Polymer mixture which comprises a polyamide, a polyphenylene ether and an agent to improve the impact resistance

Claim 1

Polymer mixture which comprises a polyamide, a polyphenylene ether, an agent to improve the compatibility of the polyamide and the polyphenylene ether and a core-shell polymer having a rubber-like core and one or more shells as an agent to improve the impact resistance wherein the mixture comprises one or more of the following agents A-F to improve the compatibility : A) liquid diene polymers or epoxy compounds or compounds having in their molecular structure a double or triple carbon-to-carbon bond and a carboxylic acid, acid anhydride, ester, acid amide, imido, carboxylic acid ester, amino or hydroxyl group, in a quantity of from 0.01 to 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyamide plus polyphenylene ether, B) a silane compound having in its molecular structure both (a) at least one silicon atom which is bonded to a carbon atom via an oxygen bridge and (b) at least an ethylenic corbon-to-carbon double bond or a carbon-to-carbon triple bond and/or comprises a functional group selected from an amine group and a mercapto group, in which the functional group is not bonded directly to the silicon atom, in a quantity of from 0.05 to 4 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyamide plus polyphenylene ether, C) a functionalized polyphenylene ether consisting of the reaction product of (a) a polyphenylene ether and (b) a compound of the general formula (i)-Z-(ii), in which (i) is at least a group of the formula [X-C(0)⁆ with X = F, Cl, Br, I, OH, -OR, or -O-C(O)-R with R = H, alkyl or aryl, in which (ii) is at least a carboxylic acid, acid anhydride, acid amide, imido, carboxylic acid ester, amino or hydroxyl group, and in which the groups (i) and (ii) are bonded together covalently via a bridge Z, Z being a bivalent hydrocarbon radical, D) an oxidized polyolefin wax, in a quantity of from 0.01 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyamide plus polyphenylene ether, E) a copolymer having units of a vinylaromatic compound and of an alpha-beta unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid anhydride or a copolymer with units of a vinylaromatic compound and of an imide compound of an alpha-beta unsaturated dicarboxylic acid, in a quantity of from 0.5 to 100 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyamide plus polyphenylene ether, F) the reaction product of a) a 1,2-substituted olefinic compound with carboxyl group or acid anhydrlde group, b) a polyphenylene ether and c) a radical initiator, in a quantity of from 0.5 to 150 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyamide plus polyphenylene ether, characterised in that the outermost shell of the core-shell polymer comprises one or more functional groups selected from carboxylic acid groups, acid anhydride groups, acid amide groups, imido groups, amino groups, or hydroxyl groups and possesses a styrene content of 90.4 % by weight or higher.

Claim 8

A method of preparing a polymer mixture as claimed in one or more of the preceding Claims, in which the various constituents are mixed together in the melt in more than one step, characterized in that the polyphenylene ether or a part of the quantity of polyphenylene ether to be used is first pre-mixed with the agent to improve the compatibility, after which the formed pre-mixture is mixed with the remaining constituents.

Claim 9

A method of preparing a polymer mixture as claimed in one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the polyamide or a part of the quantity of polyamide to be used is first pre-mixed in the melt with the agent to improve the impact resistance, after which the resulting pre-mixture is mixed together in the melt with the remaining constituents.

Claim 10

A method as claimed in Claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the polyamide or a part of the quantity of polyamide to be used is first mixed in the melt with the agent to improve the impact resistance; the polyphenylene ether or a part of the quantity of polyphenylene ether to be used is mixed in the melt with the agent to improve the compatibility, after which the two resulting pre-mixtures and the constituents possibly not yet incorporated in the pre-mixtures, are mixed together in the melt.