Patent ID: 7026026

Claim:
A balloon formed of an extruded tubular parison comprising at least two layers of polymeric material, by radial expansion under pressure at an elevated temperature below the lowest temperature which will melt any of said at least two layers, said balloon comprising: i) at least one first layer which is a polymer melt blend product of a) a liquid crystal polymer (LCP); b) a crystallizable thermoplastic polymer; and c) at least one compatibilizer for a) and b), which modifies the phase boundary between a) and b) the compatibilizer selected from the group consisting of copolyester elastomers, ethylene unsaturated ester copolymers, copolymers of ethylene and a carboxylic acid or acid derivative, polyolefins grafted with functional monomers, ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymers grafted with functional monomers, copolymers of ethylene and a carboxylic acid or acid derivative, terpolymers of ethylene and an unsaturated ester and a carboxylic acid or acid derivative, maleic acid grafted styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, acrylic elastomers, polymers containing epoxy functional groups, ionomeric copolymers, a block copolymer in which each block of the block copolymer has a different chemical structure and in which at least some of the blocks of the block copolymer have a chemical structure similar to that of the LCP and at least some of the blocks of the block copolymer have a chemical structure similar to that of the thermoplastic polymer, a coupling agent that reacts with a chain end of the LCP and with a chain end of the thermoplastic polymer, and a catalyst which induces a coupling reaction between chain ends of the LCP and the thermoplastic polymers.