Compatible three-component polymer alloys

Claim 1

A BLEND CHARACTERIZED BY EXHIBITING EXCELLECT PROPERITIES SUCH AS IMPACTT STRENGTH LOW TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS ROOM TEMPERATURES SAID BLEND CONSISTING OF A. A MATRIX OF POLYMERS PREPARED FROM AT LEAST 90 WEIGHT PERCENT MONOVINYL ARYL MONOERS INCLUDING AT LEAST 35 WEIGHT PERCENT STYRENE, ANY OTHER MONOMERS BEING OTHER ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS, SAID POLYMERS HAVING A NUMBER AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF FROM ABOUT 500,000 TO 500,000, B. NON-CROSSLINKED POLYMERS PREPARED FROM AT LEAST 60 WEIGHT PERCENT 1,3-BUTADIENE, 0 TO 40 WEIGHT PERCENT STYRENE OR ALPHA-METHYLSTYRENE AND 0 TO 10 WEIGHT PERCENT OF OTHER ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS, THE NUMBER AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF SAID POLYMERS BEING AT LEAST 100,000, AND C. GRADED BLOCK COPOLYMERS OF THE TYPE AB IN WHICH A REPRESENTS ESSENTIALLY POLYMERIZED STYRENE, THE BALANCE OF SAID SEGMENT BEING POLYMERIZED BUTADIENE, AND B REPRESENTS ESSENTIALLY POLYMERIZED BUTADIENE, THE BALANCE OF SAID SEGMENT BEING POLYMERIZED STYRENE, THE WEIGHT RATIO OF TOTAL STYRENE TO TOTAL BUTADIENE IN A AND B RANGING FROM 35.65 TO 60:40, THE NUMBER AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF SAID BLOCK COPOLYMERS BEING 150,000 TO 500,000, SAID GRADED BLOCK COPOLYMERS HAVING A PRINCIPAL GLASS TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT -90*C $ 5*C, COMPONENTS (B) AND (C) BEING IN SAID COMPONENT (A) AS A DISCONTINUOUS PHASE OF PARTICLES OF WHICH AT LEAST 70 WEIGHT PERCENT HAVE DIAMETERS IN THE RANGE OF 0.2 TO 5 MICRONS, COMPONENTS (A) AND (B) BEING PRESENT IN A WEIGHT RATIO OF AT LEAST ABOUT 4: 1 AND BEING SUFFICIENTLY INCOMPATIBLE THAT THE ULTIMATE BLEND WITHOUT (C) DISTINCTLY SHOWS THE GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE OF (B) COMPONENT (B) BEING PRESENT IN THE BLEND IN AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 3 WEIGHT PERCENT, COMPONENT (C) BEING PRESENT IN THE BLEND IN AN AMOUNT OF FROM ABOUR 6 TO 50 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE TOTAL BLEND, THE WEIGHT RATIO OF COMPONENT (C) TO COMPONENT (B) BEING AT LEAST 0.5 AND THE TOTAL MONOVINYL MONOCYLIC ARYL UNITS IN COMPONENTS (A), (B) AND(C) BEING FROM 75 TO 90 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE TOTAL UNITS IN SAID COMPONENTS.

Claim 8

a method of making resins having excellent impact strengths, flexural moduli and heat distortion characteristics, particularly at low temperatures, comprising blending a mixture consisting essentially of A. a matrix of polymers prepared from at least 90 weight percent vinyl aryl monomers including at least 35 weight percent styrene, any other monomers being other ethylenically unsaturated monomers, said polymers having a number average molecular weight of from about 50,000 to 500,000; B. non-crosslinked polymers prepared from at least 60 weight percent 1,3-butadiene, 0 to 40 weight percent styrene or alpha-methylstyrene and 0 to 10 weight percent of other ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the number average molecular weight of said polymers being at least 100,000; and C. graded block copolymers of the type AB in which A represents essentially polymerized styrene, the balance of said segment being polymerized butadiene, and B represents essentially polymerized butadiene, the balance of said segment being polymerized styrene, the weight ratio of total styrene to total butadiene in A and B ranging from 35:65 to 60:40, the number average molecular weight of said block copolymers being from 150,000 to 500,000, said graded block copolymers having a principal glass transition temperature of about -90*C. + or -5*C.; components (B) and (C) being in said component (A) as a discontinuous phase of particles of which at least 70 weight percent have diameters in the range of 0.2 to 5 microns, components (A) and (B) being present in a weight ratio of at least about 4:1 and being sufficiently incompatible that the ultimate blend without (C) distinctly shows the glass transition temperature of (B), component (B) being present in the blend in an amount of at least about 3 weight percenT, component (C) being present in the blend in an amount of from about 6 to 50 weight percent of the total blend, the weight ratio of component (C) to component (B) being at least 0.5 and the total monovinyl monocyclic aryl units in components (A), (B) and (C) being from 75 to 90 weight percent of the total units in said components.

Claim 9

a method of making resins having excellent impact strengths, flexural moduli and heat distortion characteristics, particularly at low temperatures, comprising blending a mixture consisting essentially of A. a matrix of polymers prepared from at least 90 weight percent vinyl aryl monomers including at least 35 weight percent styrene, any other monomers being other ethylenically unsaturated monomers, said polymers having a number average molecular weight of from about 50,000 to 500,000; B. non-crosslinked polymers prepared from at least 60 weight percent 1,3-butadiene, 0 to 40 weight percent styrene or alpha-methylstyrene and 0 to 10 weight percent of other ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the number average molecular weight of said polymers being at least 100,000; and C. graded block copolymers of the type AB in which A represents essentially polymerized styrene, the balance of said segment being polymerized butadiene, and B represents essentially polymerized butadiene, the balance of said segment being polymerized styrene, the weight ratio of total styrene to total butadiene in A and B ranging from 35:65 to 60:40, the number average molecular weight of said block copolymers being from 150,000 to 500,000, said graded block copolymers having a principal glass transition temperature of about -90*C. + or -5*C.; components (B) and (C) being in said component (A) as a discontinuous phase of particles of which at least 70 weight percent have diameters in the range of 0.2 to 5 microns, components (A) and (B) being present in a weight ratio of at least about 4:1 and being sufficiently incompatible that the ultimate blend without (C) distinctly shows the glass transition temperature of (B), component (B) being present in the blend in an amount of at least about 3 weight percenT, component (C) being present in the blend in an amount of from about 6 to 50 weight percent of the total blend, the weight ratio of component (C) to component (B) being at least 0.5 and the total monovinyl monocyclic aryl units in components (A), (B) and (C) being from 75 to 90 weight percent of the total units in said components.