Thermoplastic resin composition

Claim 2

A thermoplastic resin composition which comprises (I) 100 parts by weight of a resin comprising 5 to 95 parts by weight of (a) a polyphenylene ether resin, (b) a mixture of a polyphenylene ether resin and a styrene resin or (c) a graft polymer of a polyphenylene ether resin and styrene and 5 to 95 parts by weight of a polyamide resin, (II) 0 to 50 parts by weight of a rubber-like material, (III) 2.0 to 50 parts by weight of (a) an inorganic filler having an average particle size of 5.0 µm or less and/or (b) a glass fibre and (IV) 0.01 to 10 parts by weight of at least one compatibilizing agent which improves compatibility between the polyphenylene ether resin and the polyamide resin.

Claim 3

A composition according to claim 1, comprising an inorganic filler (III) having an average particle size of 5.0 µm or less and an aspect ratio of 5 or higher.

Claim 4

A composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the filler (III) comprises 20 to 80% by weight of inorganic filler and 20 to 80% by weight of glass fibre.

Claim 5

A composition according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the inorganic filler (III) is talc.

Claim 6

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4 comprising an inorganic filler (III) having an average particle size of 5.0 µm or less and wherein the filler is talc which shows weight loss of 0.2% by weight or less when heated at 300°C for 2 hours.

Claim 7

A composition according to any one of claim 1 to 5, wherein the compatibilizing agent (IV) comprises at least one compound selected from (A) Compounds having both (a) carbon-carbon double bond or carbon-carbon triple bond and (b) a carboxyl, acid anhydride, amino, acid amide, imido, epoxy, carboxylate, isocyanate, methylol, or hydroxyl group; (B) Aliphatic polycarboxylic acids of formula (R I O) m R(COOR II ) n (CONR III IR IV ) s wherein R is straight or branched chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; R I is hydrogen, or C₁₋₁₀ alkyl, C₆₋₁₀ aryl, C₁₋₁₀ acyl or C₁₋₁₀ carbonyldioxy; the groups R II are the same or different and each is hydrogen, C₁₋₂₀ alkyl or C₆₋₂₀ aryl; R III and R IV are the same or different and each is hydrogen atom, C₁₋₁₀ alkyl or C₆₋₁₀ aryl; m=1, (n+s)≧2, n≧0 and s≧0; provided that (OR I ) is in the α or β position relative to any carbonyl group and carbonyl groups are separated by 2 to 6 carbon atoms, or derivatives thereof or reaction production thereof; (C) Functionalized polyphenylene ethers comprising the reaction product of (a) polyphenylene ether and (b) a compound of the formula: (i)-Z-(ii) wherein (i) is a group of formula: [X-C(O)⁆ in which X is fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, hydroxyl, carbonyl or -OR or -O-C(O)-R in which R is alkyl or aryl, (ii) is carboxyl, acid anhydride, acid amide, imido, carboxylate, amino or hydroxyl, and Z is a divalent hydrocarbon group; (D) Organo silane compounds having (a) at least one silicon bonded to carbon through an oxygen link and (b) at least one ethylenic carbon-carbon double bond or at least one carbon-carbon triple bond and/or at least one amino or mercapto group which is not bonded directly to the silicon atom; (E) Oxidized polyolefin waxes; (F) Copolymers comprising vinyl-aromatic repeating units and α,β-unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or dicarboxylic anhydride repeating units or copolymers of vinyl aromatic repeating units and α,β-unsaturated dicarboxylic imido repeating units; and (G) Products obtainable by reaction of (a) a 1,2,-substituted olefin having a carboxyl or acid asnhydride group with (b) polyphenylene ether in the presence or absence of (c) a free-radical initiator.

Claim 8

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the compatibilizing agent (IV) is maleic anhydride, maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, himic anhydride, glycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate.

Claim 9

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the resin composition (I) comprises poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether.

Claim 10

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the resin composition (I) comprises homopolystyrene or rubber reinforced polystyrene.

Claim 11

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the resin composition (I) comprises polycaprolactam or polyhexamethylene adipamide as polyamide resin.

Claim 12

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the resin composition (I) comprises at least one polyamide resin selected from aliphatic polyamides, thermoplastic aromatic copolyamides and aromatic nuclear-hydrogenated copolyamides.

Claim 13

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the resin composition (I) comprises a polyamide having a relative viscosity of less than 2.5.

Claim 14

A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the rubber-like material (II) comprises at least one ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-­non-conjugated diene rubber, styrene-butadiene block copolymer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer, styrene-isoprene block copolymer, hydrogenated styrene-­isoprene block copolymer, styrene grafted ethylene-propylene rubber, or styrene grafted ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated diene rubber, or a carboxyl-group modified product or glycidyl-group modified product thereof.