Process to produce a vinylidene chloride-based heteropolymer

• US 10,059,830 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weifang Yaxing Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beyer, Douglas E., Jenkins, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Henry
• Application Number:
  US15/034,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20160272785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 524 84, 524560, 525902
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 214/08 Vinylidene chloride
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/14 Methyl esters , e.g. methyl (meth)acrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/07 Aldehydes; Ketones
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/08 Quinones
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/378 containing heterocyclic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/45 Heterocyclic compounds having sulfur in the ring
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2203/16 used for films
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 27/08 Homopolymers or copolymers of vinylidene chloride

Abstract

A process to prepare a vinylidene chloride heteropolymer comprising copolymerizing vinylidene chloride with at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylates, non-vinylidene chloride vinyl monomers and combinations thereof in the presence of an indicator, wherein the indicator is soluble in vinylidene chloride, the at least one comonomer, or a mixture of the vinylidene chloride and the at least one comonomer is provided.

Claims

1. A process to prepare a vinylidene chloride copolymer, wherein the process comprises:

copolymerizing vinylidene chloride with at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of an alkyl acrylate, a non-vinylidene chloride vinyl monomer and combinations thereof in the presence of an indicator, wherein the indicator is soluble in vinylidene chloride, the at least one comonomer, or a mixture of the vinylidene chloride and the at least one comonomer, and wherein the indicator is 2,2′

-(2,5-thiophenylenediyl)bis(5-tert-butylbenzoxazole).

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one comonomer is methyl acrylate or vinyl chloride.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the copolymerizing occurs in a suspension polymerization process.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the copolymerizing occurs in an emulsion polymerization process.

5. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adding at least one additive selected from the group consisting of a plasticizer and an epoxidized oil.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein prior to polymerization, the indicator used for addition is prepared by uniformly mixing it with at least a portion of at least one from the group selected from vinylidene chloride, the at least one comonomer, and the at least one additive.

7. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adding a suspending agent to the vinylidene chloride and at least one comonomer prior to the copolymerizing step.