Nucleated polypropylene composition

• US 10,125,248 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Borealis AG (Government of ABU Dhabi)
• Original Assignee: Borealis AG (Government of ABU Dhabi)
• Inventors: Wang, Jingbo, Leskinen, Pauli, Vestberg, Torvald, Gahleitner, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nutter, Nathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/316,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20170145197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/001 Multistage polymerisation processes characterised by a change in reactor conditions without deactivating the intermediate polymer C08F295/00, C08F297/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/06 Propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/16 Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/12 Melt flow index or melt flow ratio
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/15 Isotactic
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/17 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/26 Use as polymer for film forming
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/6492 containing aliphatic unsaturation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/651 Pretreating with non-metals or metal-free compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/0083 Nucleating agents promoting the crystallisation of the polymer matrix
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/02 containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/025 containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/03 containing three or more polymers in a blend
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/24 Crystallisation aids
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/12 Polypropene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/16 Elastomeric ethene-propene or ethene-propene-diene copolymers, e.g. EPR and EPDM rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/18 Homopolymers or copolymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms

Abstract

Nucleated polypropylene composition comprising at least one propylene homopolymer wherein the nucleated polypropylene composition and/or the propylene homopolymer can be free of phthalic acid esters as well as their respective decomposition products.

Claims

1. A nucleated polypropylene composition comprising:

a) at least one propylene homopolymer and

b) a polymeric nucleating agent

wherein the nucleated polypropylene composition and/or the propylene homopolymer is free of phthalic acid esters as well as their respective decomposition products and

wherein said nucleated polypropylene composition has a sum of [G′

(Storage Modulus;

measured by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis according to ISO 6721-7)+Flexural Modulus (determined according to ISO178)], each expressed in MPa, of at least 2040 MPa.

2. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1, comprising at least one propylene-copolymer-rubber phase, wherein the copolymer comprises ethylene and/oror a C₄-C₁₀ alpha-olefin.

3. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1, comprising:

a) the at least one propylene homopolymer and

b) a second propylene homopolymer,

wherein said nucleated polypropylene composition has a;

i) sum of [G′

(Storage Modulus, measured by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis according to ISO 6721-7)+Flexural Modulus (determined according to ISO178)] each expressed in MPa of at least 2970 MPa, and

ii) and a Notched Impact strength+23°

C. according Charpy ISO 179/1eA of at least 1.8 kJ/m².

4. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 2, wherein the nucleated polypropylene composition comprises at least one propylene-copolymer-rubber phase and optionally a second propylene-copolymer-rubber phase,

wherein said nucleated polypropylene composition has a:

i) sum of [G′

(Storage Modulus, measured by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis according to ISO 6721-7)+Flexural Modulus (determined according to ISO178)] each expressed in MPa of at least 2060 MPa, and

ii) and a Notched Impact strength+23°

C. according Charpy ISO 179/1eA of at least 5 kJ/m².

5. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric nucleating agent is compound according formula:

CH2=CH—

CHR1R2,

wherein R1 and R2, together with the carbon atom they are attached to, form an optionally substituted saturated or unsaturated or aromatic ring or a fused ring system, wherein the ring or fused ring moiety contains four to 20 carbon atoms, or independently represent a linear or branched C4-C30 alkane, C4-C20 cycloalkane or C4-C20 aromatic ring.

6. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition has been polymerised in the presence of:

a) a Ziegler-Natta catalyst (ZN-C) comprising compounds (TC) of a transition metal of Group 4 to 6 of IUPAC, a Group 2 metal compound (MC) and an internal donor (ID), wherein said internal donor (ID) is a non-phthalic compound,

b) a co-catalyst (Co), and

c) optionally an external donor (ED).

7. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 6, wherein:

a) the internal donor (ID) is selected from optionally substituted malonates, maleates, succinates, glutarates, cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylates, benzoates and derivatives and/or mixtures thereof; and

b) the molar-ratio of co-catalyst (Co) to external donor (ED) [Co/ED] is 5 to 45.

8. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is produced in a sequential polymerisation process comprising at least two reactors (R1) and (R2), in the first reactor (R1) a first propylene homopolymer fraction (H-PP1) is produced and subsequently transferred into the second reactor (R2), in the second reactor (R2) a second propylene homopolymer fraction (H-PP2) or a first propylene-ethylene rubber fraction (R-PP1) is produced in the presence of the first propylene homopolymer fraction (H-PP1).

9. The nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 8, wherein the process for producing the propylene composition comprises the step of preparing a propylene polymer using a polymerisation catalyst, obtained by polymerising a Ziegler-Natta polymerisation catalyst with a vinyl compound of the formula CH2=CH—

CHR1R2, wherein R1 and R2, together with the carbon atom they are attached to, form an optionally substituted saturated or unsaturated or aromatic ring or a fused ring system, wherein the ring or fused ring moiety contains four to 20 carbon atoms, or independently represent H or a linear or branched C4-C30 alkane, C4-C20 cycloalkane or C4-C20 aromatic ring, whereby at least one of R1 and R2 is not H, at a weight ratio of the vinyl compound to polymerisation catalyst amounting to 3 or more, until the concentration of residual vinyl compound is less than about 0.5 wt %.

10. A moulded article comprising the nucleated polypropylene composition according to claim 1.