Ionomeric coupling agents based on amic acid-functional silanes

Claim 1

A process for bonding a thermoplastic matrix polymer, selected from the group consisting of unmodified thermoplastic polymers, unmodified thermoplastic copolymers, acid-modified thermoplastic polymers, acid-modified thermoplastic copolymers and ionomeric polymers, to a substrate comprising: (a) treating said substrate with an ionomeric silane coupling agent; and (b) fusing said thermoplastic matrix polymer to the treated substrate resulting from step (a), said ionomeric silane coupling agent being prepared by reacting (I) an amine-functional silane represented by the formula ##STR4## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl radical having 1-4 carbon atoms, R' is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, R" is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, R'" is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl and propyl radicals, and n is 0, 1 or 2; (II) from about 1.1 to 1.5 equivalents of a dicarboxylic organic acid having 4 to 36 carbon atoms for each equivalent of reactive hydrogen atom of said amine-functional silane (I) so as to result in a stoichiometric excess of carboxylic acid functionality; and (III) a sufficient amount of an ionic compound, having a cation selected from the group consisting of monovalent and divalent metal ions, to neutralize from about 10% to 80% of said excess carboxylic acid functionality on a molar equivalent basis.