Melt metalation of block copolymers

Abstract: A process is provided to functionalize hydrogenated block copolymers of vinyl aromatics and conjugated diolefin in a melt phase. The functionality is predominantly grafted to vinyl aromatic blocks by this process. The process is preferably performed in an extruder.

Description: This invention relates to a process to modify block copolymers of vinyl aromatics and hydrogenated conjugated diolefins. Block copolymers of conjugated diolefins and vinyl aromatics are useful as elastomeric thermoplastics. The conjugated diolefin segments and the vinyl aromatic segments of these block copolymers are incompatible and phase separate into distinct domains. The continuous domains are rubbery conjugated diolefin domains. When at least some of the conjugated diolefin segments have vinyl aromatic segments at each end, the vinyl aromatic domains will tie together the rubbery segments. At temperatures below the vinyl aromatic domain glass transition temperatures, these copolymers act like vulcanized rubbers. By heating the copolymers to temperatures above the vinyl aromatic domain glass transition temperatures, the copolymers can be melt processed. The properties of block copolymers can be further improved by hydrogenation of the conjugated diolefin segment. This process greatly increases the ultraviolet, thermal, and oxidative stability of the polymers. Like elastomeric thermoplastics, block copolymers of conjugated diolefin and vinyl aromatics have many excellent qualities, but also have shortcomings. Like non-polar polymers, these block copolymers are generally not sufficiently compatible with polar engineering thermoplastics to be useful as tougheners for these engineering thermoplastics. These block copolymers are also easily dissolved in many non-polar solvents. Adhesiveness to polar substrates, and green strength could also be improved. Grafting polar functional groups to the copolymers can help alleviate these shortcomings. U.S. Patent No. 4,628,072 discloses a method to graft alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acids or anhydrides to base block copolymers, and discloses advantages of these functionalized block copolymers as tougheners for various polar engineering thermoplastics. This method of functionalization incorporates the grafted groups mainly into the conjugated diolefin segments. These processes can be performed in a melt phase, and are commonly achieved in an extruder. This results in a very economical process. Functionalization of the conjugated diolefin segments of the polymer may adversely affect elastomeric properties of the block copolymer. Further, high temperature properties of those block copolymers are generally limited by the glass transition temperature of the vinyl aromatic domains. Grafting some functional groups to vinyl aromatic segments can result in ionic associations within the vinyl aromatic domains which increase the glass transition temperature of the vinyl aromatic domains. This higher glass transition temperature results in significantly improved high temperature mechanical properties. It would therefore be preferable to graft the functional groups within the vinyl aromatic segments. U.S. Patent Nos. 3,976,628 and 4,145,298 teach processes to graft polar functionality to vinyl aromatic segments of block copolymers. The processes taught in these patents involve metalating a base polymer with a lithium alkyl in the presence of tetraalkylethylenediamine in an inert solvent and then further reacting the grafted lithium atom with carbon dioxide to form a carboxylic lithium salt. These references teach metalation in inert solvents, and, if pertinent, subsequent functionalization in the same inert solvents. These processes result in selective functionalization of vinyl aromatic blocks, but are performed in solvents. These solution-based processes are undesirable because they are more expensive than melt phase processes. Hydrogenated diblock copolymers of vinyl aromatics and conjugated diolefins are most typically useful as lubricating oil viscosity index improvers. Grafting functional groups to these diblock copolymers can enable the viscosity index improvers also to function as dispersants. U.S. Patent No. 4,145,289 discloses such functionalized copolymers. The copolymers are functionalized by contacting the polymer, in solution, with a metal alkyl, and then contacting the resultant metalated polymer solution with a nitrogen-containing organic compound. This functionalization therefore requires dissolving the hydrogenated polymer prior to the metalation reaction, and then recovering the functionalized polymer from solution. This is an expensive and time consuming processing step. These prior art processes for metalation and further functionalization of hydrogenated copolymers of vinyl aromatics and conjugated diolefins have been performed in inert solvents. Generally the solutions are 5 to 20% weight by polymer. The solvent must be heated to reaction temperatures and separated from the functionalized polymer when the reactions are finished. This adds considerable time and expense to the process. Accomplishing this process in a melt i.e. solvent free, would therefore be preferred. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a process to incorporate functional groups onto vinyl aromatic segments of hydrogenated block copolymers, wherein the process is performed in a melt phase. The present invention provides a process to form a functionalized block copolymer which is carried out at a temperature within the range of from 100 to 140°C, and which comprises the steps of: a) providing a melt of substantially non-functionalized base block copolymer comprising at least one block containing predominantly vinyl aromatic monomer units and at least one block containing predominantly hydrogenated conjugated diolefin monomer units, wherein the base block copolymer is melt processable at a temperature below 140°C and has an average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 50,000; b) contacting the melt of the base block copolymer with 2 to 20 millimoles of a metal alkyl per millimole of the base block copolymer at a temperature not above 140°C in the presence of a polar metalation promoter to form a metalated polymer melt; and c) contacting the metalated polymer melt with an electrophile selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, ethylene oxide, halogen, epoxide, ketone, aldehyde, ester, isocyanate, sulfur, boron alkoxide, and silicon containing compounds. The process of the present invention is a melt phase process to provide a functionalized block copolymer. The melt process utilizes an electrophile which is preferably carbon dioxide, and a metal alkyl which is preferably a lithium alkyl. In this preferred embodiment, the product of this process is a carboxylic lithium salt functionalized block copolymer. This carboxylic lithium salt can be acidified to form carboxylic acid sites, or converted to salts of other metals, or converted to other functional groups by known chemistry. For the base block copolymer to be readily processed, or in a melt phase at a temperature of 140 °C or less a low molecular weight polymer is preferred. Molecular weights of 10,000 to 50,000 are typical. A polar metalation promoter, which is taught as a necessary element for metalation processes in the prior art, is also required in the melt metalation process of the present invention if operating at temperatures of 140 °C. At higher temperatures a promoter may not be necessary. In a most preferred embodiment, the melt metalation is performed in an extruder. Performing this invention in an extruder results in better utilization of the reactants due to the efficient and rapid contacting of the reactants. The base hydrogenated block copolymers employed in the present composition are thermoplastic elastomers having at least one vinyl aromatic polymer block A and at least one elastomeric conjugated diene polymer block B. The number of blocks in the block copolymer is not of special importance and the macromolecular configuration may be linear or branched, which includes graft, radial or star configurations. The base hydrogenated block copolymers employed in the present invention may have a variety of geometrical structures, since the invention does not depend on any specific geometrical structure, but rather upon the chemical constitution of each of the polymer blocks. The radial or star configuration may be either symmetric or asymmetric. Typical block copolymers of the most simple configuration would have the structure polystyrene-polybutadiene (S-B) and polystyrene-polyisoprene (S-I). A typical radial or star polymer would comprise one in which the diene block has three or four branches (radial) or five or more branches (star), the end of some (asymmetric) or each (symmetric) branch being connected to a polystyrene block. Blocks A and B may be either homopolymer, random or tapered copolymer blocks as long as each block predominates in at least one class of the monomers characterizing the blocks. Thus, blocks A may comprise styrene/alpha-methylstyrene copolymer blocks or styrene/butadiene random or tapered copolymer blocks as long as the blocks individually predominate in alkenyl arenes. The preferred vinyl aromatics are styrene and alpha-methylstyrene, and styrene is particularly preferred due to its availability and relatively low cost. Blocks B may comprise homopolymers of conjugated diene monomers, copolymers of two or more conjugated dienes, and copolymers of one of the dienes with a monoalkenyl arene as long as the blocks B predominate in conjugated diene units. The conjugated dienes are preferably those containing from 4 to 8 carbon atoms. Examples of suitable conjugated diene monomers include: butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, and piperylene, preferably butadiene and isoprene. The base block copolymer may contain various ratios of conjugated diolefins to vinyl aromatics. The proportion of the vinyl aromatic blocks is between 1 and 99 percent by weight of the block copolymer. To exhibit elastomeric properties, the proportion of the vinyl aromatic blocks in these block copolymers are preferably between 2 and 65 percent, and more preferably between 5 and 40 percent by weight. The molecular weight of the base block copolymer is limited by that which results in a melt-processable block copolymer at a temperature of 140 °C or less. In most instances, the vinyl aromatic blocks will have average molecular weights of 2,000 to 15,000, preferably 3,000 to 8,000, while the conjugated diolefin blocks either before or after hydrogenation will have average molecular weights of 7,000 to 35,000, preferably 10,000 to 20,000. The total average molecular weight of the block copolymer is typically from 10,000 to 50,000, preferably from 20,000 to 40,000. These molecular weights are most accurately determined by gel permeation chromatography using a polystyrene standard. The block copolymer may be produced by block polymerization or copolymerization procedures, including sequential addition of monomer, incremental addition of monomer, or coupling as illustrated in, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 3,251,905; 3,390,207; 3,598,887 and 4,219,627. Tapered copolymer blocks can be incorporated in the block copolymer by copolymerizing a mixture of conjugated diolefin and vinyl aromatic monomers utilizing the difference in their polymerization reactivity rates. Various patents describe the preparation of block copolymers containing tapered copolymer blocks including U.S. Patent Nos. 3,251,905; 3,265,765; 3,639,521 and 4,208,356. Additionally, the preparation of symmetric and asymmetric radial and star block copolymers which may be utilized was described in various patents including U.S. Patent Nos. 3,231,635; 3,265,765; 3,322,856; 4,391,949; and 4,444,953 These block copolymers are hydrogenated to increase their thermal stability and resistance to oxidation, ultraviolet and thermal degradation. Additionally, if unhydrogenated block copolymers are metalated, a significant portion of the functionality will be grafted to the conjugated diolefin blocks. Selective functionalization of vinyl aromatic blocks is accomplished when the base block copolymer is hydrogenated before functionalization. Preferably, more than 90 percent of initial ethylenic unsaturation is hydrogenated. The hydrogenation of these copolymers may be carried out by a variety of processes including hydrogenation in the presence of such catalysts as Raney Nickel, noble metals such as platinum and palladium and soluble transition metal catalysts. Suitable hydrogenation processes which can be used are ones wherein the diolefin containing copolymer is dissolved in an inert hydrocarbon diluent such as cyclohexane and hydrogenated by reaction with hydrogen in the presence of a soluble hydrogenation catalyst. Acceptable processes are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,113,986 and 4,226,952. The metal alkyl of this invention is preferably an alkali metal alkyl and most preferably a lithium alkyl. The alkyl groups may be any saturated hydrocarbon radical, but those containing no more than 4 carbon atoms are preferred. Although saturated hydrocarbon radicals are usually employed, the hydrocarbon radicals could also comprise aromatic rings or nonconjugated ethylenic unsaturation. Acceptable metal alkyls include methylithium; i-propyllithium; sec-butyllithium; n-butyllithium; t-butyllithium; n-dodecyllithium; phenyllithium; alpha- and beta-naphtbyllithiums; any biphenyllithium; styryllithium; benzyllithium; indenyllithium; 1-lithio-3-butene; 1-lithio-cyclohexene-3; 1-lithio-cyclohexene-2; 1,4-dilithiobutane; 1,4-dilithiobenzene; 1,3,5-trilithiopentane; and 1,3,5-trilithiobenzene. Lithium adducts of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, as described in U.S. Patent No. 3,170,903, can also be employed, for example, lithium adducts of biphenyl, naphtalene, anthracene or stilbene. Polar promoters which may be utilized include those described in U.S. Patent No. 4,145,298. Potassium tert-butoxide (KOC₄H₉) also may be utilized as a promoter. Tetramethylethylenediamine is the preferred polar promoter. A 2:1 molar ratio of the polar promoter to metal alkyl is generally preferred, but molar ratios of polar promoters to metal alkyls of 0.6 to 100 may be utilized too. The most preferred amounts are 2 to 40 millimoles of promoter per millimole of polymer. The metal alkyl and melt of the base polymer are combined in a solvent free environment. Processing oils may be present in the polymer melt to aid in polymer processing, but not in quantities exceeding 10 to 100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of base block copolymer. A very small amount of solvent or oil may also be used to improve the effects of adding the metalating reagents, or to improve the effects of the subsequent addition of the reacting electrophiles to the polymer melt. This amount is not to exceed more than 85% of the total weight of the reagents added. If a solvent is included, it must be capable of volatilizing from the polymer melt prior to the polymer exiting from the extruder. Larger amounts of solvent require a process step for solvent removal, which is to be avoided in the practice of this invention. The amount of metal alkyl employed may vary over a wide range. From 2 to 10 millimoles per millimole of base polymer is preferred. Lesser amounts do not impart sufficient functionality to alter the properties of the base polymer whereas greater amounts may result in a functionalized polymer which is difficult to process, and may cause excessive degradation of the base polymer. More preferably, the amount of metal alkyl is between 4 and 8 millimoles per millimole of base polymer. The metal alkyl and the melt of the base polymer may be combined in any process equipment capable of mixing polymer melts, as well as capable of excluding oxygen and other protic impurities. Brabender mixers, sigma blade mixers, Banbury mixers and extruders are examples. Protic impurities must be excluded because they would destroy the metal alkyls, and if the metalated polymer is exposed to protic impurities the metalated sites of the polymer will react with the impurities. Contamination by protic impurities is typically prevented by utilizing a dry nitrogen cap over the polymer melt. The class of preferred electrophiles capable of reacting with the metalated polymer include carbon dioxide, ethylene oxide, epoxides, ketones, aldehydes, esters, isocyanates, sulfur, boron alkoxides, and silicon containing compounds. Halogens, such as chlorine and bromine may also be utilized as the electrophile. Carbon dioxide generates a carboxylate or "carboxyl" functionalized polymer. Carbon dioxide is preferred because the resultant product, which contains carboxylic salt sites with lithium as the counterion, is reactive, polar, and the carboxylic group is easily converted to other functional groups. Furthermore, said product may be crosslinked with commercially available crosslinking compounds. The carboxylic lithium salt functionality may be acidified by contact with organic or inorganic acids. Acetic acid is preferred. The electrophile capable of reacting with the metalated polymer is preferably added directly to the melt of the metalated polymer to form a melt functionalized polymer. The electrophile may be added as a liquid, solid or gas. It may be dissolved in a solvent or oil, for ease of addition to the polymer melt, but the amount of oil or solvent should not exceed more than 85% of the total weight of the added electrophile. This functionalization may be performed in any of the equipment suitable for the metalation reaction, and an extruder is again preferred. Most preferred is the same extruder in which the metalation was performed via a sequential injection port. The functionalization is to be performed at a temperature within the range of from 100 to 140 °C. At lower temperatures either the polymers will not melt, or the polymer melt will be of an undesirably high viscosity. In addition, the metal alkyls do not appear to have sufficient thermal stability for reaction with polymers at higher temperatures. However, it can be envisioned that reactions can be done at higher temperatures if more thermally stable metalating reagents were available. When an extruder is utilized in the practice of the present invention, the extruder may be arranged with a feed compression and melting zone, followed by a metal alkyl injection port, followed by a metalation reaction zone preferably having a residence time of 10 to 30 seconds, followed by an injection port or gas inlet for the addition of the electrophile which will react with the metalated polymer, followed by a functionalization reaction section preferably having a residence time of 10 to 30 seconds. There may also be a devolatilization port after either of the reaction sections to vent by-products of the metalation reaction, or excess reactants. The functionalized melt would typically be pellatized or granulated at the outlet of the extruder. The present process is an economical method to functionalize block copolymers due to the elimination of the need to dissolve the polymers in a solvent. The functionalized block copolymer of this invention preferably contains 0.25 to 4 percent by weight (on a polymer basis) of functionality, and more preferably contains 0.5 to 2 percent by weight (on a polymer basis) of functionality. The functionalized block copolymers of this invention have the utilities of known vinyl aromatic block functionalized block copolymers of hydrogenated conjugated diolefins and vinyl aromatics. These include lubricating oil viscosity index improvers/dispersants, and tougheners for polar engineering thermoplastics. The functionalized polymers also have higher vinyl aromatic domain glass transition temperatures, and therefore, can be used at higher service temperatures. The functionalized polymers, generally have higher tensile strengths, greater solvent resistance to non-polar solvents and improved adhesion to polar substrates than the unfunctionalized polymers. Example A hydrogenated styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer was metalated in a melt to demonstrate the present invention. The polymer was 30 weight percent styrene and had a weight average molecular weight of about 22,000. The polymer was melted in a Brabender mixing head, fitted with a nitrogen purge cap. While the melt was mixing, a 2:1 molar ratio mixture of tetramethylethylenediamine to n-butyllithium was syringed into the melt. The polymer melt instantaneously changed from colorless to a brilliant orange color, with an increase in viscosity as evidenced by an increase in torque on the mixing head. After mixing for about one minute, the nitrogen purge was replaced with a carbon dioxide purge. The metalated polymer melt was mixed under the carbon dioxide purge for about 5 minutes. Although contacting of the metalated polymer with carbon dioxide in this fashion does not completely react the grafted lithium ions, some of the metal ions were converted to carboxylic salt functionality, as observed by the bright orange color of the metalated polymer fading to yellow. To determine the efficiency of the melt metalation process, the functionalized polymers were dissolved in carbon dioxide saturated tetrahydrofuran, carboxylating the remaining grafted lithium. The carboxylic lithium salt was then acidified by contact with acetic acid, and water washed. The polymers were dried, then dissolved, and the acid site content was determined by titration with methanolic KOH. This melt metalation was performed at varying temperatures and at two different levels of n-butyl lithium addition. The results are summarized in the Table below. Run Metalation Temp. °C Millimoles of Li-nC₄H₉ added Per Millimole of Polymer % Grafted -COOH of Polymer 1 110 10 0.5 2 125 5 0.1 3 125 10 0.4 4 140 10 .25 5 165 10 <0.1 From the Table, it can be seen that at a metalation temperature of 165 °C, the metalation was not successful. At the lower temperatures an acceptable and useful level of metalation was achieved.

Claims: A process to form a functionalized block copolymer which is carried out at a temperature within the range of from 100 to 140°C, and which comprises the steps of: a) providing a melt of a substantially non-functionalized base block copolymer comprising at least one block containing predominantly vinyl aromatic monomer units and at least one block containing predominantly hydrogenated conjugated diolefin monomer units, wherein the base block copolymer is melt processable at a temperature below 140°C, and has an average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 50,000; b) contacting the melt of the base block copolymer with 2 to 20 millimoles of a metal alkyl per millimole of the base block copolymer at a temperature not above 140°C in the presence of a polar metalation promoter to form a metalated polymer melt; and c) contacting the metalated polymer melt with an electrophile selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, ethylene oxide, halogen, epoxide, ketone, aldehyde, ester, isocyanate, sulfur, boron alkoxide, and silicon containing compounds. The process of claim 1, wherein the molar ratio of a metalation promoter to metal alkyl is within the range of 0.6 to 100. The process of claim 1, wherein the vinyl aromatic monomer is styrene. The process of claim 1, wherein the conjugated diolefin is selected from the group consisting of butadiene, isoprene and mixtures thereof. The process of claim 1, wherein the metal alkyl and melt of the base block copolymer are contacted in an extruder. The process of claim 1, wherein the metalated polymer melt and the electrophile are contacted in an extruder. The process of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electrophile is carbon dioxide. The process of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal alkyl is an alkali metal alkyl. The process of claim 8, wherein the alkali metal alkyl is a lithium alkyl. The process of claim 9, wherein the lithium alkyl is selected from the group consisting of methyllithium; i-propyllithium; sec-butyllithium; n-butyllithium; t-butyllithium; n-dodecyllithium; phenyllithium; alpha- and beta-naphthyllithiums; any biphenyllithium; styryllithium; benzyllithium; indenyllithium; 1-lithio-3-butene; 1-lithio-cyclohexene-3; 1-lithio-cyclohexene-2; 1,4-dilithiobutane; 1,4-dilithiobenzene; 1,3,5-trilithiopentane; and 1,3,5-trilithiobenzene. The process of claim 10, wherein the lithium alkyl is n-butyllithium. The process of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metalation promoter is tetramethylethylenediamine.

Inventors: CHAMBERLAIN LINDA RAE, DEFRIEND PHILIP ANDREW, CHAMBERLAIN, LINDA RAE, DEFRIEND, PHILIP ANDREW
Applicants: SHELL INT RESEARCH, SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: C08F8
IPC codes: C08F8, C08F297