Flame retardant polyarylate compositions

Claim 2

A flame retardant molding composition comprising a blend of: (a) a polyarylate derived from a dihydric phenol and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, and (b) a flame retarding amount of an alkali or alkaline earth metal salt of an aromatic sulfonic acid.

Claim 3

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the dihydric phenol is of the formula: ##STR22## wherein Y is selected from alkyl groups of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, chlorine or bromine, each z, independently, has a value of from 0 to 4, inclusive, and R' is a divalent saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon radical selected from alkylene and alkylidene radicals having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and cycloalkylene or cycloalkylidene radicals having up to and including 9 carbon atoms.

Claim 4

A composition as defined in claim 2 wherein each z is 0 and R' is an alkylidene radical of 3 carbon atoms.

Claim 5

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the aromatic dicarboxylic acid is a mixture of isophthalic and terephthalic acids.

Claim 6

A molding composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is selected from an alkali or an alkaline earth metal salt of sulfonic acids of aromatic sulfones, cycloaliphatically substituted aromatic sulfonic acids, heterocyclic aromatic sulfonic acids, sulfonic acids of aromatic ketones, either monomeric or polymeric aromatic sulfonic acids, either monomeric or polymeric aromatic ether sulfonic acids, monomeric and polymeric carboxy or ester substituted aromatic sulfonic acids, either monomeric or polymeric phenol ester sulfonic acids, sulfonic acids of aromatic sulfoxides, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 7

A composition as defined in claim 5 wherein the metal salt is substituted by an electron withdrawing radical.

Claim 8

A composition as defined in claim 6 wherein the electron withdrawing radical is a halo, nitro, trihalomethyl or cyano radical.

Claim 9

A composition as defined in claims 1 or 5 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is of the following formula: A.sub.1 SO.sub.3.sup.- M.sup.+, and/or (A.sub.1 SO.sub.3.sup.-).sub.2 M.sup.++ wherein A 1 is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic monomeric or polymeric radical containing at least 6 carbon atoms, M + is an alkali metal ion and M ++ is an alkaline earth metal ion.

Claim 10

A composition as defined in claim 8 wherein the substituent on the substituted aromatic radical is an electron withdrawing radical selected from halo, nitro, trifluromethyl or cyano radicals.

Claim 11

A composition as defined in claim 8 wherein A 1 is selected from the following formulae: ##STR23## wherein Z is selected fron a direct bond, O, CO, S, SO 2 or OSO 2 and B' and B" are independently chlorine, bromine, fluorine, trihalomethyl, cyano or nitro.

Claim 12

A composition as defined in claims 1 or 8 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is selected from the following formula: ##STR24## wherein Z is selected from a direct bond, O, CO, S, SO 2 or OSO 2 and B' and B" are independently chlorine, bromine, fluorine, trihalomethyl, cyano or nitro, M is an alkali metal ion and a and a' are independently 0-4 with the proviso that at least one of a or a' is 1.

Claim 13

A composition as defined in claim 11 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is of the following formula: ##STR25##

Claim 14

A composition as defined in claim 11 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is of the following formula: ##STR26## wherein a, a', b and b' are independently 0 to 4 with the proviso that at least one of a and a' and b and b' is 1.

Claim 15

A composition as defined in claim 11 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is of the following formula: ##STR27## wherein a, a', b and b' are independently 0 to 4 with the proviso that at least one of a and a' and b and b' is 1.

Claim 16

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the composition contains a metal salt of an aliphatic sulfonic acid or a halogen source selected from an inorganic halide, or a halogenated alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt of aliphatic, aromatic or cycloaliphatic carboxylic or sulfonic acids.

Claim 17

A composition as defined in claims 1 or 5 or 8 wherein the metal salt of the aromatic sulfonic acid is present in amounts of from about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent.

Claim 18

A composition as defined in claims 1 or 5 or 8 wherein the composition contains decabromodiphenyl oxide.

Claim 19

A composition as defined in claim 1 which contains a thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyester, a styrene polymer, a polyalkyl acrylate polymer, a polyurethane, a vinyl chloride polymer, a poly(aryl ether), a copolyetherester block copolymer, a polyhydroxyether, a polyamide and combinations thereof.

Claim 20

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyester.

Claim 21

A composition as defined in claim 19 wherein the polyester has repeating units of the general formula: ##STR28## wherein n is an integer of from 2 to 4.

Claim 22

A composition as defined in claim 20 wherein the polyester is poly(ethylene terephthalate).

Claim 23

A composition as defined in claim 19 wherein the polyester has recurring units of the following formula: ##STR29## wherein the cyclohexane ring is selected from the cis- and trans-isomers thereof and R represents an aryl radical containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms and which is the decarboxylated residue derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid.

Claim 24

A composition as defined in claim 22 wherein the polyester has recurring units of the following formula: ##STR30##

Claim 25

A composition as defined in claim 19 wherein the polyester has recurring units of the following formula: ##STR31## wherein the cyclohexane ring is selected from the cis- and trans-isomers thereof, R is as previously defined, n is an integer of 2 to 4, the x units comprise from about 10 to about 90 percent by weight and the y units comprise from about 10 to about 90 percent by weight.

Claim 26

A composition as defined in claim 24 wherein the polyester has repeating units of the following formula: ##STR32##

Claim 27

A composition as defined in claim 1 which contains from about 10 to about 50 parts by weight of an aromatic polycarbonate.

Claim 28

A composition as defined in claim 26 wherein the aromatic polycarbonate is the reaction product of a dihydric phenol and a carbonate precursor.

Claim 29

A composition as defined in claim 27 wherein the dihydric phenol is bisphenol-A and the carbonate precursor is carbonyl chloride.

Claim 30

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a styrene polymer.

Claim 31

A composition as defined in claim 29 wherein the styrene polymer is prepared by polymerizing a conjugated diene monomer or a conjugated diene monomer with a monomer copolymerizable therewith or an acrylic acid ester to provide an elastomeric backbone and thereafter grafting at least one grafting styrene monomer onto said backbone.

Claim 32

A composition as defined in claim 30 wherein the conjugated diene monomer is butadiene and the grafting monomer is selected from styrene, an acrylonitrile, an acrylic acid ester, or mixtures thereof.

Claim 33

A composition as defined in claim 31 wherein the styrene resin is a butadiene/styrene/acrylonitrile resin.

Claim 34

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a poly(alkyl acrylate) polymer.

Claim 35

A composition as defined in claim 33 wherein the poly(alkyl acrylate) is poly(methyl methacrylate).

Claim 36

A composition as defined in claim 33 wherein the poly(alkyl acrylate) is a copolymer of methyl methacrylate and a vinyl monomer wherein the amount of methyl methacrylate is greater than about 70 percent by weight of the copolymer.

Claim 37

A composition as defined in claim 35 wherein the vinyl monomer is selected from acrylonitrile, N-allylmaleimide, vinyl chloride, N-vinylmaleimide or an alkyl acrylate or methacrylate with the exclusion of methyl methacrylate, wherein the alkyl group contains from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

Claim 38

A composition as defined in claim 33 wherein the poly(alkyl acrylate) is an alkyl acrylate grafted onto an unsaturated elastomeric backbone, wherein the alkyl acrylate comprises greater than about 50 weight percent of the graft copolymer formed.

Claim 39

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyurethane.

Claim 40

A composition as defined in claim 38 wherein the polyurethane is derived from a polyester resin having a molecular weight of at least about 600, an organic diisocyanate, and a low molecular weight chain extender having active hydrogen containing groups which are reactive with the diisocyanate.

Claim 41

A composition as defined in claim 38 wherein the polyurethane is derived from a polyether, an organic diisocyanate, and a low molecular weight chain extender having active hydrogen containing groups which are reactive with the diisocyanate.

Claim 42

A composition as defined in claim 40 wherein the polyether is selected from polytetramethylene glycol having an average molecular weight between about 600 and about 2000, polypropylene glycol, and polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight above about 600.

Claim 43

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a poly(vinyl chloride) polymer.

Claim 44

A composition as defined in claim 42 wherein the poly(vinyl chloride) polymer is a copolymer of vinyl chloride with an olefinically unsaturated polymerizable compound which contains at least about 80 percent by weight of vinyl chloride incorporated therein.

Claim 45

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a poly(aryl ether).

Claim 46

A composition as defined in claim 44 wherein the poly(aryl ether) comprises recurring units of the formula: --O--E--O--E' wherein E is the residuum of a dihydric phenol and E' is the residuum of a benzenoid compound having an inert electron withdrawing group.

Claim 47

A composition as defined in claim 45 wherein the poly(aryl ether) has recurring units having the formula: ##STR33## A and A 1 can be the same or different inert substituent groups and are selected from alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or alkoxy radicals having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R 1 represents a bond between aromatic carbon atoms or a divalent connecting radical, R 2 is sulfone, carbonyl or sulfoxide, r and r 1 are integers having a value of from 0 to 4, inclusive.

Claim 48

A composition as defined in claim 46 wherein r and r 1 are O,R 2 is SO 2 , and R 1 is the following ##STR34##

Claim 49

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a copolyetherester block copolymer.

Claim 50

A composition as defined in claim 48 wherein the copolyetherester block copolymer has a multiplicity of recurring intralinear long chain and short chain ester units connected head-to-tail through ester linkages, said long chain ester units being represented by the following structure: ##STR35## and said short chain ester units being represented by the following structure ##STR36## wherein G is a divalent radical remaining after removal of terminal hydroxy groups from a poly(alkylene oxide) glycol having a molecular weight of from about 400 to about 3500, D is a divalent radical remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from a low molecular weight diol, and R 3 is a divalent radical remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from a dicarboxylic acid; with the provisos that the short chain ester units constitute from about 25 to 65% by weight of the copolyester, at least about 70% of the R 3 groups are 1,4-phenylene radicals, at least about 70% of the D groups are 1,4-butylene radicals, and the sum of the percentages of the R 3 groups which are not 1,3-phenylene radicals and of the D groups which are not 1,4-butylene radicals do not exceed about 30%.

Claim 51

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyhydroxyether.

Claim 52

A composition as defined in claim 50 wherein the polyhydroxyether has the general formula --F--O--E"--O--.sub.n wherein F is the radical residuum of a dihydric phenol, E" is a radical residuum of an epoxide selected from mono- and diepoxides containing from 1 to 2 hydroxyl groups and n is an integer which represents the degree of polymerization and is at least about 30.

Claim 53

A composition as defined in claim 51 wherein the polyhydroxyether is derived from the reaction of bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin.

Claim 54

A composition as defined in claim 18 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyamide.

Claim 55

A composition as defined in claim 53 wherein the polyamide is selected from nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 11 and nylon 12.

Claim 56

A composition as defined in claim 53 wherein the polyamide is a mixed aliphatic-aromatic polyamide.