AIR PRODUCTS POLYMERS

J.J. Rabasco, C.L. Daniels, D.W. Horwat, M.S. Vratsanos, and R.H. Bott, Semi-crystalline ethylene vinyl acetate emulsion polymers for heat seal applications, US Patent 7189461, assigned to Air Products Polymers, L.P. (Allentown, PA), March 13,2007. 

Air Products Polymers L.P., A Joint venture of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and Wacker-Chemie GmbH, 7201 Hamilton Bivd., Allentown, PA 18195-1501, USA (Tel 610-481-6799 800-345-3148 FAX 610-481-4381... 

Becker R Hashemzadeh A Zecha H Air Products Polymers GmbH Co.KG... 

Makers of resin emulsions are attempting to boost prices in response to rising raw material costs. Air Products Polymers led the increase by announcing that it will raise the prices of its vinyl acetate ethylene, vinyl acrylic, polyvinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl chloride emulsions sold in the US and Canada by 2 cents per wet pound on July 1. PVA and EVA demand in adhesives markets are expected to be steady for the rest of the year. 

Synthetic emulsion polymers account for approximately 70% of the U.S. consumption of acrylate monomers. Major end uses for these latex polymers are coatings (32%), textiles (17%), adhesives (7%), paper (5%), and floor poHshes (3%). The U.S. producers of acryflc copolymer emulsions include Rohm and Haas, Reichhold, National Starch, Union Carbide, Air Products, Unocal, B. F. Goodrich, and H. B. Fuller. 

Monofunctional, cyclohexylamine is used as a polyamide polymerization chain terminator to control polymer molecular weight. 3,3,5-Trimethylcyclohexylamines ate usehil fuel additives, corrosion inhibitors, and biocides (50). Dicyclohexylamine has direct uses as a solvent for cephalosporin antibiotic production, as a corrosion inhibitor, and as a fuel oil additive, in addition to serving as an organic intermediate. Cycloahphatic tertiary amines are used as urethane catalysts (72). Dimethylcyclohexylarnine (DMCHA) is marketed by Air Products as POLYCAT 8 for pour-in-place rigid insulating foam. Methyldicyclohexylamine is POLYCAT 12 used for flexible slabstock and molded foam. DM CHA is also sold as a fuel oil additive, which acts as an antioxidant. StericaHy hindered secondary cycloahphatic amines, specifically dicyclohexylamine, effectively catalyze polycarbonate polymerization (73). 

Air Products, a manufacture of latex binders, has completed a comprehensive study of flame retardants for latex binder systems. This study evaluates the inherent flammability of the major polymer types used as nonwovens binders. In addition, 18 of the most common flame retardants from several classes of materials were evaluated on polyester and rayon substrates. Two of the most widely recognized and stringent small scale tests, the NFPA 701 vertical burn test and the MVSS-302 horizontal burn test, are employed to measure flame retardancy of a latex binder-flame retardant system. Quantitative results of the study indicate clear-cut choices of latex binders for flame retardant nonwoven substrates, as well as the most effective binder-flame retardant combinations available. 

The best known aspect, and the first one to find commercialization in the direct fluorination area, was the fluorination of polymer surfaces. This Lagow-Margrave invention, trademarked Fluorokote, involved many types of polymeric materials in various forms e.g., polyethylene bottles, polypropylene objects, and rubber gloves. Polyethylene bottles are easily given fluorocarbon surfaces (>0.1 mm), and this has been commercialized. Air Products has at least 20 licenses for what is known as their Aeropak process and Union Carbide has a Linde Fluorination process as well. Applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic storage are widespread. 

Fluorination of polyethylene surfaces leads to an increase in the surface energy, some degree of cross-linking and a reduction of the free volume of the polymer. All of these effects impart on the surface of the polymer a barrier that is very impermeable to hydrocarbon solvents. A blow-moulding process, in which a low concentration of fluorine in nitrogen is used as the blow-moulding gas, is used for the production of plastic fuel tanks for the automotive industry (Airopak , Air Products) [51]. Post-treatment of hydrocarbon surfaces with fluorine is an alternative technology and techniques for the surface fluorination of natural and synthetic rubber have been described [52]. 

J.A. Kuphal, L.M. Robeson, and D. Sagl, Miscible blends of poly(vinyl acetate) and polymers of acrylic acid, US Patent 5 171 777, assigned to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Allentown, PA), December 15,1992. 

Recently several groups have tried to improve the properties of anisotropic gas separation membranes by chemically modifying the surface selective layer. For example, Langsam at Air Products and Paul et al. at the University of Texas, Austin have treated films and membranes with dilute fluorine gas [66-71], In this treatment fluorine chemically reacts with the polymer structure. By careful... 

The authors thank the Polymer Section of the Materials Science Division for partial support of this work on Grant No. DMR76-04562. We particularly want to thank Dr. W. E. Daniels of Air Products Corporation for suggesting the use of deuterated monomers. 

Presently DOE is funding Air Products Chemical Company for the development of a fluorine surface treatment of tire rubber (crumb rubber) to modify its adhesion properties. This modified rubber could be used in making polymers such as polyurethane and epoxies. The tire rubber might also be used in certain plastics such as polystyrene and PVC, and in rubber products (68). 

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has been selected to supply a hydrocarbon and nitrogen recovery system for a new polyethylene manufacturing plant in Baytown, TX. The plant will be owned by Chevron Phillips Chemical Company and Solvay Polymers, Inc. The recovery system uses partial condensation in conjunction with Air Products pressure swing adsorption technology to recover hydrocarbons in the polyolefin plants, and recycle nitrogen with a purity of greater than 99%55. 

Any material that will burn in air in solid form may explode if it is dispersed in aerosol form. Explosions of foods, metals, pharmaceuticals, grain products, polymers, and other organic materials all have occurred in the past. Since oxidation is an exothermic reaction, the heat released in burning will rapidly raise the temperature of small particles nearby, and the large surface area presented by these particles encourages more reaction to take place and hence more heat to be produced. A runaway reaction can be the result. 

A general chemical identification of six of these polymers is shown in Figure 1. Dyad 609 is a proprietary material trade marketed by The Soundcoat Company, Inc. Hypalon, manufactured by DuPont and Yinac BlOO, manufactured by Air Products, were used as compounded. The exact formulations for the compounded polymers are proprietary. The other polymers shown in Table I and Figure 1 were used without compounding. All materials were used in uncured condition. The polymers and compounds in Table I were selected for study, since the data were already available from previous investigations. Data for both filled and unfilled polymers will be the subject of a follow-up future investigation. 

Air Products and Chemicals Polymer Chemicals Division Allentown, PA 18195 (215)-481-6799... 

Vinyl acetate-acrylic polymer FLEXBOND Air Products... 

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