Patent ID: 8202925

Claim:
A thermoplastic composition comprising or prepared from: (a) at least one aliphatic, monofunctional organic acid having 4 to 36 carbon atoms, wherein the longest carbon chain of the acid is optionally substituted with from one to three substituents independently selected from C 1 to C 8 alkyl groups; (b) at least one ethylene acid copolymer consisting essentially of copolymerized comonomers of ethylene, from about 12 to about 25 weight % of copolymerized comonomers of acrylic acid, and from about 0.5 to about 10 weight % of copolymerized comonomers of at least one alkyl acrylate, based on the total weight of the ethylene acid copolymer, said at least one ethylene acid copolymer having a melt index from about 200 to about 600 g/10 minutes measured according to ASTM D1238 at 190° C. using a 2160 g weight; wherein the combined acid moieties of (a) and (b) are nominally neutralized to a level from about 120% to about 220%; and wherein the thermoplastic composition when formed into a sphere of 1.50 to 1.68 inches in diameter has a coefficient of restitution equal to or greater than 0.86, measured by firing the sphere at an initial velocity of 125 feet/second against a steel plate positioned 3 feet from the point where initial velocity is determined and dividing the velocity of rebound from the plate by the initial velocity and has a PGA compression greater than 110.