PROCESS FOR MODIFYING ADDITION POLYMERIZATION PLASTICS

Abstract: A process for modifying addition polymerization plastics is disclosed. According to the process, an organic peroxide is adsorbed on a zeolite, mixed with an addition polymerization plastic and heat-treated. The process produces an addition polymerization plastic having an increased melt flow index.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for modifying an addition polymerization plastic wherein organic peroxide is mixed with addition polymerization plastic then the mixture is heated. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved process for chemically increasing the melt flow index (hereinafter referred to as MFI) of particularly crosslinkable plastics among the addition polymerization plastics and a process for chemically further increasing the MFI of degradable plastics. Polymers are classified into those of addition polymerization, condensation polymerization, addition condensation, ring-opening polymerization and polyaddition types according to the reactions employed in the preparation of them. Among these polymers, those of the addition polymerization type are prepared by opening double bonds of monomers using a radical or an ion as an initiating species and propagating a chain reaction to other monomers to form a polymer. Addition polymerization polymers may be classified as either elastomers, such as rubbers, or plastics. The addition polymerization plastics may be subdivided into two groups. The first group, identified as crosslinkable plastics, are crosslinked when they are heat-treated together with a suitable amount of an organic peroxide. This lowers the melt flow index and causes gelation. The second group, identified as degradable plastics have a polymer chain which is cleaved preferentially when they are heat-treated as mentioned above, causing an increase in the MFI. Examples of the polymers of the first group include polyethylene (hereinafter referred to as PE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl acetate (PVAC), polyvinyl fluoride (PFV), polystyrene (PS), polymethacrylates (PMA) and copolymers such as ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and styrene/acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN). Examples of the polymers of the second group include polypropylene (PP) and poly-α-methylstyrene (PMS). The opposite results produced by heat-treating the two groups of addition polymerization plastics may be theoretically explained as follows. As the organic peroxide dispersed in the plastic is heated, it forms a radical which pulls out a hydrogen atom from the polymer chain to form a polymer radical. Either the polymer radical participates in a crosslinking reaction or the polymer chain is cleaved according to β-cleavage mechanism. In fact, when a mixture of said crosslinkable plastic and an organic peroxide is heat-treated, the MFI of the plastic is reduced or it gels. No process has been known for increasing the MFI of the plastics of this type by a chemical treatment for the purpose of modifying them. One process for increasing the MFI of crosslinkable plastics is known. That process comprises adding a plasticizer, oil or low-molecular polymer to the plastics to plasticize them. Among the degradable plastics, polypropylene has been treated with an organic peroxide to increase the MFI. In the above-mentioned process wherein the MFI of the crosslinkable plastics is increased by the addition of a plasticizer, oil or low-molecular polymer, the additive must be used in an amount as large as several ten to several hundred percent based on the plastic. This causes problems such as the migration of the added plasticizer and adverse influences on the electric and physical properties such as heat resistance and hardness of the polymer. In the process for increasing the MFI with an organic peroxide which has been applied practically to only polypropylene, problems such as coloring and odor due to the organic peroxide have been pointed out. The present invention provides a process for increasing the MFI of the crosslinkable plastics by a chemical me ans without using any plasticizer or the like. The invention provides also a process for increasing the MFI of the degradable plastics without causing coloring or smelling. The above-mentioned problems can be solved by mixing an organic peroxide adsorbed on a zeolite (hereinafter referred to as "the present ingredient") with an addition polymerization plastic and then heat-treating the plastic under a suitable temperature condition. The inventors have found that when an organic peroxide adsorbed on a zeolite is mixed with the crosslinkable plastic and the mixture is treated under a suitable temperature condition, the organic peroxide acts to cleave the polymer chain. This is in contrast to conventional processes wherein the organic peroxide causes crosslinking and thereby reduces the MFI. The present invention has been completed on the basis of this new function of the present ingredient. Further, according to the present invention, the effects of the organic peroxide on the degradable plastics are improved so remarkably that the amount of the organic peroxide can be reduced. The MFI of the crosslinkable plastics can be increased chemically and so is the MFI of polypropylene without causing color or odor problems. According to a conventional process an organic peroxide may be mixed with plastic or rubber in the form of a compounding ingredient prepared by dispersing the peroxide in a diluent comprising an inorganic filler such as calcium carbonate, clay or silica for the purposes of realizing a homogeneous dispersion, improving the accuracy of weighing and securing safety. However, the function of zeolites used in the present invention is different from that of the fillers such as calcium carbonate used in the prior art. Namely, the zeolites used in the present invention act as an element to alter the chemical effect of the organic peroxide on the crosslinkable plastics from that of crosslinking to that of cleaving, while the filler used in the prior art acts as a mere diluent for the organic peroxide. Though a composition comprising a curable rubber or resin and a molecular sieve on which an organic peroxide, i.e. a curing agent for the rubber or resin, is adsorbed is disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Publication No. 5889/1961, the present invention is different therefrom with respect to the technical contents. More particularly, the composition disclosed in said specification comprises curable rubbers and resins, for example, elastomers such as butadiene/acrylonitrile copolymer, butadiene/styrene copolymer and natural rubber and curable resins such as unsaturated polyester resins and polyvinyl chloride plastisol containing a reactive monomer, which are different from the plastics of the present invention. Namely, the plastics of the present invention are distinguished from the elastomers such as rubbers, since the former have a fluidity at an elevated temperature and a practical strength at an ambient temperature. Curable, unsaturated polyester resins containing reactive monomers or plastisols are not included in the present invention. It is described in the specification of said Japanese Patent Publication No. 5889/1961 that the first object of the invention disclosed therein is to provide a curing composition which does not exert harmful influences on the curable substances prior to the curing reaction, the second object thereof is to provide a curing composition which does not interfere with the effects of the curing agent having high volatility and reactivity in the curing reaction of a natural or synthetic elastomer, resin or natural rubber, and the third object thereof is to provide a curing composition the quality of which is not deteriorated during the storage even when it is mixed with a curable substance. Thus, the organic peroxide is adsorbed on zeolite so as to protect the same used as the curing agent for the curable rubber or resin in said invention. On the contrary, the present invention has been completed based on the finding that when the present ingredient is mixed with a crosslinkable plastic and the mixture is heat-treated, the chemical effect of the organic peroxide can be changed from that of accelerating the crosslinking to that of accelerating the bond cleavage. Also, the effects of the organic peroxides on the degradable plastics can be made further efficient. Since the present ingredient exhibits its effects of attaining said objects even when it is used in a small amount, it scarcely affects the physical properties of the polymer, unlike the addition of the plasticizer, oil or low molecular weight polymer to reduce the MFI. When PVC was mixed with the present ingredient and the obtained mixture was heat-treated to increase the MFI thereof, the discoloration caused was less than that caused when the heat treatment was effected in the absence of any additive (blank test). This effect of the present ingredient is also a new one, since an adverse effect is observed when PVC is heat-treated with the organic peroxide according to the conventional process. The zeolites used in the present invention include natural zeolites such as mordenite, erionite, clinoptilolite, heulandite and faujasite and synthetic zeolites such as A, X, Y, T and F zeolites, molecular sieves and synthetic mordenite. These zeolites can be used in various forms such as powders, granules and pellets. Examples of the organic peroxides used in the present invention include hydroperoxides such as t-butyl, cumene and 2,4,4-trimethylpentyl hydroperoxides; dialkyl peroxides such as di-t-butyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-t-butylperoxyhexane, t-butyl cumyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-t-butylperoxyhexane-3 and α,α′-di(t-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene; peroxy ketals such as 1,1-di-t-butylperoxycyclohexane and 2,2-di(t-butylperoxy)butane; alkyl peresters such as t-butyl peroxybenzoate, t-butyl peroxyacetate, t-butyl peroxy-3,5,5-trimethylhexanoate, di-t-butyl peroxyazelate and t-butyl peroxyisobutyrate; diacyl peroxides such as benzoyl, 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl, p-chlorobenzoyl and o-methylbenzoyl peroxides; ketone peroxides such as methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and cyclohexanone peroxides; and percarbonates such as t-butylperoxyisopropyl carbonate, t-butylperoxy-sec-butyl percarbonate and bis(4-t-butylcyclohexyl) peroxydicarbonate. The composition contains 1 to 50%, preferably 3 to 40% of the organic peroxide. The organic peroxide is adsorbed on the zeolite by mixing the former with the latter at room temperature in case the former is liquid at room temperature, or by mixing the former with the latter at a temperature above the melting point of the former or by dissolving the former in a solvent, mixing them together and removing the solvent in case the former is solid at room temperature. The organic peroxide is mixed with and thereby adsorbed on the zeolite by means of a ribbon blender, paddle mixer, mix master, pony mixer, Nauta mixer, concrete mixer, omni-mixer, V-type mixer, double cone mixer or the like. The amount of the organic peroxide to be added to the plastic according to the present invention is 50 to 30,000 ppm, preferably 100 to 10,000 ppm (in terms of a pure organic peroxide). The term "addition polymerization plastics" herein includes homopolymers, graft polymers and copolymers prepared by radical, cationic and anionic polymerization processes. More particularly, they include low-density PE, high-density PE, PP, EPR, EPDM, EVA, PVAC, PVC, PMA, polymethyl methacrylate, PFV, PS, PIB, PMS, SBR and ABS. The present ingredient can be mixed with these plastics in the form of pellets or powders by means of a Banbury mixer, paddle mixer, mix master, pony mixer, Nauta mixer, concrete mixer, omni-mixer, V-type mixer, double-cone mixer or kneader or, when the plastic is in the form of its solutio n in a solvent or plasticizer, the mixing can be effected by means of a kneader or universal stirrer. After completion of the mixing, the heat treatment is effected under conditions which vary depending on the kind of plastic and the processing machine used. Such temperature and time conditions are typically in the ranges of 140 to 220°C and 1 to 10 minutes. The heat treatment can be effected by means of various processing devices, such as Banbury mixers, screw extruders, kneaders, and high-pressure presses or continuous crosslinking devices in which vapor, air, nitrogen gas or an inorganic salt is used as the heat transfer medium depending on the purpose. The mixing and heat treatment can be effected in one step when a kneader or Banbury mixer having a heating means is used. The MFI-increasing effect can be further improved by using the present ingredient in combination with a peptizer such as a Noctizer SK or a Noctizer SS, an antioxidant such as Sandostab P-EPQ or BHT and a processing stabilizer such as Sumilizer GM. Examples The following examples will further illustrate the present invention. The present ingredients are summarized in Table 1. Examples 1 to 16 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 15 g of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) was added to 30 g of PVC having an average degree of polymerization of 1,000 (a product of Tokuyama Sekisui Industry Co., Ltd.). The ingredient listed in Table 1 was added to the mixture or, in comparative examples, a zeolite or organic peroxide alone or an organic peroxide diluted with a filler was added thereto and mixed. The mixture was kneaded with two rolls (roll temperature: 145 to 155°C). A part (20 g) of the mixture was taken and treated in a mold having a size of 128 mm × 87 mm × 2 mm at 200°C for 2 min. The MFI of the samples was determined according to Japanese Industrial Standard K-7210. The results are summarized in Table 2. Examples 17 to 25 and Comparative Examples 8 to 15 The present ingredient was added to LDPE, HDPE or EVA and the mixture was heat-treated. The MFI of each product thus obtained is shown in Table 3. In these examples, the present ingredient was mixed with LPDE or EVA by means of two rolls at 110 to 120°C or 80 to 90°C, respectively. Then, the mixture was heat-treated in the same mold as in Examples 1 to 16 at 200°C for 10 min. and the MFI of each product was determined. In case the sample was HDPE, the present ingredient was added to HDPE in fine powder form and the mixture was stirred with a glass rod in a beaker to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The obtained powdery mixture was heat-treated at 200°C in the same mold as above for 10 min. and the MFI thereof was determined. In the blank tests of each polymer, additive-free polymer was heat-treated at 200°C for 10 min. and the MFI thereof was determined. The MFI was determined according to Japanese Industrial Standard K-7210. Examples 26 to 30 and Comparative Examples 16 to 24 The present ingredient was added to PP and the mixture was heat-treated. The MFI, color and smell of the product thus obtained are shown in Table 4. In these examples, the present ingredient was added to fine powder of PP and the mixture was stirred with a glass rod in a beaker to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The obtained mixture was heat-treated at 200°C in the same mold as above for 10 min. and the MFI thereof was determined according to Japanese Industrial Standard K-7210. The coloring and smell of the heat-treated sheets were judged as follows: three sheets of the sample each having a th ickness of 2 mm were put together and the color was judged visually. The smell was judged by cutting the sheet to small pieces with scissors and smelling the same. In the column identified as "smell" in Table 4, "none" means that a decomposition product of the organic peroxide had no odor and "smell" means that the decomposition product had an odor. It should be noted that Comparative Examples 20-24 were performed according to the teaching of Canadian Patent 999,698 which teaches the use of peroxide deposited on clay to effect viscosity reduction of polypropylene. Examples 26-28 and 30 were performed according to the current invention. Comparison of the results at Table 4 illustrates the surprising superiority of the current method over that disclosed in Canadian Patent 999,698. Since the MFI of the addition polymerization plastics can be modified by the after-processing according to the present invention, it becomes possible that the plastics are prepared under the most efficient conditions and the MFI of the products is modified as desired in the after-processing step. By this process, the efficiency of the plastic-producing process can be increased.

Claims: 1. A process for modifying an addition polymerization plastic wherein organic peroxide is mixed with addition polymerization plastic then the mixture is heat-treated, characterized in that the organic peroxide is adsorbed on a zeolite prior to mixing with the addition polymerization plastic. 2. The process of claim 1 characterized in that the formation of a mixture and the heat treatment of the mixture are performed in one step. 3. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the addition polymerization plastic is a copolymer. 4. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the addition polymerization plastic is selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl fluoride, polystyrene, polymethacrylates, polypropylene, poly-α-methylstyrene, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer and styrene/acrylonitrile copolymer. 5. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the organic peroxide is selected from the group consisting of: di-t-butylperoxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-t-butylperoxyhexane, dicumyl peroxide, α,α′-di(t-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene, t-butylhydroperoxide, t-butylperoxybenzoate, benzoyl peroxide, t-butyl isopropyl percarbonate and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. 6. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the zeolite is a natural zeolite selected from the group consisting of mordenite, erionite, clinoptilolite, heulandite and faujasite. 7. The process of any one of the preceding claims 1-5 characterized in that the zeolite is a synthetic zeolite selected from the group consisting of synthetic zeolites A, X, Y, T and F, molecular sieves, and synthetic mordenite. 8. An addition polymerization polymer characterized in that the polymer has been modified by a process according to any one of the preceding claims. Claims for the following Contracting State : ES 1. A process for modifying an addition polymerization plastic wherein organic peroxide is mixed with addition polymerization plastic then the mixture is heat-treated, characterized in that the organic peroxide is adsorbed on a zeolite prior to mixing with the addition polymerization plastic. 2. The process of claim 1 characterized in that the formation of a mixture and the heat treatment of the mixture are performed in one step. 3. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the addition pol ymerization plastic is a copolymer. 4. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the addition polymerization plastic is selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl fluoride, polystyrene, polymethacrylates, polypropylene, poly-α-methylstyrene, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer and styrene/acrylonitrile copolymer. 5. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the organic peroxide is selected from the group consisting of: di-t-butylperoxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-t-butylperoxyhexane, dicumyl peroxide, α,α′-di(t-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene, t-butylhydroperoxide, t-butylperoxybenzoate, benzoyl peroxide, t-butyl isopropyl percarbonate and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. 6. The process of any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the zeolite is a natural zeolite selected from the group consisting of mordenite, erionite, clinoptilolite, heulandite and faujasite. 7. The process of any one of the preceding claims 1-5 characterized in that the zeolite is a synthetic zeolite selected from the group consisting of synthetic zeolites A, X, Y, T and F, molecular sieves, and synthetic mordenite.

Inventors: HIRAI, YASUO, NIWA, TOSHIO
Applicants: KAYAKU AKZO CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: C08F8
IPC codes: C08K9, C08F8, C08K5, C08L101, C08F4