Poly(vinyl alcohol) composition comprising polyol

• US 20080182937A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kuraray Company Limited
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Visioli, Donna Lynn, Urian, David C., Morken, Peter A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,781,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 525/57
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 16/06 Polyvinyl alcohol ; Vinyl alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/14 Esterification
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/103 with polyalcohols
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 29/04 Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/042 Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions

Abstract

Disclosed are a composition, a process that can be used to produce the composition, and an article comprising or produced from the composition wherein the composition comprises or is produced from PVOH and a polyol ester plasticizer; the PVOH includes a PVOH homopolymer or copolymer; the polyol ester plasticizer includes an esterified polyol having one or more ester groups and at least one free hydroxyl group; and the process comprises combining PVOH with a polyol ester plasticizer under a condition sufficient to transesterify the poly(vinyl alcohol).

Claims

1. A composition comprising or produced from a polyol ester plasticizer and poly(vinyl alcohol) wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) includes a poly(vinyl alcohol) homopolymer or copolymer;

the polyol ester plasticizer includes an esterified polyol having one or more ester groups and at least one free hydroxyl group and is present in the composition in an amount sufficient to transesterify, and increase the ester content of, the poly(vinyl alcohol).

2. The composition of claim 1, about 0.1% to about 10% of the poly(vinyl alcohol) is transesterified.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the polyol ester is derived from one or more polyols and one or more C_1-5 alkanoic acids and the C_1-5 alkanoic acid optionally includes a functional group including hydroxy, trialkylamino, or ether, or combinations of two or more thereof.

4. The composition of claim 3 wherein the polyol ester plasticizer is derived from polyols and acids and the polyol includes ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, isomer of propane diol, isomer of butane diol, isomer of pentane diol, isomer of hexane diol, glycerol, trimethylolpropane, isomer of butane triol, isomer of pentane triol, or isomer of hexane triol, erythritol, neopentyl glycol, pentaerythritol, maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, diglycerol, triglycerol, tetraglycerol, pentaglycerol, or combinations of two or more thereof.

5. The composition of claim 4 wherein the polyol ester plasticizer includes ethylene glycol monoacetate, ethylene glycol monobutyrate, glycerol acetate, glycerol diacetate, glycerol monopropionate, glycerol dipropionate, glycerol monolactate, glycerol dilactate, trimethylolpropane acetate, trimethylolpropane diacetate, trimethylolpropane lactate, trimethylolpropane dilactate, sorbitol acetate, sorbitol diacetate, sorbitol triacetate, sorbitol tetraacetate, sorbitol monolactate, sorbitol dilactate, sorbitol monoacetate monopropionate, or combinations of two or more thereof.

6. The composition of claim 3 wherein the polyol ester plasticizer is acetate ester of glycerol.

7. The composition of claim 3 wherein the polyol ester plasticizer is glycerol monoacetate, glycerol diacetate, or combinations thereof and the polyol optionally comprises acetylation.

8. The composition of claim 3 wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) has at least about 70% hydrolysis.

9. The composition of claim 3 wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) has at least about 80% hydrolysis.

10. The composition of claim 3 wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) has at least about 93 or 99% hydrolysis.

11. The composition of claim 9 wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) includes poly(vinyl alcohol methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl alcohol methyl acrylate), or combinations thereof.

12. The composition of claim 11 wherein the methacrylate or acrylate is present in the polymer in the range of about 2% to about 10% or to about 6 mole %.

13. The composition of claim 3 wherein about 0.5 to about 5% of the poly(vinyl alcohol) is transesterified.

14. The composition of claim 3 further comprising an additional polymer including an ethylene polymer, a polyvinyl butyral copolymer, or combinations thereof wherein the ethylene polymer include polyethylene, an ethylene copolymer, or combinations thereof;

the ethylene copolymer comprises repeat units derived from ethylene and alkyl(meth)acrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol, carbon monoxide, or combinations of two or more thereof; and

the alkyl group in the alkyl(meth)acrylate has about 1 to about 12 carbon atoms per group.

18. An article comprising or produced from a composition wherein the article includes film, multilayer film or sheet, or combinations thereof and the composition is as recited in claim 1.

19. The article of claim 18 wherein the article is a bag including garbage bag, medical laundry bag, laundry detergent pouch, chemical bag, tray, cup, bowl, or a lidding material and the composition optionally further comprises one or more biodegradable polymers.

15. A process comprising combining poly(vinyl alcohol) with a polyol ester plasticizer under a condition sufficient to transesterify the poly(vinyl alcohol).

16. The process of claim 15 wherein the condition include a temperature at which the poly(vinyl alcohol) is melted.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) comprises less than about 5%, or less than about 3%, by weight of water and the condition includes a temperature in the range of from about 170 to about 210°

C. or about 211 to about 245°

C.