PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF IMIDIZED ACRYLIC POLYMERS

Abstract: Imidized acrylic polymers obtained by reacting an acrylic resin in the molten state with at least one modifier of the formula: wherein R′, R″ and R‴, the same or different, are hydrogen or an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl radical containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X is an alkylene radical, straight or branched, containing from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a cycloalkylene radical containing from 5 to 12 carbon atoms or an arylene radical containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms, optionally substituted with heteratoms such as O, N, S, halogen, etc.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of imidized acrylic polymers. By the term "acrylic polymers or acrylic resins" as used in the present description and claims, the homopolymers and copolymers and mixtures thereof of alkyl esters of methacrylic or acrylic acid are intended, wherein the alkyl group contains from 1 to 8, preferably 1 to 4, carbon atoms. Examples of esters of the methacrylic or acrylic acid are: methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, sec.-butylmethacrylate, tert.-butyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, etc. The acrylic polymers or acrylic resins may contain units derived from other monomers containing double bonds such as styrene, α-methylstyrene, acrylonitrile, acrylamide, etc., or from monomers having a double unsaturation such as for instance butadiene. Such monomer units are usually present in amounts of less than 50, preferably less than 20 mol percent, based on the total amount of (meth )acrylic and other monomer units. Furthermore these polymers have an inherent viscosity, measured in N,N'-dimethylformamide at 30°C, between 0.01 and 7, and preferably between 0.2 and 2. The main drawback shown by these polymers is that they have a rather low glass transition temperature (Tg) such as to limit significantly their use. It is known from U. S. Patent No. 3,284,425 or from UK Patent No. 926,629 to increase the Tg of these polymers by imidation carried out by reaction with ammonium hydroxide, ammonium phosphate or alkyl amines or by partial reaction of the acrylic resin itself with ammonium hydroxide followed by reaction with an alkylamine. These processes have many drawbacks: they are performed in an autoclave, they are of the discontinuous type, they require heating and reaction times generally very long, and involve the use of a solvent for the dissolution or suspension. In order to overcome these drawbacks German patent No. 1,077,872 suggests a process for the preparation of acrylic polymers imidized in an extruder, using ammonia in aqueous phase. The product thus obtained, however, shows a poor thermal stability and requires further treatments before being used in the transformation. In U.S. Patent No. 4,246,374 a process is described for preparing imidized acrylic polymers by direct reaction in an extruder of the acrylic resin with ammonia or with a primary amine under substantially anhydrous conditions. The product thus obtained has a good thermal stability but the process conditions for its preparation are particularly burdensome in that it is necessary to work at temperatures up to 450°C and under pressures up to 1,000 atmospheres. US-patent No. 3,632,797 describes a process for the preparation of polyimides by dissolving polymers containing carboxy or anhydride groups, i.e. polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid, in a monoamide and then reacting the solution by heating at a temperature at 150-250°C. It has now been discovered (in accordance with the present invention) that the above-mentioned drawbacks can be overcome by preparing imidized acrylic polymers by a reaction between acrylic resins consisting of homopolymers or copolymers of C₁-C₈ alkyl esters of methacrylic or acrylic acid and at least one modifier of the formula: wherein R', R'' and R''', the same or different, are hydrogen or an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl radical having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and X is a direct bond or is selected from straight or branched alkylene radicals containing from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene radicals containing from 5 to 12 carbon atoms, or arylene radicals containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms or from the corresponding radicals heterosubstituted containing as substituents heteratoms of at least one hydrogen and/or inserted between two adjacent carbon atoms. Examples of such heteroatoms are nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur, halogen, etc. Preferred groups R' , R'' band R''' are (beside hydrogen): alkyl groups having 1 to 8, particularly 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as e.g. methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl and sec.-butyl; cycloalkyl groups having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, such as e.g. cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl; aryl groups having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, such as e.g. phenyl, naphthyl and biphenylyl; alkylaryl groups having 7 to 15 carbon atoms, such as e.g. tolyl, xylyl,trimethylphenyl, ethylphenyl, propylphenyl, and methylnaphthyl; arylalkyl groups having 7 to 15 carbon atoms, such as e.g. benzyl, phenethyl and naphthylmethyl. Preferred groups X (except for X being a direct bond between the carbonyl groups) include the following: straight or branched alkylene radicals having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as e.g. methylene, ethylene, propylene, butylene, pentylene and hexylene; cycloalkylene radicals containing 5 to 8 carbon atoms, such as e.g. cyclopentylene and cyclohexylene; arylene radicals containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms, such as e.g. phenylene and naphthylene. In said radicals e.g. up to 3 carbon atoms different from those directly attached to the amide functionality may be replaced by groups such as e.g. -O-, -NH-, -N(CH₃)- and -S-. Alternatively or additionally said groups may have up to 3 hetero-atom containing substituents, e.g. one or more of OH, OR, (R=C 1-4 alkyl), and halogen (e.g. F, Cl, Br and J). Examples of modifiers of the formula (I) are: oxamide, malonamide, succinamide, adipamide, N-methyloxamide, N'N'-dimethyloxamide, N,N'-dimethylsuccinamide, N,N'-dimethylmalonamide, diamides of phthalic acid, etc. The imidized acrylic polymers obtained by the process of the present invention are thermally stable, have an inherent viscosity, in N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 30°C in 0.25% by weight solution, of between 0.01 and 7, and preferably between 0.2 and 2, and a nitrogen content of between 0.1 and 9% by weight, and preferably between 0.5 and 7%. A method for preparing the imidized acrylic polymers of the present invention comprises reacting an acrylic resin with a modifier of formula (I) under atmospheric pressure or subatmospheric pressure, (e.g. only a little lower than atmospheric pressure), and at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the acrylic resin. Room pressure and reaction temperatures between 200° and 350°C, and preferably between 220° and 280°C, are preferred. The modifier is used in amounts between 5 and 60% by mols based on the (meth)acrylicmonomeric unit, and preferably between 10 and 50%. According to a preferred embodiment of the process of the present invention, the reaction between the acrylic resin and the modifier of the formula (I) is carried out in the presence of basic, acid and/or transesterification catalysts. These catalysts are high boiling products stable under the reaction conditions. They may be selected preferably from among the tertiary amines, such as tricyclohexylamine, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine, 1,3-diphenylguanidine, quinoline, isoquinoline, 4-benzylpyridine, 4-phenylpyridine, 2,3-benzodiazine, 1,4-benzodiazine, 1-benzazine, 1,3-benzodiazine, N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 2,2′-bipyridyl, 2,3′-bipyridyl, 2,4′-bipryidyl, or from Sb₂O₃, Ti(OC₄H₉)₄, NaNH₂, SnO₂, sodium or potassium alcoholates, manganese acetate, etc. The catalysts may be used in amounts up to 30% by weight, calculated on the total reaction mixture. According to a further preferred embodiment of the process of the present invention, the reaction between the acrylic resin and the modifier of the formula (I) may be carried out in an extruder, in a mixer, or in similar apparatus suitable provided with degasing means. The process of the present invention may be carried out using the acrylic resin either in the molten state, or dissolved in a suitable solvent for instance of the aromatic or cycloaliphatic type such as benzene, toluene, cyclohexane, etc. The imidized acrylic polymers of the present invention may be processed by conventional transformation techniques for thermoplastic polymers, such as, for instance, extrusion, injection molding, etc., and may be used for the production of manufactured articles of any desired shape and size, optionally in admixture with other thermoplastic resins. Furthermore, these imidized acrylic polymers may be used for preparing sheets, films, pipes, yarns, etc. The imidized acrylic polymers obtained by the process of the present invention may be admixed with suitable additives, such as for instance anti-shock products, pigments, fibers, mineral fillers, flame retarders, stabilizers, lubricants, plasticizers, etc. The imidized acrylic polymers of the present invention may be additioned with foaming agents and used in foamed form, optionally further admixed with fibers and/or inorganic fillers, to provide articles having a low density and high mechanical properties. The glass transition temperature (Tg) is measured using the differential calorimeter and is the temperature corresponding to the inflection which appears in the thermogram when the thermal capacity of the material changes. The scanning velocity of the temperature is 20°C/minute and the measurement is carried out after a first heating up to 200°C and subsequent cooling. In order to still better understand the present invention and to practice the same, some illustrative examples which however are not limitative are given below. Example 1 Into a glass reactor provided with stirrer and outlet for volatile compounds, 25 g of a polymethylmethacrylate having an inherent viscosity in chloroform of 1.6, and 11 g of oxamide are introduced at the same time, under nitrogen. The whole is gradually heated until the mixture melts and thereafter up to 280°C while distilling and removing the volatile reaction products. The reaction is continued at 280°C for 2 hours and thereafter a vacuum is applied by a mechanical pump for 15 minutes; the whole is cooled to 150°C and refluxed with nitrogen; and the reaction product is diluted with 50 ml of N,N′-dimethylformamide to obtain a solution from which the polymer is recovered by coagulation with methanol. The thus-obtained product is filtered off, washed with ether, and dried in vacuo. The polymer product has an inherent viscosity, in DMF at 30°C in a 0.25% by weight solution, of 0.57 and a glass transition temperature (Tg) = 126°C. Example 2 The operation is carried out according to the procedures of Example 1, using 12.8 g of malonamide. The polymer thus obtained has an inherent viscosity of 0.42 and a Tg = 125°C.

Claims: Process for the preparation of imidized acrylic polymers, comprising reacting acrylic resins consisting of homopolymers or copolymers of C₁-C₈ alkyl esters of methacrylic acid or acrylic acid with at least one modifier of the general formula (I): wherein R', R'', R''', the same or different, are hydrogen or an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or alkylaryl radical containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and X is a direct bond or is selected from straight or branched alkylene radicals containing from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene radicals containing from 5 to 12 carbon atoms, arylene radicals containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and from the corresponding radicals which contain heteroatoms, either attached to at least one carbon atom and/or inserted between at least two adjacent carbon atoms. Process according to claim 1, wherein the heteroatoms are selected from nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and halogen. Process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the modifiers of formula (I) are selected from oxamide, malonamide, succinamide, adipamide, N-methyloxamide, N,N'-dimethyloxamide, N,N'-dimethylsuccinamide, N,N'-dimethylmalonamide, and diamides of phthalic acid. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein imidized acrylic polymers having an inherent viscosity, in 0.25% by weight solution in dimethylformamide at 30°C, of between 0.01 and 7, and a nitrogen content of between 0.01 and 9% by weight are prepared. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reaction of the acrylic resin with a modifier of formula (I) is carried out at atmospheric pressure or a little less than atmospheric pressure and at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the acrylic resin. Process according to claim 5, wherein the reaction is carried out at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature between 200 and 350°C. Process according to claim 6, wherein the temperature is between 220 and 280°C. Process according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the modifier is used in amounts between 5 and 60% by moles, based on the acrylic monomer unit. Process according to claim 8, wherein the modifier is used in amounts between 10 and 50% by moles. Process according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the reaction between the acrylic resin and the modifier of formula (I) is carried out in the presence of a basic, an acidic and/or a transesterification catalyst. Process according to claim 10, wherein the catalyst is selected from tertiary amines, such as tricyclohexylamine, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine, 1,3-diphenylguanidine, quinoline, isoquinoline, 4-benzylpyridine, 4-phenylpyridine, 2,3-bensodiazine, 1,4-benzodiazine, 1-benzazine, 1,3-bensodiazine, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 2,2'-bipyridyl, 2,3'-bipyridyl and 2,4'-bipyridyl, or Sb₂O₃, Ti(OC₄H₉)₄, NaNH₂, SnO₂, sodium and potassium alcoholates, and manganese acetate. Process according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the acrylic resin is used either in the molten state or dissolved in a solvent. Process according to any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein the reaction between the acrylic resin and the modifier of formula (I) is carried out in an extruder, in a mixer or in a functionally similar apparatus provided with degasing means.

Inventors: ALBIZZATI, ENRICO, DR., CANOVA, LUCIANO, DR., GIANNINI, UMBERTO, DR.
Applicants: ELF ATOCHEM ITALIA S.R.L.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C08F8
IPC codes: C08F8