Patent Publication Number: US-2010119712-A1

Title: Polyurea film and method for preparing same

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a polyurea film prepared on a substrate by a method of vacuum deposition polymerization, and the method for preparing the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Polyurea films have conventionally been prepared via the reaction between diamines and diisocyanates as shown in the following chemical formula 1, for which the methods described below in (a) to (d) are listed. 
     (a) Patent reference 1 describes a method for preparing a synthetic resin film (vacuum deposition polymerization method) comprising vaporizing two types or more of raw material monomers in a vacuum processing chamber and polymerizing the monomers together on a substrate. The patent reference herein describes that the raw material monomers are sequentially polymerized together (polymerization condensation/addition polymerization) to prepare a polyurea (urea resin) film comprising 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (aromatic diisocyanate) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (aromatic diamine).
 
(b) Patent reference 2 describes that a transparent film is prepared by vapor deposition polymerization on an ornament with a metal film or with a metal compound film. Specifically, the patent reference describes a polyurea film comprising 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (aromatic family) and 4,4′-diaminophenyl ether (aromatic family), or a polyurea film comprising 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (aromatic family) and 4,4′-diamino-3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl methane (aromatic family), or a polyurea film comprising 4,4′-diisocyanate-3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl (aromatic family) and 4,4′-diphenylmethanediamine (aromatic family).
 
(c) Patent reference 3 describes that polyurea is prepared by vapor deposition polymerization, using an aliphatic diisocyanate and an aliphatic diamine as raw material monomers. The patent reference herein describes that a polyurea film is prepared by polymerization of for example 1,9-diisocyanate nonane (aliphatic family) and 1,9-diaminononane (aliphatic family), while a substrate is retained at a state of low temperature of 0° C. or less.
 
(d) Patent reference 4 describes that in case of using a combination of monomers with low reactivity, energy required for the reaction is supplied to the raw material monomers on a substrate to prepare a film. The patent reference describes that a substrate is heated so as to supply the energy and that in case of a polyurethane film, the temperature of the substrate is 90° C. and in case of a polyester film, the temperature of the substrate is 130° C.
 
     In case that a polyurea film is to be prepared by vacuum deposition polymerization methods like the methods described above in (a) and (b), characteristically, aromatic diisocyanates and aromatic diamines are commonly used as raw material monomers and the resulting polyurea film is colorless and transparent. Over time and via ultraviolet exposure, disadvantageously, aromatic polyurea is discolored (after accelerated weatherability test: ΔE=29.45). As shown in  FIG. 1 , disadvantageously, aromatic polyurea cannot be used for film articles toward which transparency is demanded, because the aromatic isocyanate as the terminal group of the film reacts with water to generate aniline ( FIG. 1(   a )) and then, the aniline reacts with oxygen to produce aniline black ( FIG. 1(   b )), leading to discoloration. 
     In case of using monomers with low reactivity for vapor deposition polymerization as in the methods described above in (c) and (d), in contrast to the aforementioned methods, it is considered that diisocyanates and diamines of aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic families (in structures never generating aniline black) are used as raw material monomers to prepare a transparent film. Since these raw material monomers are at low reactivity, two types of such monomers may not react together but may be deposited on a substrate so that a desired film cannot be prepared or the resulting composition is variable leading to the generation of a non-uniform film. Therefore, the application of these methods to mass-scale products involved much difficulty. 
     By the methods described above in (c) and (d), further, the temperature of the substrate therefor should essentially be lowered or raised. In case that the substrate is a metal or an inorganic material (with great heat transfer properties without softening, plasticization and carbonization at high temperature, which occur in resins) or in case that substrate  1  fixed with a substrate-fixing device  1  is in a flat and thin form as shown in  FIG. 2(   a ) (the substrate can be cooled uniformly with the substrate-fixing device or a cooling source therearound or can be heated uniformly with a heat source), the substrate temperature is possibly controlled. In case of a resin-molded article of a steric structure on the surface of substrate  2  as shown in  FIG. 2(   b ) (referred to as “resin-molded article”), however, it is very hard to retain the temperature of the substrate surface constantly or control the substrate temperature, disadvantageously. 
     Patent reference 1: the publication of JP-A-61-078463
 
Patent reference 2: the publication of JP-A-03-097849
 
Patent reference 3: the publication of JP-A-08-283932
 
Patent reference 4: the publication of JP-A-09-278805
 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     Problem that the Invention is to Solve 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a polyurea film with good transparency, light resistance and mass-scale productivity and a method for preparing the film. 
     Means for Solving the Problems 
     So as to solve the problem, the present inventors made investigations. Consequently, the inventors found the following approach could solve the problem, based on the finding that via a combination of a specific diisocyanate and a specific diamine monomer when used, a polyurea film with good transparency and light resistance could be obtained. 
     Specifically, the polyurea film of the invention is a polyurea film obtained by vacuum deposition polymerization of an aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic diisocyanate monomer and an aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic diamine monomer, where the diisocyanate monomer and the diamine monomer are in a relation such that the difference in the activation energy required for the elimination from a substrate between the monomers is 10 kJ or less, as recited in the claim  1 . 
     The polyurea film according to the claim  2  is the polyurea film according to the claim  1 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(1-isocyanate-1-methylethyl)benzene and the diamine monomer is 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane. 
     The polyurea film according to the claim  3  is the polyurea film according to the claim  1 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane and the diamine monomer is any of methylenebis(4-cyclohexylamine), N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine, 1,12-diaminododecane, and 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)benzene. 
     The polyurea film according to the claim  4  is the polyurea film according to the claim  1 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)benzene and the diamine monomer is 1,12-diaminododecane. 
     As described in the claim  5 , the method for preparing a polyurea film in accordance with the invention is a method for preparing a polyurea film by vacuum deposition polymerization of an aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic diisocyanate monomer and an aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic diamine monomer, where the diisocyanate monomer and the diamine monomer are in a relation such that the difference in the activation energy required for the elimination from a substrate between the monomers is 10 kJ or less. 
     The method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  6  is the method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  5 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(1-isocyanate-1-methylethyl)benzene and the diamine monomer is 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane. 
     The method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  7  is the method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  5 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane and the diamine monomer is any of methylenebis(4-cyclohexylamine), N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine, 1,12-diaminododecane and 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)benzene. 
     The method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  8  is the method for preparing a polyurea film according to the claim  5 , where the diisocyanate monomer is 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)benzene and the diamine monomer is 1,12-diaminododecane. 
     ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, a polyurea film with no variation of the composition can be prepared even for resin-molded articles with good transparency, hardness, impact resistance, chemical resistance, wear resistance and durability and with a steric shape on the surface thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  Explanatory view for explaining the cause of the discoloration of conventional polyurea films. 
         FIG. 2  Explanatory view for explaining inconvenience during the preparation of conventional polyurea films. 
         FIG. 3  Graphs depicting examples of measured weight loss (TG measurement) of a monomer. 
         FIG. 4  Graphs depicting vapor pressure P at temperature T of the monomer. 
         FIG. 5  Graphs depicting the retention time of the monomer on a substrate. 
         FIG. 6  Graphs depicting the relation of the activation energies of individual monomers. 
         FIG. 7  Graphs depicting the relation of the retention times of individual monomers. 
         FIG. 8  Explanatory photograph of a polyurea film in one example of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  IR chart regarding the evaluation of the variation in the Example. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 
     
         
           1 . Substrate-fixing device 
           2 . Substrate 
       
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, an aromatic alkyl diisocyanate represented for example by Chemical Formula 2, an alicyclic diisocyanate represented for example by Chemical Formula 3, or an aliphatic diisocyanate represented for example by Chemical Formula 4 is used as the raw material monomer diisocyanate. 
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     As the diamine as the raw material monomer, an aromatic alkyl diamine represented for example by Chemical Formula 5, an alicyclic diamine represented for example by Chemical Formula 6, or an aliphatic diamine represented for example by Chemical Formula 7 is used. 
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     By vaporizing these raw material monomers in vacuum and polymerizing the monomers together on a substrate, a polyurea film with good transparency and light resistance can be prepared. Further, the vacuum pressure is not specifically limited but is generally about 10 −3  to 100 Pa. 
     The raw material monomers are vaporized in vacuum to repeat adsorption and elimination on a substrate. So as to prepare a film on a substrate, these raw material monomers essentially react together to be polymerized together on a substrate. In the vapor deposition polymerization method, in other words, the retention time of raw material monomers on a substrate (the activation energy required for the elimination) and the reactivity between the raw material monomers (the activation energy for the reaction) have great influence. Compared with a combination of monomers (aromatic family) with high reactivity (small activation energy for the reaction), a combination of monomers (aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic family) with low reactivity (large activation energy for the reaction) is more highly influenced by the retention time of the raw material monomers on a substrate (the activation energy required for the elimination). Therefore, the combination of monomers (aromatic alkyl-, alicyclic- or aliphatic family) with low reactivity (large activation energy for the reaction) is seriously influenced by a slight change of any condition with influences on the retention time of the raw material monomers on a substrate, including substrate temperature, the vapor pressures of the monomers and the temperature and vacuum degree of atmosphere where the processing is done, so that the polymerization of these monomers at a constant composition ratio on a substrate involves much difficulty. 
     In accordance with the invention, therefore, such monomers are selected by the following method. 
     The weight loss of a monomer when heated in vacuum is measured (TG measurement) ( FIG. 3 ) to determine the vapor pressure P ( FIG. 4 ) at temperature T according to the Langmuir&#39; s equation: 
         P= 228.3m( T/M ) 1/2    
     where
 
P: saturated vapor pressure (Pa) at temperature T;
 
m: vaporization velocity (dΔW/dt)/U
 
U: area with the occurrence of vaporization; M: gram-molecular weight of vaporizing molecule; R: gas constant; T: temperature (K) of vaporizing face.
 
According to the following Clausius-Clapeyron&#39;s Equation, then, the activation energy required for the elimination ( FIG. 4 ) and the retention time of the monomer on the substrate ( FIG. 5 ) (see “Vapor Pressure and Mean Adsorption Time of PMDA and ODA”, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 38 (1999) pp. L687-L690) are determined:
 
       log  P=A−ΔH/RT    
       τ=τ 0 exp( Ed/RT ) 
     ΔH: activation energy; τ: retention time (seconds); τ 0 : 4.6×10 −17 . 
     Individual monomers are selected so as to satisfy the relation such that the difference in the activation energy required for the elimination from a substrate between a diisocyanate monomer and a diamine monomer is 10 kJ or less ( FIG. 6 ). When the difference exceeds 10 kJ, the influence of the change of the substrate temperature sometimes causes difficulty in preparing a polyurea film at a constant composition ratio. 
     In other words, individual monomers are selected in a manner such that by determining the ratio of the change of the retention time of a monomer on a substrate to the change of the temperature of the substrate, the difference in the ratio of the changes between a monomer with a small such ratio of the changes and a monomer with a large such ratio of the changes is 20% or less ( FIG. 7 ). 
     As shown in the figure of a certain monomer, specifically, the reciprocal of the temperature of a substrate, namely 1/T (K −1 ) is shown on the crosswise axis, while on the longitudinal axis, the retention time of the monomer on the substrate, namely τ(s) is shown. Then, the slope k of the graph, namely (τ/(1/T)) is determined. The slope k1 of the graph of a diisocyanate monomer for use in vacuum deposition and the slope k2 of a diamine monomer for use therein are determined (for description, herein, k1&gt;k2 on assumption; thus, k1 is the basal ratio of the changes). When [1−(k1−k2)] is 20% or less, subsequently, the diamine monomer with k2 is selected for the diisocyanate monomer with k1. 
     Via a combination of the diisocyanate monomer and the diamine monomer as selected by the two methods described above, a film of a uniform composition can be prepared from such raw material monomers with low reactivity, without any need of controlling the substrate temperature or under not any influence of inter-batch conditions (for example, conditions between the first and second film preparations), such as monomer vapor pressure, and the temperature and vacuum degree of the atmosphere for the processing. 
     Any raw material monomer satisfying the conditions described above may be used as the raw material monomer in accordance with the invention, with no specific limitation. Specific examples thereof are as follows. 
     &lt;Diisocyanates&gt; 
     Aromatic alkyl: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)benzene, 1,3-bis(1-isocyanate-1-methylethyl)benzene, etc.
 
Alicyclic: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane, 3-isocyanatemethyl-3,5,5-trimethylhexylisocyanate, methylenebis(4-cyclohexylisocyanate), 2,5(2,6)-bis(isocyanatemethyl)bicycle[2,2,1]heptane, etc.
 
Aliphatic: 1,6-diisocyanate hexane, 1,5-diisocyanate-2-methyl pentane, 1,8-diisocyanate octane, 1,12-diisocyanate dodecane, tetraisocyanate silane, monomethyltriisocyanate silane, etc.
 
     &lt;Diamines&gt; 
     Aromatic alkyl: 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)benzene, 1,4-bis(aminomethyl)benzene, isophthalic acid dihydrazide, etc.
 
Alicyclic: 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane, 1,4-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane, 3-aminomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylhexylamine, 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, 1,4-diaminocyclohexane, methylenebis(4-cyclohexylamine), piperazine, 2-piperazine, 2,5-dimethylpiperazine, 2,6-dimethylpiperazine, N,N′-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine, 1,3-di(4-piperidyl)propane, hydantoin, hexahydro-1H-1,4-diazepine, barbituric acid, etc.
 
Aliphatic: 1,6-diaminohexane, 1,7-diaminoheptane, 1,8-diaminooctane, 1,9-diaminononane, 1,10-diaminodecane, 1,12-diaminododecane, bis(2-aminoethyl)amine, bis(3-aminopropyl)amine, N,N′-bis(aminopropyl)methylamine, N-(3-aminopropyl)-1,4-butanediamine, N,N′-(3-aminopropyl)-1,4-butanediamine, adipic acid dihydrazide, dodecandoic acid dihydrazide, sebacic acid dihydrazide, etc.
 
     EXAMPLES 
     So as to validate that the difference in the retention time of a raw material monomer on a substrate would influence film preparation by determining the vapor pressure P at the temperature T (on a vapor pressure curve) and the activation energy required for the elimination from the substrate, on the basis of the measurement results of the weight loss when the monomer was heated in vacuum, combinations of diisocyanates and diamines in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 1 were used for preparing polyurea films. 
     Example 1 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(1-isocyanate-1-methylethyl)benzene 
         Diamine: 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane 
       
    
     Example 2 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane 
         Diamine: methylenebis(4-cyclohexylamine) 
       
    
     Example 3 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane 
         Diamine: N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine 
       
    
     Example 4 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane 
         Diamine: 1,12-diaminododecane 
       
    
     Example 5 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)cyclohexane 
         Diamine: 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)benzene 
       
    
     Example 6 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)benzene 
         Diamine: 1,12-diaminododecane 
       
    
     Comparative Example 1 
     
         
         Diisocyanate: 1,3-bis(isocyanatemethyl)benzene 
         Diamine: methylenebis(4-cyclohexylamine) 
       
    
     The results of experimental film preparations in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 1 are shown in Table 1. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Excellence in film preparation 
                   
                 Mass scale 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Difference in 
                   
                 Intra-sample 
                   
                   
                 production 
               
               
                   
                 activation 
                   
                 compositional 
                 Transparency 
                 Light 
                 Inter-batch 
               
               
                   
                 energy for 
                   
                 variation 
                 Transmission 
                 resistance 
                 compositional 
               
               
                   
                 elimination (kJ) 
                 appearance 
                 CV % 
                 ratio % 
                 ΔE 
                 variation CV % 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Example 1 
                 0.1 
                 ∘ 
                 5.14 
                 More than 80 
                 1.8 
                 5.82 
               
               
                 Example 2 
                 0.2 
                 ∘ 
                 7.90 
                 More than 80 
                 0.4 
                 5.44 
               
               
                 Example 3 
                 0.3 
                 ∘ 
                 7.24 
                 More than 80 
                 0.8 
                 4.29 
               
               
                 Example 4 
                 5.6 
                 ∘ 
                 9.47 
                 More than 80 
                 0.5 
                 6.87 
               
               
                 Example 5 
                 9.2 
                 ∘ 
                 28.43 
                 More than 80 
                 1.5 
                 50.68 
               
               
                 Example 6 
                 5.1 
                 ∘ 
                 10.21 
                 More than 80 
                 1.3 
                 17.63 
               
               
                 Comparative 
                 10.5 
                 x 
                 85.62 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 Example 1 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Based on the evaluation of the appearance, it was observed that polyurea films were prepared in Examples 1 to 6, while in Comparative Example 1, parts with prepared films and parts without any prepared films were observed as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Based on the evaluation of the variation in film composition at 10 positions in one sample, a larger variation of the film composition was observed as the difference in the activation energy for the elimination between raw material monomers in combination was larger. The variation of the film composition was determined by comparing the ratio of the area of isocyanate (—NCO) absorption to the area of amine (—NH 2 ) absorption at 10 positions, on IR charts obtained by FT-IR (Fourier Transform IR spectrometer) measurement immediately after the film preparation (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     Based on the evaluation of the appearance and the examination of the variation of the film composition, it was validated that the difference in the retention time of a raw material monomer on a substrate (activation energy required for the elimination) influenced film preparation. 
     About possible combinations for preparing films, additionally, the transparency, light resistance and mass-scale productivity were examined. The results are shown in Table 1. The transparency was assessed by measuring the transmission ratio of a sample of a film thickness of 20 μm within a visible range (400 nm to 800 nm) with an absorptiometer. A weatherability was evaluated by applying a sample to an accelerated light resistance tester of a carbon arc lamp type for 400 hours, to measure the color difference before and after the test. The mass-scale productivity was assessed by comparing the inter-batch variation of film composition (the variation between the first and second film preparations at the first to tenth tests, based on the results of the measurement with FT-IR. 
     It was found that when the difference in the activation energies required for the elimination of raw material monomers in combination was 10 kJ or less, polyurea films with excellent transparency, light resistance and mass-scale productivity could be prepared. 
     By the method for preparing a film in the Example, it was found that a film of a uniform composition could be prepared, without mounting any mechanism for controlling substrate temperature or without mounting any mechanism for eliminating the influence of an apparatus therefor or the environment therefor (monomer vapor pressure, temperature and vacuum degree of film preparation chamber) between batches (between the first and second film preparations, . . . ) in the apparatus therefor.