogenated polystyrene-(medium or high
 3,4)-polyisoprene-polystyrene block copolymers such as Hybler (produced by
 Kurare Inc.), polynorbomenes such as Norsorex (produced by Nippon Zeon
 Inc.) and the like.
 A second softening agent may be added to further decrease the hardness of
 the composition. Paraffin oil or similar non-aromatic oil can be added at
 a level of no more than 25 parts per 100 parts of soft gel.
 The above-mentioned filler is preferably surface-treated. The coupling
 agent to be used for the surface treatment is to improve adhesion between
 the filler and composition, and may be optionally selected for use from
 the well known silane-based coupling agents and titanium-based coupling
 agents. Examples of the preferably usable coupling agents among them
 include aminosilane such as .delta.-aminopropyltnimethoxysilane,
 N-.beta.-(aminoethyl)-.delta.-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane,
 glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and .beta.-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)
 ethyltrimethoxysilane, epoxysilane, isopropyltriamino-ethyl titanate, and
 the like.
 The soft gels produced according to the present invention generally have
 low to high damping properties having a tan .delta. in the range of about
 0.1 to about 1.0, and a Shore A hardness ranging from 0 to about 50,
 preferably about 1 to about 30, most preferably about 5 to 20 at about
 20.degree. C. to 25.degree. C. or at room temperature. The service
 temperature of the soft gels of the present invention is less than or
 equal to 150 .degree. C. for most of the blends of polymers of the present
 invention, e.g., 100 .degree. C. compression set of the soft gel is less
 than 80% and preferably less than 65% while the 70 .degree. C. compression
 set is less than 50% and preferably less than 30%.
 The soft gel compositions of the present invention may be prepared by any
 means well known in the art for combining such ingredients, such as
 solution blending, milling, internal batch mixing, or continuous extrusion
 of a solid form of the soft gel compositions and the other ingredients. A
 rapid and convenient method of preparation comprises heating a mixture of
 the components to a temperature of about 50.degree. C. to about
 290.degree. C.
 The soft gels compositions of this invention can be manufactured by mixing
 and dynamically heat-treating the components described above, namely, by
 melt-mixing. As for the mixing equipment, any conventional, generally
 known equipment such as an open-type mixing roll, closed-type Banbury
 mixer, extruding machine, kneader, continuous mixer, etc., is acceptable.
 The closed-type is preferable, and mixing in an inactive gas environment,
 such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, is also preferable. A Brabender mixer
 having a capacity of up to 300 gallon is most preferred.
 The composition obtained using the manufacturing method of this invention
 can be molded with equipment conventionally used for molding
 thermoplastics. It is suitable for extrusion molding, calendar molding,
 and particularly injection molding. These compositions can also be
 solution mixed in appropriate solvent, e.g. cyclohexane or toluene.
 As suggested above, the composition of the present invention can be mixed
 in any conventional mixer such as a Brabender mixer, Banbury mixer or roll
 mill or extruder normally conducted within the temperature range of about
 250 .degree. C. to about 300.degree. C., preferably maintaining the
 composition above its melting point for a few minutes up to several hours,
 preferably 10 to 40 minutes. A particularly useful technique is to add any
 fillers in the beginning of the mixing cycle in order to take maximum
 advantage of heating time and to prevent surface bleeding and overheating
 when forming the molded articles.
 The resultant soft gel polymer composition may be molded in appropriate
 press ovens and the like to form products in the form of extruded pellets,
 cut dices, preferably as small as possible since smaller pellets provide
 short heating times and better flow when utilized in flow molding. Ground
 pellets may also be utilized. It is preferable to use injection molding
 techniques.
 The soft gels of the instant invention can be used in high temperature
 applications or as a blending component in any other compositions
 typically used for their elastomeric properties.
 In summary, the molded soft gel compositions of the present invention
 retain elastomeric characteristics and are useful in high temperature
 applications.
 It is further important that these soft gels exhibit good mechanical and
 thermal stability, as parts prepared from the subject soft gels will be
 cycled through various environments and repeatedly exposed to various
 forces of compression, tension, bending, and the like.
 The compositions of the present invention are favorably used in the
 manufacturing of any product in which the following properties are
 advantageous: a high degree of softness, heat resistance, decent
 mechanical properties and elasticity. The compositions of the present
 invention can be used in all industry fields, in particular, in the
 fabrication of automotive parts, household electrical appliances,
 industrial machinery, precision instruments, transport machinery,
 constructions, engineering, and medical instruments.
 Representative examples of the uses of the instant soft gels are seals,
 vibration restraining materials and cushion gels. These uses involve
 connecting materials such as sealing materials, packing, gaskets and
 grommnets, supporting materials, such as mounts, holders and insulators,
 and cushion materials such as stoppers, cushions, and bumpers. These
 materials are also used in equipment producing vibration or noise and
 household electrical appliances, such as in air-conditioners, laundry
 machines, refrigerators, electric fans, vacuums, dryers, printers and
 ventilator fans. Further, these materials are also suitable for impact
 absorbing materials in audio equipment and electronic or electrical
 equipment, sporting goods and shoes. Further, as super low hardness
 rubbers, these materials are applicable for use in appliances, damping
 rubbers, and as low hardness plastics. Since the present compositions can
 be used to control the release of internal low molecular weight materials
 out from the compositions, it is useful as a release support to emit
 materials such as fragrance materials, medical materials and other
 functional materials. The compositions of the present invention also
 possess utility in applications of use in liquid crystals, adhesive
 materials and coating materials.
 In the following, the present invention will be described in more detail
 with reference to non-limitative examples. The following examples and
 tables are presented for purposes of illustration only and are not to be
 construed in a limiting sense.

EXAMPLE 1
 In 600 ml of toluene, a charge of 30 g of hydrogenated
 styrene/butadiene/styrene block copolymer (SEBS) (obtained from Kuraray
 Company, #S8006, M.sub.w =215,000, 33% styrene), and 60 g of mostly
 amorphous poly(propylene-co-ethylene)(EPR) (Aldrich Chemical Company,
 M.sub.w =21,300 (Polystyrene Standards) and a T.sub.g of -33.degree. C.)
 was dissolved. A further charge of 10.0 g of
 poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPO) (Aldrich Chemical Company,
 Intrinsic Viscosity (I. V.)=0.44) was added and the temperature of the
 solution was increased to about 90.degree. C. and maintained at this
 temperature for 45 minutes until all components were dissolved. The
 product was recovered by drum-drying the polymer solution. Three
 0.075".times.0.2".times.3" slabs of the resultant mixture were molded at
 265.degree. C. The molded slabs exhibited excellent molding properties
 displaying no visible voids and only light shrinkage. The resultant
 polymer displayed the following physical properties: Shore A hardness of
 7.7; Compression Set (C.S.)@70.degree. C.=21%; Tensile strength
 (T.sub.b)=254 psi; Elongation at break (E.sub.b)=768%; Compound T.sub.g of
 -40.degree. C., as well as the following Tan .DELTA. measurements at
 varying temperatures.