Thermoplastic elastomer-olefin

TEO thermoplastic elastomer olefinic TOC total organic carbon... 

Thermoplastic elastomer (or rubber) Thermoplastic elastomer - amide based Thermoplastic elastomer - olefin based Thermoplastic elastomer - urethane based Thermoplastic ether ester (COPE or PEEL) Thermoplastic ethylene propylene rubber - aTPE TP-EPDM... 

POM polyoxymethylene, polyformaldehyde, acetals TEE-O, TEO thermoplastic elastomer - olefinic... 

Aliphatic C-5—C-6. Aliphatic feedstreams are typically composed of C-5 and C-6 paraffins, olefins, and diolefins, the main reactive components being piperylenes cis-[1574-41 -0] and /n j -l,3-pentadiene [2004-70-8f). Other main compounds iaclude substituted C-5 and C-6 olefins such as cyclopentene [142-29-OJ, 2-methyl-2-butene [513-35-9] and 2-methyl-2-pentene [625-27-4J. Isoprene and cyclopentadiene maybe present ia small to moderate quaatities (2—10%). Most steam cracking operatioas are desigaed to remove and purify isoprene from the C-5—C-6 fraction for applications ia mbbers and thermoplastic elastomers. Cyclopentadiene is typically dimerized to dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and removed from C-5 olefin—diolefin feedstreams duriag fractionation (19). 

The more important grades of thermoplastic natural mbber, which fall into the olefinic class of thermoplastic elastomers, are prepared with the natural mbber phase partially cross-linked during blending, a process known as dynamic vulcanization. The hardness of the soft blends is controlled by the natural mbber content, and typical properties of those of 50—90 hardness (Shore A) are shown in Table 7. 

Ethylene-cyclo-olefin copolymers have been known since 1954 (DuPont USP2 721 189) but these materials only became of importance in the late 1990s with the development of copolymers of ethylene and 2-norbomene by Hoechst and Mitsui using metallocene technology developed by Hoechst. The product is marketed as Topas by Ticona. By adjustment of the monomer ratios polymers with a wide range of Tg values may be obtained including materials that are of potential interest as thermoplastic elastomers. This section considers only thermoplastic materials, cyclo-olefins of interest as elastomers are considered further in Section 11.10. 

Ethylene reacts by addition to many inexpensive reagents such as water, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, and oxygen to produce valuable chemicals. It can be initiated by free radicals or by coordination catalysts to produce polyethylene, the largest-volume thermoplastic polymer. It can also be copolymerized with other olefins producing polymers with improved properties. Eor example, when ethylene is polymerized with propylene, a thermoplastic elastomer is obtained. Eigure 7-1 illustrates the most important chemicals based on ethylene. 

Obviously, there exists severe interplastics competition, e.g. PP vs. ABS, clarified PP vs. PS, PA, PVC, HDPE and PS (Table 10.7). A wide range of cross-linked and thermoplastic elastomer applications, from footware to automotive parts and toothbrushes, are adopting new metallocene-catalysed polyolefin elastomers (POEs). These low-density copolymers of ethylene and octene were first accepted as impact modifiers for TPOs, but now displace EPDM, (foamed) EVA, flexible PVC, and olefinic thermoplastic vulcanisates (TPVs). Interpolymer competition may also result from... 

Keywords Catalyzed olefin polymerization, Chain shuttling catalysis, Chain transfer, Olefin block copolymers, Thermoplastic elastomers... 

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are either block copolymers (SBS, SEES, SEPS, TPU, COPA, COPE) or blends, such as TPO (elastomer/hard thermoplastic, also referred to as thermoplastic olefin) and TPV (fhermoplastic vul-canizafe, blend of a vulcanized elastomer and a hard fhermoplastic). These types represent the majority of fhe TPEs other types are either specialty or small-volume materials. 

Processing oil is a well-known additive for rubbers and is commonly employed in PP/EPDM TPVs [10-12]. It lowers the hardness and improves the processability. The oil, in most cases paraffinic oil, can be considered as a low molecular weight olefin. The difference in polarity between the three components is small, and the oil is present in both the PP and in the elastomer phases [67]. In order to understand the mechanical and the rheological properties of olefinic thermoplastic elastomers (OTPEs), the concentration of oil in each phase must be known. 

The living character of organolithium polymerizations makes such processes ideally suited for the preparation of pure as well as tapered-block copolymers. Diene-olefin pure-block copolymers have become important commodities because of their unique structure-property relationships. When such copolymers have an ABA or (AB) X [A = polyolefin, e.g., polystyrene or poly(a-methylstyrene) B = polydiene, e.g., polybutadiene or polyisoprene and X = coupling-agent residue] arrangement of the blocks, the copolymers have found use as thermoplastic elastomers (i.e., elastomers that can be processed as thermoplastics). 

Thermoplastic Olefin. These thermoplastic elastomers are primarily blends, or block or graft copolymers, of ethylene/propylene rubber with polypropylene. 

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