Impact modified poly(alkenyl aromatic) resin compositions

Claim 2

A thermoplastic resin composition comprising: (a) a base resin comprising a poly(alkenyl aromatic) resin combined with or grafted with natural rubber or synthetic rubber selected from diene rubber or acrylic rubber, comprising units of the formula ##STR2## wherein R 1 and R 2 are selected from lower alkyl or alkenyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or hydrogen; R 3 and R 4 are selected from chloro, bromo, hydrogen or lower alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R 5 and R 6 are selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl or alkenyl groups of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or R 5 and R 6 may be concatenated together with hydrocarbyl groups to form a naphthyl group; and (b) from about 1 to about 40 parts by weight of a modifying agent comprised of a crosslinked (meth)acrylate core and an interpenetrating crosslinked polyalkenyl aromatic resin shell per 100 parts of the base resin.

Claim 3

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said resin components (a) comprises units in which (i) R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each hydrogen; (ii) R 1 is methyl and R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen; (iii) R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen and R 3 is methyl; or (iv) R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , and R 6 are each hydrogen and R 3 and R 4 are bromines.

Claim 4

A composition as defined in claim 2 wherein said rubber modified component (a) comprises units wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are hydrogen.

Claim 5

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the synthetic diene rubber is an EPDM rubber.

Claim 6

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the said diene rubber is polybutadiene.

Claim 7

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein modifying agent (b) is present in an amount of from about 5 to about 25 parts by weight per 100 part by weight of the base resin.

Claim 8

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said crosslinked (meth)acrylate core is a cross-linked acrylate core.

Claim 9

A composition as defined in claim 7 wherein said acrylate is butyl acrylate.

Claim 10

A composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the cross-linked (meth)acrylate core comprises from about 40 to about 90 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the crosslinked core and crosslinked shell, taken together.

Claim 11

A process for improving the impact strength, thermal resistance and surface appearance of articles molded from a thermoplastic resin composition, said process comprising: (1) providing an intimate mixture comprising: (a) a poly(alkenyl aromatic) resin combined with or grafted with natural rubber or synthetic rubber selected from diene rubber or acrylic rubber, said resin comprising units of the formula ##STR3## wherein R 1 and R 2 are selected from lower alkyl or alkenyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or hydrogen; R 3 and R 4 are selected from chloro, bromo, hydrogen or lower alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R 5 and R 6 are selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl or alkenyl groups of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or R 5 and R 6 may be concateneated together with hydrocarbyl groups to form a naphthyl group; and (b) from about 1 to about 40 parts by weight of a modifying agent comprised of a cross-linked (meth)acrylate core and an interpenetrating cross-linked polyalkenyl aromatic resin shell per 100 parts of the base resin; and (2) molding said mixture into an article.

Claim 12

A process for improving the impact strength, thermal resistance and surface appearance of articles molded from a thermoplastic resin composition, said process comprising: (1) providing an intimate mixture comprising: (a) a poly(alkenyl aromatic) resin combined with or grafted with natural rubber or synthetic rubber selected from diene rubber or acrylic rubber, said resin comprising units of the formula ##STR3## wherein R 1 and R 2 are selected from lower alkyl or alkenyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or hydrogen; R 3 and R 4 are selected from chloro, bromo, hydrogen or lower alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R 5 and R 6 are selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl or alkenyl groups of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or R 5 and R 6 may be concateneated together with hydrocarbyl groups to form a naphthyl group; and (b) from about 1 to about 40 parts by weight of a modifying agent comprised of a cross-linked (meth)acrylate core and an interpenetrating cross-linked polyalkenyl aromatic resin shell per 100 parts of the base resin; and (2) molding said mixture into an article.

Claim 13

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein the intimate mixture is provided by melt mixing.

Claim 14

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein said rubber modified component of step 1(a) comprises units in which (i) R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen; (ii) R 1 is methyl and R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen; (iii) R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen and R 3 is methyl; or (iv) R 1 , R 2 , R 5 and R 6 are each hydrogen and R 3 and R 4 are bromines.

Claim 15

A process as defined in claim 12 wherein said rubber modified component of step 1(a) comprises units wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are hydrogen.

Claim 16

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein the synthetic diene rubber is an EPDM rubber.

Claim 17

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein said rubber is a polybutadiene.

Claim 18

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein the modifying agent of step 1(b) is present in an amount of from about 5 to about 25 parts by weight per 100 part by weight of the base resin.

Claim 19

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein said cross-linked (meth)acrylate core is a cross-linked acrylate core.

Claim 20

A process as defined in claim 17 wherein said acrylate is butyl acrylate.

Claim 21

A process as defined in claim 10 wherein the cross-linked (meth)acrylate core comprises from about 40 to about 90 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the cross-linked core and cross-linked shell, taken together.

Claim 22

An article made by the process of claim 10.