Patent EP-0884356-A2 (EP)
Inventor: RAETZSCH MANFRED PROF DR
IPC: C08L33/10
Filed: 1998-06-09
Abstract: Finely dispersed polymer blends with a high heat distortion temperature (HDT) combined with improved printability and paintability, comprises: (I) 1-99 wt.% 2-20C olefin homo- or co- polymers; (II) 1-99 wt.% syndiotactic poly-(8-14C vinylaromatic) and/or 4-15C methacrylate ester homo- or copolymers; and optionally (III) 0.01-40 wt.% additives. The blends are obtained by: (a) polymerisation of 2-20C olefins, optionally in a mixture with 1-99 wt.% 8-14C vinylaromatic, at - 30 - 100 degrees C under inert gas at 0.5-10 bar and in the presence of 10-2000 wt.% (based on monomers) of inert diluent, and 0.1-10 wt.% (based on olefins) of a catalyst mixture, containing 0.0001-0.01 wt.% bridged metallocene complex (A), 0.1-10 wt.% metalloxane compound (B), 0.001-1.0 wt.% metal alkyl compound and, if vinylaromatic monomers are present, 0.0001-0.01 wt.% transition metal compound (D); followed by (b) optional addition of 1-900 wt.% (based on olefins and vinylaromatics) 4-15C methacrylate esters, 0.001-1.0 wt.% (based on olefins and esters) magnesium- and/or zinc-alkyl (E), and optionally 0.0001-0.005 wt.% complex (A), 0.1-6 wt.% (B) and 0.001- 0.05 wt.% (C) (as above; based on monomers); (c) optionally increasing the pressure to up to 50 bar; (d) polymerising vinylaromatics and methacrylate esters in (a) and (b) plus unreacted olefins at between -30 and 100 degrees C in presence of the above catalysts; (e) deactivation of catalyst with acid and isolating the homo- or co-polymer in a conventional way; and (f) plastifying in an extruder or thermoplastic kneader at above the melting point of the (co)polymer mixture, optionally with the addition of 0.01-2.5 wt.% stabilisers, 0.1-1 wt.% antistatics, 0.2-3 wt.% pigments, 0.05-1 wt.% nucleating agents, 5-40 wt.% fillers and/or reinforcing additives, 2-20 wt.% fire retardants, 1-30 wt.% elastomers as impact modifiers and/or 0.01-1 wt.% processing aids. Stage (b) can be omitted if there are no vinylaromatics in mixture (a), but not if there are. The metallocene component comprises complex(es) of formula (A): (where: R1-R4 = H or optionally silicon-substituted alkyl or aryl; R5, R6 = H, halogen, alkyl or aryl;  OMEGA  = titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium and/or tantalum;   = carbon and/or silicon with n = 1-6. or germanium and/or tin with n = 1;  psi  = O, S, alkyl- or aryl- substituted N, P or Si, or optionally substituted cyclopentadienyl.) Component (B) comprises oligomeric and/or polymeric cyclic and/or linear metalloxanes of Main Group III and/or IV metals with the formula: (1) or (2) (with: n = 2-40); and/or mono- or oligomeric linear metalloxanes of formula: (3) or (4) (with n = 0-40); (where: Me-III = B, Al, Ga or In, Me-IV = Ge, Sn or Pb, R = 1-18C alkyl.) Component (C) comprises alkyls of boron and/or aluminium or mixtures thereof; component (D) comprises halides, alkoxides, alkoxyhalides, acetylacetonates, cyclopentadienyl compounds, indenyl compounds and/or also N-, P- and/or B-containing metal-organic compounds of Group IVA and/or VA metals. Also claimed is the above process for the production of these polymer blends.