Elastomers ethylene propylene copolymers

ADK Stab LA 77 Bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) decanedioate Bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-sebacate Decanedioic acid, bis 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) ester EINECS 258-207-9 HALS 1 HALS 770 Lowilite 77 LS 770 Mark LA 77 Sanol Sanol 770 Sanol LS 700 Sanol LS 770 Sumisorb 577 T 770 TIN 770 Tinuvin 770 Tinuvin 770DF Tinuvin 770LS TK-10665 Uvaseb 770. Light stabilizer for polyolefins, ABS, PUR acrylics, PS and styrene copolymers, thermoplastic elastomers, ethylene-propylene copolymers, polyamides. Ciba-Geigy Corp. En/Chem SpA bowi. 

Chlorosulfonated polyethylenes Epichlorohydrin elastomers Ethylene/acrylic elastomers Ethylene-propylene copolymers Fluoroelastomers Isobutylene-paramethylstyrene elastomers... 

Thermoplastic elastomers Ethylene-propylene copolymer W. Germany 2,646,480 1981 Mitsui Petrochemical... 

Polypropylene polymers are typically modified with ethylene to obtain desirable properties for specific applications. Specifically, ethylene—propylene mbbers are introduced as a discrete phase in heterophasic copolymers to improve toughness and low temperature impact resistance (see Elastomers, ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE rubber). This is done by sequential polymerisation of homopolymer polypropylene and ethylene—propylene mbber in a multistage reactor process or by the extmsion compounding of ethylene—propylene mbber with a homopolymer. Addition of high density polyethylene, by polymerisation or compounding, is sometimes used to reduce stress whitening. In all cases, a superior balance of properties is obtained when the sise of the discrete mbber phase is approximately one micrometer. Examples of these polymers and their properties are shown in Table 2. Mineral fillers, such as talc or calcium carbonate, can be added to polypropylene to increase stiffness and high temperature properties, as shown in Table 3. 

Organic peroxides are used in the polymer industry as thermal sources of free radicals. They are used primarily to initiate the polymerisation and copolymerisation of vinyl and diene monomers, eg, ethylene, vinyl chloride, styrene, acryUc acid and esters, methacrylic acid and esters, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and butadiene (see Initiators). They ate also used to cute or cross-link resins, eg, unsaturated polyester—styrene blends, thermoplastics such as polyethylene, elastomers such as ethylene—propylene copolymers and terpolymers and ethylene—vinyl acetate copolymer, and mbbets such as siUcone mbbet and styrene-butadiene mbbet. 

The use of TAG as a curing agent continues to grow for polyolefins and olefin copolymer plastics and mbbers. Examples include polyethylene (109), chlorosulfonated polyethylene (110), polypropylene (111), ethylene—vinyl acetate (112), ethylene—propylene copolymer (113), acrylonitrile copolymers (114), and methylstyrene polymers (115). In ethylene—propylene copolymer mbber compositions. TAG has been used for injection molding of fenders (116). Unsaturated elastomers, such as EPDM, cross link with TAG by hydrogen abstraction and addition to double bonds in the presence of peroxyketal catalysts (117) (see Elastol rs, synthetic). 

FIGURE 1.12 Master curve of tear energy Gc versus rate R of tear propagation at Tg for three cross-linked elastomers polybutadiene (BR, Tg — —96°C) ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR, Tg — —60°C) a high-styrene-styrene-butadiene rubber copolymer (HS-SBR, Tg — —30°C). (From Gent, A.N. and Lai, S.-M., J. Polymer Sci., Part B Polymer Phys., 32, 1543, 1994. With permission.)... 

FIGURE 13.13 Schematic representation of thermoplastic elastomers obtained through reaction of maleated ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPM) with polyamide-6 (PA-6). 

FIGURE 23.4 Solubility parameter spectra for elastomers ethylene propylene, nitrile (at 22% and 38% acrylonitrile content) and tetrafluoroethylene propylene copolymer. 

An oil-based drilling mud can be viscosified with maleated ethylene-propylene elastomers [919]. The elastomers are ethylene-propylene copolymers or ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers. The maleated elastomers are far more effective oil mud viscosifiers than the organophilic clays used. On the other hand, specific organophilic clays can provide a drilling fluid composition less sensitive to high temperatures [491]. 

The isoprene units in the copolymer impart the ability to crosslink the product. Polystyrene is far too rigid to be used as an elastomer but styrene copolymers with 1,3-butadiene (SBR rubber) are quite flexible and rubbery. Polyethylene is a crystalline plastic while ethylene-propylene copolymers and terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and diene (e.g., dicyclopentadiene, hexa-1,4-diene, 2-ethylidenenorborn-5-ene) are elastomers (EPR and EPDM rubbers). Nitrile or NBR rubber is a copolymer of acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene. Vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene and olefin-acrylic ester copolymers and 1,3-butadiene-styrene-vinyl pyridine terpolymer are examples of specialty elastomers. 

Since the excellent work of Moore and Watson (6, who cross-linked natural rubber with t-butylperoxide, most workers have assumed that physical cross-links contribute to the equilibrium elastic properties of cross-linked elastomers. This idea seems to be fully confirmed in work by Graessley and co-workers who used the Langley method on radiation cross-linked polybutadiene (.7) and ethylene-propylene copolymer (8) to study trapped entanglements. Two-network results on 1,2-polybutadiene (9.10) also indicate that the equilibrium elastic contribution from chain entangling at high degrees of cross-linking is quantitatively equal to the pseudoequilibrium rubber plateau modulus (1 1.) of the uncross-linked polymer. 

Commercial grades of ethylene-propylene copolymers (EPR) contain 60-75 mol% of ethylene to minimize crystallization. The addition of a third monomer, such as 1,4-hexadiene, dicyclopentadiene, or 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene, produces generally amorphous faster-curing elastomers. A large number of such terpolymers, referred to as EPDM, is available commercially. Their properties, performance, and response to radiation vary considerably depending on macrostructure, ethylene/propylene ratio, as well as on the type, amount, and distribution of the third monomer. 

Natural Rubber and Synthetic Polyisoprene Polybutadiene and Its Copolymers Polyisobutylene and Its Copolymers Ethylene-Propylene Copolymers and Terpolymers Polychloroprene Silicone Elastomers Fluorocarbon Elastomers Fluorosilicone Elastomers Electron Beam Processing of Liquid Systems Grafting and Other Polymer Modifications... 

ABA ABS ABS-PC ABS-PVC ACM ACS AES AMMA AN APET APP ASA BR BS CA CAB CAP CN CP CPE CPET CPP CPVC CR CTA DAM DAP DMT ECTFE EEA EMA EMAA EMAC EMPP EnBA EP EPM ESI EVA(C) EVOH FEP HDI HDPE HIPS HMDI IPI LDPE LLDPE MBS Acrylonitrile-butadiene-acrylate Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-polycarbonate alloy Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-poly(vinyl chloride) alloy Acrylic acid ester rubber Acrylonitrile-chlorinated pe-styrene Acrylonitrile-ethylene-propylene-styrene Acrylonitrile-methyl methacrylate Acrylonitrile Amorphous polyethylene terephthalate Atactic polypropylene Acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile Butadiene rubber Butadiene styrene rubber Cellulose acetate Cellulose acetate-butyrate Cellulose acetate-propionate Cellulose nitrate Cellulose propionate Chlorinated polyethylene Crystalline polyethylene terephthalate Cast polypropylene Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride Chloroprene rubber Cellulose triacetate Diallyl maleate Diallyl phthalate Terephthalic acid, dimethyl ester Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer Ethylene-ethyl acrylate Ethylene-methyl acrylate Ethylene methacrylic acid Ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer Elastomer modified polypropylene Ethylene normal butyl acrylate Epoxy resin, also ethylene-propylene Ethylene-propylene rubber Ethylene-styrene copolymers Polyethylene-vinyl acetate Polyethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers Fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers Hexamethylene diisocyanate High-density polyethylene High-impact polystyrene Diisocyanato dicyclohexylmethane Isophorone diisocyanate Low-density polyethylene Linear low-density polyethylene Methacrylate-butadiene-styrene... 

At room temperature, PE is a semi-crystalline plastomer (a plastic which on stretching shows elongation like an elastomer), but on heating crystallites melt and the polymer passes through an elastomeric phase. Similarly, by hindering the crystallisation of PE (that is, by incorporating new chain elements), amorphous curable rubbery materials like ethylene propylene copolymer (EPM), ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), chlorinated polyethylene (CM), and chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM) can be prepared. 

The Ziegler-Natta catalysts have acquired practical importance particularly as heterogeneous systems, mostly owing to the commercial production of linear high- and low-density polyethylenes and isotactic polypropylene. Elastomers based on ethylene-propylene copolymers (with the use of vanadium-based catalysts) as well as 1,4-cz s-and 1,4-tran.y-poly(l, 3-butadiene) and polyisoprene are also produced. These catalysts are extremely versatile and can be used in many other polymerisations of various hydrocarbon monomers, leading very often to polymers of different stereoregularity. In 1963, both Ziegler and Natta were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry. 

Random ethylene/propylene copolymers are amorphous and represent an interesting class of synthetic elastomers. The introduction of double bonds, useful for sulphur vulcanisation in the copolymer, can be achieved by copolymerisation of ethylene and propylene with non-conjugated dienes containing only one double bond capable of insertion for instance, 1,4-hexadiene, dicy-clopentadiene and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (endocyclic double bond)... 

Applications of ethylene-propylene copolymers and terpolymers include automotive (the major use area), thermoplastic olefin elastomers, single-ply roofing, viscosity index improvers for lube oils, wire and cable insulation, hose, appliance parts, and polymer modification. 

Impact-modified polypropylenes are produced by combining the homopolymer with an ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber. Ziegler-Natta processes yield such products in cascaded reactors. The first reactor in the sequence produces a rigid polymer with a high propylene content and feeds the second reactor, where the ethylene-propylene elastomer is polymerized in intimate mixture with the first material. 

Ethylene propylene copolymers and their blends exhibit diverse degradation behavior under the influence of light, heat and radiation. In spite of many papers in this area, little, if any, mechanistic data on degradation and stabilization of this important class of materials is available in the literature. The present paper reviews the published literature in this area organised under five distinct class of materials, namely, thermoplastic, elastomeric, and heterophasic copolymers, thermoplastic elastomer and blends. Of this, elastomeric ethylene-propylene copolymers appears to have been most exhaustively studied. Very few studies have reported on thermoplastic copolymers, both random as well as heterophasic as well as thermoplastic elastomers and blends. Specific mechanisms of degradation and stabilization of each of these classes of materials are discussed. 

Copolymers of ethylene and propylene have come to stay as important materials with diverse practical applications. They span the full range of polymeric properties, from soft elastomers to hard thermoplastics depending on the relative composition of the two monomers and the manner of their enchainment. Ethylene-propylene copolymers are manufactured commercially using Ziegler-Natta catalysts [1]. For the purposes of this discussion, we will treat these copolymers in terms of three distinct classes of materials ... 

FIGURE 9.17 Dependence of productivity and separation factor /3p C6H5CH3/H2O of membranes based on various rubbery polymers on the glass transition temperature of the polymer (pervaporation separation of saturated toluene/water mixture, T = 308 K) (1) polydimethyl siloxane (2) polybutadiene (3) polyoctylmethyl siloxane (4) nitrile butadiene rubber with 18% mol of nitrile groups (5) the same, 28% mol of nitrile groups (6) the same, 38% mol of nitrile groups (7) ethylene/propylene copolymer (8) polyepichlorohydrin (9) polychloroprene (10) pol3furethane (11) polyacrylate rubber (12) fluorocarbon elastomer. (From analysis of data presented in Semenova, S.I., J. Membr. Sci., 231, 189, 2004. With permission.)... 

With the high-temperature solution polymerization processes, various ethylene homo- and copolymers with different average molecular mass and copolymer compositions are produced. The product portfolio comprises PE-HD, PE-LLD, PE-VLD, and the ethylene/propylene elastomers (EPM, EPDM) (see Figure 2). The thermoplastic products have a wide range of applications [1]. The elastomeric ethylene/propylene copolymers can also be applied widely in the automotive industry, for plastics modification, in industrial applications such as seals, in electrical cables, and in tires [2], Uncured ethylene/propylene copolymers are applicable as viscosity index improvers for lubricant oils [5]. 

Figure 13.9. Elastomer content vs. impact strength of polypropylene containing 15% talc and maleic anhydride modified ethylene-propylene copolymer. [Data from Yu Long, Shanks R A, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 61, No. 11, 1996,1877-85.]...

Composition (type of polymeric components). The base polymer (which is to be modified) may be an amorphous polymer [e.g., polystyrene (PS), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, polycarbonate, or poly(vinyl chloride)], a semicrystalline polymer [e.g., polyamide (PA) or polypropylene (PP)], or a thermoset resin (e.g., epoxy resin). The modifier may be a rubber-like elastomer (e.g., polybutadiene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, or ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer), a core-shell modifier, or another polymer. Even smaller amounts of a compatibilizer, such as a copolymer, are sometimes added as a third component to control the morphology. 

Furthermore, monomers from which crystalline homopolymer can be produced, such as high-density polyethylene and polypropylene, can be copolymerized to produce resins with controllably reduced crystallinity and thus greater transparency. The ethylene/propylene copolymers may range from partially crystalline plastics to amorphous elastomers. 

Property Fluorinated ydrocarbon T etrafluoro-ethylene/ propylene copolymer Fluorosillcone Perfiuoro- elastomer Polyurethane Poly- chloroprene Chloro- sulfonated polyethylene Ethylene/ propylene copolymer... 

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