POLYETHERKETONE RESIN COMPOSITION

Abstract: A polyetherketone resin composition of improved heat stability when melted comprises 30 to 95% by weight of polyetherketone and 70 to 5% by weight of potassium titanate fibres which contain not more than 0.25% by weight of free potassium.

Description: The present invention relates to resin compositions containing polyetherketones. Polyetherketones are regarded as engineering plastics which are superior in heat resistance, strength, stiffness, flame retardance, chemical resistance, and the like properties, particularly for use in electrical parts, automobile parts, and elsewhere. In these application fields, there is a need for this sort of material to have a higher heat resistance, strength, and stiffness, while retaining the good flame retardance, chemical resistance, hot water resistance, processability, and other beneficial properties which are characteristic of polyetherketones. It is known that the strength, stiffness, heat resistance, and other properties of polyetherketones can be reasonably improved by incorporating therein a fibrous reinforcing material, such as glass fibre, carbon fibre or other fibres. However, compositions loaded with fibrous reinforcing material have drawbacks, in that they exhibit a high anisotropy, coarse surface, and inferior appearance, and abrade processing machines and molds. By incorporating a powdery or flaky filler into polyetherketones, such as a calcium carbonate, mica, or glass bead filler, the polymer can be improved in dimensional stability, but the stiffness remains insufficient. In addition, such filler incorporation lowers the impact strength, making the polymer brittle. To overcome these drawbacks, resin compositions have been proposed comprising polyetherketone and potassium titanate fibres. However, these compositions have a drawback in that the melt viscosity and molding instability in melt molding (for example, injection molding) increase on account of the stagnation of melt at elevated temperatures as the load of potassium titanate fibres is increased in order to achieve greater reinforcing effect. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved polyetherketone resin composition, particularly one improved in heat stability when melted. The present invention provides a polyetherketone resin composition comprising 30 to 95% by weight of polyetherketone and 70 to 5% by weight of potassium titanate fibres which contain not more than 0.25% by weight of free potassium. The polyetherketone used in the present invention typically comprises repeating units of the formula, alone or in combination with repeating units of an other type. The repeating units of another type, for example may be present suitably in amounts less than 25% by weight. Polyetherketone containing 25% by weight or more of such other repeating units is not desirable, since the above-cited characteristics of polyetherketone tend to diminish in this case. The intrinsic viscosity of the polyetherketone is desirably from 0.3 to 2.6, more preferably from 0.5 to 1.8. For present purposes, the intrinsic viscosity is measured at 25°C using a solution of the polymer sample in concentrated sulphuric acid of 1.84 g/cm³ density at a concentration of 0.1 g polymer per 100 cm³ solution. The measurement of intrinsic viscosity is best conducted by using viscometers which give a solvent effluence time of about 2 minutes. This intrinsic viscosity depends solely upon the molecular weight of the polymer. A polyetherketone with an intrinsic viscosity below 0.3 has a low heat resistance and is fragile, because of its low molecular weight. As such high strength cannot be obtained by incorporating the above stated type of potassium titanate fibre into the polyetherketone. When the intrinsic viscosity exceeds 2.6, the melt viscosity is high and hence the flow in melt molding is often not sufficient to provide good molded articles. Thus, polyetherketone having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.3 to 2.6 is desirable in that it offers good surface appearance and superior physical properties and processability. Such polyetherketone can be produced according to processes as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 90296/79 and other documents. The potassium titanate fibre used in the present invention is a high tenacity single-crystalline fibre (whisker) consisting of acicular crystals having fundamentally a chemical composition of K₂O.6TiO₂ or K₂O.6TiO₂1/2H₂O. Typical melting points of the crystals are from 1300 to 1350°C. The fibres have desirably an average length of 5 to 150 µm and an average diameter of 0.05 to 2.0 µm, preferably an average length of 10 to 30 µm and an average diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 µm. Suitable compounding proportions of the polyetherketone and of the potassium titanate fibres are from 30 to 95% by weight and from 70 to 5% by weight, respectively, based on the total weight of the two components. When the proportion of the polyetherketone exceeds 95% by weight, that is, the proportion of the potassium titanate fibres is less than 5% by weight, the improvement in heat resistance, stiffness, and dimensional stability is unsatisfactory. When the proportion of the polyetherketone is less than 30% by weight, that is, the proportion of the potassium titanate fibres exceeds 70% by weight, the dispersion of the components in melt mixers is insufficient and because of the remarkable increase in melt viscosity, the fluidity is low and the molding is difficult under usual conditions. It is necessary that the content of free potassium in the potassium titanate fibres should not be more than 0.25% by weight, calculated as elemental potassium. For example, the free potassium content can be not more than 0.20% or not more than 0.10%. The free potassium in the potassium titanate fibres is defined as the potassium which does not exist in the form of K₂O.6TiO₂ or K₂O.6TiO₂1/2H₂O in the fibres. Most of the free potassium in the fibre exists in the form of K₂O. When the content of free potassium exceeds 0.25% by weight, the heat stability of the melted polyetherketone composition deteriorates and a very large increase in viscosity will be caused by stagnation of the melt. The increase in viscosity becomes still larger and the molding becomes unstable, in particular when the melt of higher potassium titanate fibre content stagnates at higher temperature for a longer time. The increase in melt viscosity becomes small when the free potassium content in the potassium titanate fibres is not more than 0.25% by weight, and such increase more scarcely occurs, even under harsh conditions, when the free potassium content is not more than 0.20% by weight. In the present invention, the potassium titanate fibres have the action of improving the composition in various physical properties such as heat distortion resistance, strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability. It is assumed that free potassium in the potassium titanate fibres may react on active groups, for example, terminal hydroxyl groups, of the polyetherketone melt, thereby to increase the melt viscosity. In fact the increase in melt viscosity becomes more remarkable, as the melt temperature is raised, the melt stagnation lasts longer, and the potassium titanate fibre content in the melt is increased. However, the increase in melt viscosity scarcely occurs when the free potassium content in the potassium titanate fibres is not more than 0.25% by weight. The free potassium content in said fibres is determined, for example, in the following way: A prescribed amount of potassium titanate fibres is taken and boiled in water for many hours to elute the free potassium into the water. The eluted potassium is analyzable by any of flame spectrochemical analysis, atomic absorption analysis, and ICP emission spectrochemical analysis (high-frequency induction coupling plasma emission spectrography). There is no particular restriction on the process for producing potassium titanate fibres in which the free potassium content is not more than 0.25% by weight. Known processes for producing potassium titanate include the burning process, fusion process, hydrothermal process, and flux process. When the intended K₂O.nTiO₂ is produced, the fibre length as well as n can be fixed by adjusting the mixing proportions of starting materials K₂O and TiO₂, the reaction temperature, and the basicity of the reaction system. The process for producing potassium titanate fibres containing not more than 0.25% by weight of free potassium can be exemplified by; the above-cited processes wherein the free K₂O content, viz. free potassium, is decreased by choosing proper conditions; a process comprising burning potassium titanate fibres produced by the usual industrial process (which fibres typically contain 0.27 to 0.40% by weight of free potassium) at a high temperature (at least 500°C) to decrease the free potassium content; and a process comprising extracting free K₂O from such industrial potassium titanate fibres as mentioned above into water or acid to decrease the free potassium content. There is no particular restriction on the method of compounding the polyetherketone and the potassium titanate fibres. The polyetherketone and the potassium titanate fibres can be fed successively into a melt mixer or these materials can be fed into a melt mixer after they have been premixed by using a mortar, Henschel mixer, ball mill, ribbon blender, or the like. The present inventive composition may contain one or more conventional additives such as antioxidants, heat stabilizers, ultraviolet absorbers, lubricants, mold releasing agents, colorants including dyes and pigments, flame retardants, flame retarding aids, and antistatic agents. The following examples illustrate the present invention. In the examples, the amount of free potassium is a value determined by boiling a prescribed amount of potassium titanate fibers in water for 20 hours, followed by analyzing the eluate with a spectrometer for both flame analysis and atomic absorption analysis purposes (Model 650, supplied by Shimazu Seisakusho Co., Ltd., a double-beam type, measurement wavelength 7665 Å). The flexural elastic modulus, Izod impact strength, and heat distortion temperature are values measured in accordance with ASTM D-790, D-256, and D-648, respectively. Heat stabilities of melted compositions were evaluated by comparing melt viscosities measured by using a Koka type of flow tester (supplied by Shimazu Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) under conditions of temperature 400°C, load 50 kg/cm², nozzle diameter 1 mm, land length 10 mm, and residence times 5 minutes and 60 minutes. Examples 1 - 3 A polyetherketone having the repeating unit and an intrinsic viscosity of 0.8 and potassium titanate fibers containing 0.03% by weight of free potassium (HT-200, supplied by Titan Kogyo Co., Ltd., fiber diameter 0.3 - 1.0 µm, fiber length 20 - 120 µm) were mixed in proportions as shown in Table 1, the mixture were each melt-mixed through a twin-screw extruder (PCM-30, supplied by Ikegai Corporation) at 360°C to form strands, and the strands were cooled with water and cut into pellets. These pellets were injection-molded (a 47/28 Sumitomo-Nestal injection molding machine, cylinder temperatures 380 - 400°C, mold temperature 160°C) to prepare different types of specimens for bending, Izod, and heat distortion tests. Results of physical property tests on these specimens are shown in Table 1. All the compositions have high flexural elastic moduli, impact strength, and heat distortion resistance and exhibit superior heat stability when melted. Moreover, any of the compositions even after 40-minute residence at 400°C in injection molding showed no significant change in injection moldability. Comparative Examples 1 - 3 Experiments of Examples 1 - 3 were followed but using potassium titanate fibers having properties similar to those of the fibers used in Examples 1 - 3 but containing 0.28% by weight of free potassium. Results of the experiments are shown in Table 1. All the compositions can be molded without any special objection in injection under conditions of short residence time and are similar in physical properties to the compositions of Examples 1 - 3. However, the compositions of these comparative examples have poor heat stability in the melted state, as apparent from the data of melt viscosity. In addition, any of these compositions after 40-minute residence at 400°C in injection molding could not be molded steadily, since the melt viscosity increased markedly and sinks (depressions at the surface of molded articles) and short shot developed.

Claims: A polyetherketone resin composition comprising 30 to 95% by weight of polyetherketone and 70 to 5% by weight of potassium titanate fibres which contain not more than 0.20% by weight of free potassium. A polyetherketone resin composition according to Claim 1, wherein the polyetherketone is a copolymer. A polyetherketone resin composition according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the polyetherketone has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.5 to 1.8. A polyetherketone resin composition according to any preceding Claim, wherein the potassium titanate fibres have an average length of 10 to 30 µm and an average diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 µm. A polyetherketone resin composition according to any preceding Claim, when molded into a desired shape.

Inventors: HIEDA, KAZUO, SAITO, TERUO
Applicants: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C08L71
IPC codes: C08L71, C08L73, C08K7