RUBBER-MODIFIED STYRENE RESIN COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: A rubber-modified styrene resin composition comprises (A) a rubber-modified styrene resin having dispersed therein from 1 to 15% by weight of a rubbery polymer having an average particle size of from 0.1 to 2.5 µm, (B) an or­ ganopolysiloxane in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight on silicon conversion based on the rubber-modified styrene resin, and (C) an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer in an amount of from 0.05 to 10% by weight based on the rubber-modified styrene resin. The com­ position exhibits markedly improved area impact strength while retaining other physical properties and is, therefore, useful for external parts.

Description: This invention relates to rubber-modified styrene resin compositions having markedly improved impact strengths while retaining other physical properties. The compositions are most useful in the field of fabrication from styrene resins, such as fabrication of external parts, e.g., appliances, business and office machines, telephone sets and office automation equipment. In such fabrication of external parts, the molding materials or molded articles are required to have well-balanced physical properties, such as moldability, dimensional accuracy, appearance, heat resistance and mechanical properties, e.g., tensile strength and bending strength. In particular, a good balance between appearance, such as surface gloss, and impact strength is demanded by the nature of external parts. In general, impact strength includes Izod impact strength and Du Pont dart drop impact strength which is indicative of areal impact strength. For the particular purpose described above, the areal impact strength is considered to be more significant. In an attempt to improve the impact strength of rubber-modified styrene resins, a number of studies have hitherto been made. Known techniques include, for example, blending a styrene butadiene block copolymer and blending an organopolysiloxane. According to these known techniques, however, the amount of the modifier resin to be blended, such as the styrene-butadiene block copolymer, is relatively large, usually amounting to several percent or even more. The modifier is thus very likely to impair physical properties other than impact strength. When using the organopolysiloxane as a modifier, the desired effects can be produced by blending a relatively small amount (less than 1%) so that serious deterioration in other physical properties is not observable. However, it is chiefly notched Izod impact strength that is improved by blending the organopolysiloxane, while the improving effect on areal impact strength, such as Du Pont dart drop impact strength, which is practically more important, is still insufficient. EP-A-O 142 174 relates to a copolymer resin prepared from a rubbery polymer, styrene and methacrylic acid, the latter two monomers being partly grafted on to the rubber. In some examples a silicone was added to a mixture containing the above resin and another styrene/methacrylic acid copolymer. One object of this invention is to provide, by blending a relatively small amount of modifier, a styrene resin composition having an improved areal impact strength, as well as other excellent characteristics required for external parts, such as surface gloss and moldability. According to the present invention there is provided a rubber-modified styrene resin composition comprising (A) a rubber-modified styrene resin having dispersed therein from 1 to 15% by weight of a rubbery polymer having an average particle size of from 0.1 to 2.5µm, (B) an organopolysiloxane in an amount to provide a silicon content of from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight, based on the rubber-modified styrene resin, and (C) from 0.05 to 10% by weight, based on the rubber-modified styrene resin, of an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer. The rubbery polymer which is contained in the rubber-modified styrene resin (A) of the invention may be, for example, polybutadiene, a butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyisoprene, butyl rubber, ethylene-propylenediene terpolymer (EPDM) rubber, an ethylene-propylene copolymer or natural rubber. There is no limitation on the higher order structure of these polymers, such as the cis-1,4 bond content and 1,2-vinyl bond content of polybutadiene or a butadiene-styrene copolymer; or the styrene content and the butadiene-styrene bonding style (e.g., random, block or alternating) of a butadiene-styrene copolymer. If the rubbery polymer content in the rubber-modified styrene resin (A) of the invention is less than 1% by weight, a sufficient improvement in impact strength cannot be attained. If it exceeds 15% by weight, physical properties other than impact strength, such as stiffness and heat resistance, are impaired. The dispersed rubbery polymer particles have an average particle size of from 0.1 to 2.5 µm. An average particle size of less than 0.1 µm cannot bring about sufficient improvement in impact strength, and that greater than 2.5 µm detracts from surface gloss, essential for external parts. The term "average particle size" as used herein means a number average particle size determined by classifying about 500 rubbery polymer particles at 0.1 µm intervals in an electron photomicrograph of a very thin section of the rubber-modified styrene resin composition The compositions of the present invention contain (B) an organopolysiloxane in an amount to provide a silicon content of from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight based on the rubber-modified styrene resin (A). A silicon content of less than 0.01% by weight does not bring about sufficient improvement in impact strength, and a silicon content of more than 0.2% by weight impairs other physical properties, such as stiffness and heat resistance. The organopolysiloxane (B) which can be used in the present invention is generally represented by the following formula: wherein R₁ and R₂ each represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group; and n represents the degree of polymerization. The organopolysiloxane may have an epoxy group, an amino group, a carboxyl group, a vinyl group, a hydroxyl group, a fluorine atom, or an alkoxy group introduced to the terminal(s) or molecular chain(s) thereof. The organopolysiloxane (B) may have any structure of homopolymer, random polymer, block polymer, and graft polymer, and some of the organic groups thereof may be substituted with a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, a hydroxyalkyl group, or a polyhydroxyalkylene group. These organopolysiloxanes may be used either individually or in a combination of two or more thereof. Specific but non-limiting examples of the organopolysiloxane (B) to be used include dimethylpolysiloxane, methylphenylpolysiloxane and diphenylpolysiloxane. The viscosity of the organopolysiloxane is not paritcularly limited, but those having a viscosity ranging from about 10 to about 100,000 (cSt.) at 30°C are usually preferred in view of ease of handling. That is, those having a viscosity less than 10 (cSt.) are unsuitable due to high volatility, while viscosities higher than 100,000 (cSt.) make it difficult to uniformly disperse the organopolysiloxane in the composition. Compounding of the organopolysiloxane can be effected at any stage of the production of the rubber-modified styrene resin composition, e.g., at the beginning of the polymerization, during the polymerization, at the stage of extrusion or at the stage of molding. These methods of compounding may be combined. The compositions according to the present invention further contain (C) from 0.05 to 10% by weight of an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer. If the content of the component (C) is less than 0.05% by weight, sufficient effects in improving impact strength cannot be produced. If it exceeds 10% by weight, other physical properties, such as heat resistance, are impaired. Specific examples of the unsaturated carboxylic acid ester segment in the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer (C) include ethyl acrylate, methyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, strearyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate and stearyl methacrylate. Specific examples of preferred ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymers include an ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, an ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, and an ethylene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer. The copolymer preferably has an unsaturated carboxylic ester content of from 5 to 45% by weight and a melt flow rate (JIS K-6730) of from about 1 to about 500 g/10 min, but these values are not essential. Addition of the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer to the composition can be carried out easily by methods commonly employed for thermoplastic resins, such as melt-blending and solution blending. The rubber-modified styrene resins (A) which can be used in the invention include a rubber-modified polystyrene resin, a so-called high-impact polystyrene, an ABS resin, a polymer blend of a rubber-modified polystyrene resin and a polyphenylene oxide resin, with rubber-modified polystyrene resins being preferred. In order to impart non-flammability or self-extinguishing properties to the composition of the invention, a flame-retardant can be compounded to obtain a flame-retarded thermoplastic resin composition. The compositions according to the present invention can further contain various compounding additives, such as plasticizers, stabilizers, anti-oxidants, pigments, dyes, dropping retarders, treatment auxiliaries, mineral fillers, and fibrous, particulate, flaky or pulverized glass. This invention will now be illustrated in greater detail with reference to the following Examples, but it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the present invention. EXAMPLES 1 TO 6 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 1 TO 4 A rubber-modified polystyrene (Esbrite® 500HG produced by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) (A), a silicone oil (Toray Silicone® SH-200 produced by Toray Industries, Inc.) (B), and an ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer (Acryft® produced by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) (C) were mixed at a proportion shown in Table 1 and sufficiently dispersed in a Henschel mixer. The premixed compound was melt-kneaded in a single screw extruder having a diameter of 40 mm at a cylinder temperature of from about 160 to 220°C and pelletized. Specimens for physical property measurements were prepared by means of an injection molding machine at a cylinder temperature of from 190 to 230°C and at a mold temperature of 40°C. Measurements of physical properties of the compositions were in accordance with the following criteria. 1) Izod Impact Strength (notched): ASTM D256-70 (thickness: 1/4 in. (6.4mm)) 2) Du Pont Dart Drop Impact Strength: JIS K-7211 (thickness: 1 mm) 3) Melt Flow Rate: JIS K-6870 (200°C; load: 5 kg) 4) Surface Gloss: JIS Z-8741 5) Vicat Softening Point: JIS K-6870 (load: 5 kg) The results of these measurements are shown in Table 1 below. As described above, the styrene resin compositions in accordance with the present invention show decided superiority in areal impact strength over the conventional rubber-modified styrene compositions as well as excellent characteristics required for external parts, such as surface gloss and moldability.

Claims: A rubber-modified styrene resin composition, characterised in that the composition comprises (A) a rubber-modified styrene resin having dispersed therein from 1 to 15% by weight of a rubbery polymer having an average particle size of from 0.1 to 2.5 µm, (B) an organopolysiloxane in an amount to provide a silicon content of from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight based on the rubber-modified styrene resin, and (C) an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer in an amount of from 0.05 to 10% by weight based on the rubber-modified styrene resin. A composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rubber-modified styrene resin (A) is a rubber-modified polystyrene resin. A composition as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer is an ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, an ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, an ethylene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, or a mixture thereof.

Inventors: KANNO, YOSHINORI, OKAMOTO, YASUSHI
Applicants: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C08L51
IPC codes: C08L7, C08L21, C08L77, C08L101, C08L51, C08L73, C08L33, C08L23, C08L83, C08L25