Enhanced polycarbonate extrusion grades

Abstract

In an embodiment, a method for making a thermoplastic composition, comprising: melt polymerizing a polycarbonate, extruding and melt filtering the polycarbonate to form a melt filtered polycarbonate; forming the thermoplastic composition comprising the melt filtered polycarbonate, 0.03 to 0.05 wt % of a triacylglyceride release agent; and 0.10 to 0.14 wt % of a UV stabilizer; wherein the weight percentages are based on the total weight of the composition; and extruding the thermoplastic composition.

Claims

1. A method for making a thermoplastic composition, comprising: melt polymerizing a polycarbonate, extruding and melt filtering the polycarbonate to form a melt filtered polycarbonate; forming the thermoplastic composition comprising the melt filtered polycarbonate, 0.03 to 0.05 wt % of a triacylglyceride release agent; and 0.10 to 0.14 wt % of a UV stabilizer; wherein the weight percentages are based on the total weight of the composition; and extruding the thermoplastic composition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a multi-wall sheet from the thermoplastic composition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition is free of stearyl stearate, glycerol monostearate, and pentaerythrityl tetrastearate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has a branching level of 1000 to 1200 ppm by weight and/or wherein the polycarbonate has an MVR of 5.5 to 7.5 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition is free of a release agent other than the triacylglyceride.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the triacylglyceride release agent comprises glycerol tristearate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV stabilizer comprises 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition has a light transparency of greater than 90% as determined using 3.2 mm thick samples using ASTM D1003-00, Procedure B using CIE standard illuminant C, with unidirectional viewing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the blend composition does not exhibit visually detectable surface vibration as waviness during extrusion.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising only melt filtering the melt polycarbonate prior to adding any triacylglyceride.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has an endcap ratio of 65 to 71%.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the melt polycarbonate has an endcap level of greater than 50%, or greater than 80%, or 80% to less than 100%, or 85% to 95%.

13. An article of manufacture formed from the composition made by the method of claim 1.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the article is a multi-wall sheet.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the multi-wall sheet comprises greater than or equal to two transverse layers and a rib extending from one of the transverse layers to an adjacent transverse layer.

16. The article of claim 13, wherein the article comprises an airplane part, electrical part, electronic application part, food service item part, medical device part, animal cage part, electrical connector part, enclosure for electrical equipment, electric motor part, power distribution equipment part, communication equipment part, computer part, or construction application part.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has a branching level of 1,000 to 1,200 ppm by weight.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has an MVR of 5.5 to 7.5 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04 or ISO 1133.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has a number average molecular weight of 20,000 to 60,000 g/mol (polystyrene basis).

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate has a weight average molecular weight of 40,000 to 80,000 g/mol (polystyrene basis).

Description

EXAMPLES

(1) The following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how the compositions disclosed and claimed herein can be made and evaluated, and are intended to be purely exemplary and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Unless indicated otherwise, parts are parts by weight, temperature is in C. or is at ambient temperature, and pressure is at or near atmospheric.

(2) In the following examples, thermoplastic compositions of the present disclosure were manufactured and tested. In the following examples, PC 103R was employed as the high viscosity polycarbonate. PC 103R is a commercial product; a BPA polycarbonate resin made by a melt polymerization process with an MVR of 5-8 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04 or ISO 1133, available from SABIC's Innovative Plastics business.

Example 1

(3) The high viscosity polycarbonate PC 103R was formulated with three different release agents: a) pentaerythrityl tetrastearate (PETS), 0.1 to 0.4 wt %. b) glycerol tristearate (GTS), 0.03 to 0.05 wt %. c) poly-alpha olefin (PAO), 0.09 to 0.4 wt %.
Several lots were produced and sent to an extrusion line, in different periods of time, and then extruded in the form of multi-wall sheets. Each material was extruded for a minimum of 3 hours. Data on surface vibrations was gathered and analyzed.
Results:

(4) Table 1 shows the data for several lots of the high viscosity polycarbonate for multi-wall sheets extrusion. Formulations containing release agents other than glycerol tristearate, showed surface vibrations, while those containing glycerol tristearate did not show surface vibrations.

(5) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Table 1: Visual inspection results of surface vibrations on extruded profiles. Release Agent Surface vibrations PETS Detected GTS Not detected PAO Detected

Example 2

(6) The high viscosity polycarbonate PC 103R was formulated with five different additive packages comprising one or more of the below listed release agents, UV stabilizers, and heat stabilizer.

(7) Release agents: a) Pentaerythrityl tetrastearate, 0.2 to 0.4 wt %. b) Glycerol tristearate, 0.03 to 0.05 wt %. UV stabilizer a) UV1-2-[2-hydroxy-3,5-di(1,1-dimethylbenzylphenyl)]-2H-benzotriazole, 0.2 to 0.3 wt %. b) UV2-2,2-methylenebis(6-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol), 0.1 to 0.18 wt %. c) penta itol tetrakis(2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate), 0.1 to 0.18 wt %.

(8) Heat stabilizer: tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite (HS) 0.0075 to 0.03 wt %.

(9) The materials produced were sent to an extrusion line and then used as a cap-layer on multi-wall sheets, top and bottom side. Each run lasted more than 10 hours, and the line settings remained unchanged during the run so as to have the same settings for all resins. The line was stopped after each resin for cleaning.

(10) Results

(11) Table 2 shows the impact of each release agent on surface vibrations, with the addition of the UV stabilizers. Glycerol tristearate based materials did not show any vibration on the sheet surface, while the other release agents showed vibrations on the sheet surface, even with the various UV stabilizers.

(12) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Table 2: Visual inspection results of surface vibrations on extruded profiles. UV stabilizer Heat stabilizer Release agent Surface vibrations UV1 HS PETS Detected UV1 HS GTS Not detected UV3 HS PETS Detected UV3 HS GTS Not detected UV2 HS GTS Not detected

Example 3

(13) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Composition of tested grades Release Resin agent UV Antioxidant Quencher Standard PC PETS UV5411 Irgafos 168 Butyl Tosilate 103R 0.4 wt % 0.17 wt % 0.0075% 0.0002 wt % Reformulated GTS Tin360 Irgafos 168 Butyl Tosilate PC 103R 0.04 wt % 0.15 wt % 0.0075% 0.0002 wt %

(14) UV5411 is 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-phenol (CYASORB 5411). Tin360 is a commercially available UV absorber.

(15) The formulations of Table 3 were tested and the results were set forth below in Table 4. The plate-out is the migration of a substance out of the polycarbonate bulk, during the processing, and as a consequence, deposits are formed on the surface of the extruded profile and/or die-head holes.

(16) Plate-out is determined by determining a stamper weight after 8000 shots, cleaning the stamper, and washing the deposit from the stamper surface. After cleaning, the stamper weight is again determined and the plate-out or the weight of the deposit is equal to the weight before cleaning minus the weight after cleaning. The plate-out is determined using a sample that it contains less than or equal to 200 ppm of water.

(17) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Table 4: composition data of standard PC103R with PETS + UV5411 vs. reformulated PC103R with GTS and Tin360. Production Resin time [hrs] Plate-out amount [g] Remarks PETS + UV5411 10.5 >0.100 Vibrations GTS + Tin360 10.5 0.019 No vibrations

Examples 4-7: Impact Retention

(18) Notched Izod impact tests were performed on polycarbonate compositions with different release agents at various temperatures using a 3.2 mm thick, molded notched Izod impact bar per ASTM D256-2010. The results are shown in Table 5, where D denotes ductile samples with notched Izod impact values of greater than 50 kJ/m.sup.2, B denotes brittle samples with notched Izod impact values of less than 30 kJ/m.sup.2, DB denotes samples with notched Izod impact values of 40 to 50 kJ/m.sup.2, and BD denotes samples with notched Izod impact values of 30 to 40 kJ/m.sup.2. Notched Izod Impact Strength is used to compare the impact resistances of plastic materials and was determined.

(19) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Example 4 5 6 7 Release agent PETS (wt %) 0.5 0.4 GTS (wt %) 0.1 0.4 PAO (wt %) 0.6 Notched Izod Impact Properties At 10 C. BD DB B D At 5 C. D D DB D At 0 C. D D D D At 5 C. D D D D At 10 C. D D D D

(20) Table 5 shows that compositions comprising a combination of GTS and PETS have improved impact properties at low temperatures, where Example 5 comprising PETS and GTS has improved properties at 10 C. as compared to Example 4 comprising only PETS. Table 5 further shows that Example 7 comprising only GTS as the release agent is ductile over all temperatures.

(21) In an embodiment, a thermoplastic composition can comprise: a polycarbonate polymer; and a triacylglyceride release agent.

(22) Set forth below are some of the embodiments of the present composition, methods of making the same, and articles made therefrom.

(23) Embodiment 1: a thermoplastic composition comprising: a melt polycarbonate polymer; and 0.01 to 0.05 weight percent of a release agent based on the total weight of the composition, wherein the release agent comprises triacylglyceride, and wherein the composition is free of stearyl stearate, glycerol monostearate, and pentaerythrityl tetrastearate.

(24) Embodiment 2: a thermoplastic composition comprising: a melt polycarbonate, wherein the melt polycarbonate has an endcap ratio of 65 to 71%; 0.03 to 0.05 weight percent of a release agent based on the total weight of the composition, wherein the release agent comprises triacylglyceride; and 0.10 to 0.14 weight percent of a UV stabilizer based on the total weight of the composition.

(25) Embodiment 3: the composition of any of claims 1-2, wherein the composition is free of stearyl stearate, glycerol monostearate, and pentaerythrityl tetrastearate.

(26) Embodiment 4: the composition of any of claims 1-3, wherein the polycarbonate polymer has a branching level of 1000 to 1200 ppm by weight.

(27) Embodiment 5: the composition of any of claims 1-4, wherein the polycarbonate polymer has an MVR of 5.5 to 7.5 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04.

(28) Embodiment 6: the composition of any of claims 1-5, wherein the polycarbonate polymer has a weight average molecular weight of 28,000 to 30,000 or 13,000 to 18,000 g/mol (polycarbonate basis).

(29) Embodiment 7: the composition of any of claims 1-6, wherein the release agent is the triacylglyceride.

(30) Embodiment 8: the composition of any of claims 1-7, wherein the composition is free of a release agent that is not the triacylglyceride.

(31) Embodiment 9: the composition of any of claims 1-8, wherein the blend composition has a plate-out measurement of less than 0.1 g during extrusion.

(32) Embodiment 10: the composition of any of claims 1-9, wherein the triacylglyceride release agent comprises glycerol tristearate.

(33) Embodiment 11: the composition of any of claims 1-10, wherein the UV stabilizer comprises 2-[2-hydroxy-3,5-di(1,1-dimethylbenzylphenyl)]-2H-benzotriazole; 2,2-methylenebis(6-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol); 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol; pentaerythritol tetrakis(2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate); 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-phenol; or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

(34) Embodiment 12: the composition of any of claims 1-11, wherein the UV stabilizer comprises 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol.

(35) Embodiment 13: The composition of any of claims 1-12, wherein the composition further comprises, a heat stabilizer, a catalyst quencher, a tint, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

(36) Embodiment 14: the composition of any of claims 1-13, wherein the composition has a light transparency of greater than 90% as determined using 3.2 mm thick samples using ASTM D1003-00, Procedure B using CIE standard illuminant C, with unidirectional viewing.

(37) Embodiment 15: a method for making a thermoplastic composition, comprising: forming the composition of any of claims 1-14, wherein the composition is a blend composition; and extruding the composition.

(38) Embodiment 16: a method for making a thermoplastic composition, comprising: melt polymerizing a polycarbonate, extruding and melt filtering the polycarbonate to form a melt filtered polycarbonate; forming the thermoplastic composition comprising the melt filtered polycarbonate, 0.03 to 0.05 wt % of a triacylglyceride release agent; and 0.10 to 0.14 wt % of a UV stabilizer; wherein the weight percentages are based on the total weight of the composition; and extruding the thermoplastic composition.

(39) Embodiment 17: the method of any of Embodiment 1, further comprising forming a multi-wall sheet from the thermoplastic composition.

(40) Embodiment 18: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-17, wherein the composition is free of stearyl stearate, glycerol monostearate, and pentaerythrityl tetrastearate.

(41) Embodiment 19: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-18, wherein the polycarbonate has a branching level of 1000 to 1200 ppm by weight and/or wherein the polycarbonate has an MVR of 5.5 to 7.5 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04.

(42) Embodiment 20: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-19, wherein the composition is free of a release agent other than the triacylglyceride.

(43) Embodiment 21: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-20, wherein the triacylglyceride release agent comprises glycerol tristearate.

(44) Embodiment 22: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-21, wherein the UV stabilizer comprises 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol.

(45) Embodiment 23: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-22, wherein the composition has a light transparency of greater than 90% as determined using 3.2 mm thick samples using ASTM D1003-00, Procedure B using CIE standard illuminant C, with unidirectional viewing.

(46) Embodiment 24: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-23, wherein the blend composition does not exhibit visually detectable surface vibration as waviness during extrusion.

(47) Embodiment 25: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-24, comprising only melt filtering the melt polycarbonate prior to adding any triacylglyceride.

(48) Embodiment 26: the method of any of the Embodiments 15-25, wherein the polycarbonate has one or more of an endcap ratio of 65 to 71%, a branching level of 1000 to 1200 ppm by weight, an MVR of 5.5 to 7.5 g/10 min at 300 C./1.2 kg according to ASTM D1238-04 or ISO 1133, a number average molecular weight of 20,000 to 60,000 g/mol (polystyrene basis), and a weight average molecular weight of 40,000 to 80,000 g/mol (polystyrene basis).

(49) Embodiment 27: the method of any of Embodiments 15-26, wherein the composition does not exhibit visually detectable surface vibration as waviness during extrusion.

(50) Embodiment 18: the method of any of Embodiments 15-27, wherein extruding the composition forms a product in the form of a solid sheet, a multi-wall sheet, or a film.

(51) Embodiment 29: the method of any of Embodiments 15-28, further comprising forming a molded article from the composition.

(52) Embodiment 30: the method of any of Embodiments 15-29, further comprising melt filtering the melt polycarbonate prior to adding any triacylglyceride.

(53) Embodiment 31: the method of any of Embodiments 15-30, comprising only melt filtering the melt polycarbonate prior to adding any triacylglyceride.

(54) Embodiment 32: an article of manufacture formed from the composition of any of Embodiments 1-14 or from the method of any of Embodiments 15-31.

(55) Embodiment 33: the article of Embodiment 32, wherein the article comprises an airplane part, electrical part, electronic application part, food service item part, medical device part, animal cage part, electrical connector part, enclosure for electrical equipment, electric motor part, power distribution equipment part, communication equipment part, computer part, or construction application part.

(56) Embodiment 34: the article of any of Embodiments 32-33, wherein the article is a multi-wall sheet.

(57) Embodiment 35: the article of Embodiment 34, wherein the multi-wall sheet comprises greater than or equal to two transverse layers and a rib extending from one of the transverse layers to an adjacent transverse layer.