Title of Invention	MONO-LAYER ROTOMOULDED ARTICLES PREPARED FROM BLENDS COMPRISING POLYETHYLENE
Abstract	A mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding is disclosed. It comprises: (a) from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with a metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof; (b) from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on the weight of component b., of a minor component selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and (c) from 0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalized polyolefin wherein the functionalized polyolefin is an ionomer or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer.

Title of Invention

MONO-LAYER ROTOMOULDED ARTICLES PREPARED FROM BLENDS COMPRISING POLYETHYLENE

Abstract

A mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding is disclosed. It comprises: (a) from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with a metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof; (b) from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on the weight of component b., of a minor component selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and (c) from 0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalized polyolefin wherein the functionalized polyolefin is an ionomer or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer.

Full Text	The present invention is related to the field of mono-layer rotomoulded articles prepared from a blend comprising polyethylene mixed one or more other component selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide. Polyethylene represents more than 80 % of the polymers used in the rotomoulding market. This is due to the outstanding resistance of polyethylene to thermal degradation during processing, to its easy grinding, good flowability, and low temperature impact properties. Rotomoulding is used for the manufacture of simple to complex, hollow plastic products. It can be used to mould a variety of materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate polyamide, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Linear low density polyethylene is preferably used as disclosed for example in "Some new results on rotational molding of metallocene polyethylenes" by D. Annechini, E. Takacs and J. Vlachopoulos in ANTEC, vol. 1, 2001. Polyethylenes prepared with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst are generally used in rotomoulding, but metallocene-produced polyethylenes are desirable, because their narrow molecular distribution allows better impact properties and shorter cycle time in processing. The metallocene-produced polyethylenes of the prior art (see ANTEC, vol. 1, 2001) suffer from high shrinkage and warpage and for some applications from their whiteness in their natural state. Plastoetastomeric compositions such as described in US-5,457,159 can also be used in rotomoulding, but they require complex processing steps of mixing and vulcanisation. US-6,124,400 discloses the use for rotomoulding of polymer alloys containing semi- crystalline polyolefin sequences with chains of different controlled micro-structure prepared in a "one-pot" polymerisation process from a single monomer. The polymerization of these polymer alloys requires a complex catalyst system comprising organometallic catalyst precursors, cationic forming cocatalysts and cross-over agents. It is thus desired to produce mono-layer rotomoulded articles prepared with blends comprising polyethylene and one or more other resins of similar or dissimilar material in order to improve the final properties of the finished product. For example, it may be desirable to combine the good shock absorber and impact properties of polyetherester with the acceptable food contact and qualities of polyethylene, such as for example low cost and good impact at low temperature. It is an aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles having good barrier resistance. It is a further aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles having a good shock absorbing properties. It is yet another aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles upon which it is easy to glue additional parts. It is also an aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles that have a soft touch. It is yet a further aim of the present invention to prepare articles having either good hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties. Accordingly, the present invention discloses a mono-layer article prepared by rotational moulding from a blend that comprises: a. from 10 to 99.9 wt%, preferably from 50 to 99.9 wt% of polyethylene (PE); b. from 0.1 to 90 wt%, preferably from 0.1 to 50 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA); and c. from 0 to 20 wt% of functionalised polyolefin. tn a more preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the blend comprises at least 75 wt% of metallocene-produced polyethylene. Preferably, the functionalised polyolefin is a functionalised polyethylene, selected from grafted polyethylene or ionomer or a combination thereof and it is present in an amount of from 0.5 to 20 wt%. The blends are provided as standard pellets prepared by coextruding the polyethylene resin, the one or more other resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide and the functionalised polyolefin. The standard pellets can further be ground into powder or micropellets. The articles may contain any number of additional conventional layers. Preferably, polyethylene (PE) is prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or a metallocene- based catalyst system or a combination thereof. The polyetherester, saturated polyester, polycarbonate or polyamide used in the present invention may comprise minor components selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer. By minor component it is meant that such a component makes up less than 50 % by weight. The polyetheresters are copolymers having polyester blocks and polyether blocks. They typically consist of soft polyether blocks, which are the residues of polyetherdiols, and of hard segments (polyester blocks), which usually result from the reaction of at least one dicarboxylic acid with at least one chain-extending short diol unit. The polyester blocks and the polyether blocks are generally linked by ester linkages resulting from the reaction of the acid functional groups of the acid with the OH functional groups of the polyetherdiol. The short chain-extending diol may be chosen from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol and aliphatic glycols of formula HO(CH2)nOH in which n is an integer varying from 2 to 10. Advantageously, the diacids are aromatic dicarboxylic acids having from 8 to 14 carbon atoms. Up to 50 mol% of the dicarboxylic aromatic acid may be replaced with at least one other dicarboxylic aromatic acid having from 8 to 14 carbon atoms, and/or up to 20 mol% may be replaced with a dicarboxylic aliphatic acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms. As examples of dicarboxylic aromatic acids, mention may be made of terephthalic, isophthalic, dibenzoic, naphthalenedicarboxyiic acids, 4,4'-diphenylenedicarboxylic acid, bis(p-carboxyphenyl)methane acid, ethyienebis(p-benzoic acid), 1,4-tetramethylenebis(p-oxybenzoic acid), ethylenebis(paraoxybenzoic acid) and 1,3-trimethylene bis(p-oxybenzoic acid). As examples of glycols, mention may be made of ethylene glycol, 1,3-trimethylene glycol, 1,4-tetramethylene glycol, 1,6-hexamethylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,8-octamethylene glycol, 1,10-decamethylene glycol and 1,4-cyclohexylenedimethanol. The copolymers having polyester blocks and polyether blocks are, for example, copolymers having polyether blocks derived from polyether diols, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG) or polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG), dicarboxylic acid units, such as terephthalic acid, and glycol (ethanediol) or 1,4-butanedio! units. The chain-linking of the polyethers and diacids forms soft segments while the chain- linking of the glycol or the butanediol with the diacids forms the hard segments of the copolyetherester. Such copolyetheresters are disclosed for example in EP 402 883 and EP 405 227. These polyetheresters are thermoplastic elastomers. They may contain plasticizers. Polyetheresters can for example be obtained from Du Pont Company under the Hytrel® trademark. Saturated polyester resins are polycondensation products of dicarboxylic acids with dihydroxy alcohols. They are a special kind of alkyd resin that are usually not modified with fatty acids or drying oils and they have the ability, when catalysed, to cure or harden at room temperature under little or no pressure. The preferred saturated polyesters are'polyalkylene terephthatate, more preferably polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthatate (PBT). Saturated polyesters can for example be obtained from Cyclics under the name Cycllcs CBT®. Polycarbonate (PC) is a thermoplastic resin obtained from a dihydroxy compound and a carboxylic acid derivative or a carbonate diester. The preferred polycarbonate is the condensation product of bisphenol A and phosgene. Polyamide is the condensation product of: - one or more amino acids such as aminocaproic acid, 7-aminoheptanoic acid, 11-aminoundecanoic acid and 12-aminododecanoic acid of one or more lactams such as caprolactam, oenantholactam and lauryllactam; and - one or more salts or mixtures of diamines such as hexamethylenediamine, dodecamethyienediamine, meta-xylylenediamine, bis(p- aminocyclohexyl)methane and trimethylhexamethylenediamine with diacids such as isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid and dodecanedicarboxylic acid. As examples of polyamides, mention may be made of PA 6 and PA 6-6. It is also advantageously possible to use copolyamides. Mention may be made of the copolyamides resulting from the condensation of at least two a,co-aminocarboxy(ic acids or of two lactams or of one lactam and one α,ω-aminocarboxylic acid. Mention may also be made of the copolyamides resulting from the condensation of at least one α,ω-aminocarboxylic acid (or a lactam), at least one diamine and at least one dicarboxylic acid. Advantageously, the copolyamide is chosen from PA 6/12 and and PA 6/6-6. More generally, amine terminated materials can also be used in the blends of the present invention and they are preferably selected from polyamide diamine (PAdiNH2). According to their process of manufacture and/or the chain limiter used, the polyamides may have excesses of acid or amine end groups or may even have a proportion of alkyl or other end groups, for example aryl or any other function, deriving from the structure of the limiter chosen. The excess of acid end groups derives from a diacid chain limiter. The excess of amine end groups derives from a diamine chain limiter. A primary amine chain limiter leads to a polyamide chain having an alkyl end and an amine end. The polyamides that can be used in the blend of the present invention may also be impact-modified polyamides. Supple modifiers may be made, for example, of functionalised polyolefins, grafted aliphatic polyesters, optionally grafted copolymers containing polyether blocks and polyamide blocks, and copolymers of ethylene and of an alkyl (meth)acrylate and/or of a saturated vinylcarboxylic acid ester. The modifier may also be a polyolefin chain with polyamide grafts or polyamide oligomers thus having affinities with the polyolefins and the polyamides. The supple modifier may also be a block copolymer. Foamed polyamides may also be used. The polyamide blend may further advantageously include polyurethane or a composition comprising polyamide and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH), and more generally, any composition comprising polyamide and a barrier layer. Polyether-block co-po!yamides are represented by the general formula HO-[C(O)-PA-C(O)-O-PEth-0]n-H (I) wherein PA represents the polyamide segment and PEth the polyether segment. For example the polyamide segment can be a PA 6, PA 66, PA 11 or a PA 12. The polyether segment can for example be a polyethylene glycol (PEG) or a polypropylene glycol (PPG) or a potytetramethylenglycol (PTMG). The molecular weight Mn of the polyamide sequence is usually between 300 and 15,000. The molecular weight Mn of the polyether sequence is usually between 100 and 6000. Such materials are commercially available for example from Arkema under the Pebax® trade name. The copolymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks are generally obtained from the polycondensation of polyamide blocks having reactive end groups with polyether blocks having reactive end groups, such as, inter alia: 1} polyamide blocks having diamine chain ends with polyoxyalkylene blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends; 2) polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends with polyoxyalkylene blocks having diamine chain ends, obtained by cyanoethylation and hydrogenation of aliphatic dihydroxylated α,ω-polyoxyalkyiene blocks called polyetherdiols; and 3) polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends with polyetherdiols, the products obtained being, in this particular case, polyetheresteramides. The polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends derive, for example, from the condensation of polyamide precursors in the presence of a chain-stopping carboxylic diacid. The polyamide blocks having diamine chain ends derive, for example, from the condensation of polyamide precursors in the presence of a chain-stopping diamine. The polymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks may also include randomly distributed units. These polymers may be prepared by the simultaneous reaction of the polyether and of the precursors of the polyamide blocks. For example, a polyetherdiot, polyamide precursors and a chain-stopping diaoid may be made to react together. A polymer is obtained which essentially has polyether blocks and polyamide blocks of very variable length, but in addition the various reactants that have reacted randomly, which are distributed in a random fashion along the polymer chain. A potyether diamine, polyamide precursors and a chain-stopping diacid may also be made to react together. A polymer is obtained which has essentially polyether blocks and polyamide blocks of very variable length, but also the various reactants that have reacted randomly, which are distributed in a random fashion along the polymer chain. The amount of polyether blocks in these copolymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks is advantageously from 10 to 70% and preferably from 35 to 60% by weight of the copolymer. The pofyetherdiol blocks may either be used as such and copolycondensed with polyamide blocks having carboxylic end groups, or they may be aminated in order to be converted into polyetherdiamines and condensed with polyamide blocks having carboxylic end groups. They may also be blended with polyamide precursors and a diacid chain stopper in order to make the polymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks with randomly distributed units. The number-average molar mass Mn of the polyamide blocks is usually between 300 and 15,000, except in the case of the polyamide blocks of the second type. The mass Mn of the polyether blocks is usually between 100 and 6000. The polyurethanes, if present, typically consist of soft polyether blocks, which usually are residues of polyetherdiols, and hard blocks (polyurethanes), which may result from the reaction of at least one diisocyanate with at least one short diol. The short chain-extending dioi may be chosen from the glycols mentioned above in the description of the polyether esters. The polyurethane blocks and polyether blocks are linked by linkages resulting from the reaction of the isocyanate functional groups with the OH functional groups of the polyether diol. Thermoplastic polyurethanes can for example be obtained from Elastogran GmbH under the Elastollan® trade name or from Dow Chemical Company under the Pellethane® trade name. The fluoropolymers suited as processing aid in the present invention are for example polymers of vinylidene fluoride (H2C=CF2) and/or copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene (F2C=CF-CF3). Though the copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene do not have elastomeric properties they are commonly referred to as "fluoroelastomers". The content of the comonomer hexafluoropropylene in a fluoroelastomer is usually in the range of 30 to 40 % by weight. Fluoropolymers suited as processing aids in the current invention are for example commercially available under the Dynamar®, Viton®and Kynar® trade names from Dyneon, DuPont-Dow Elastomers or Arkema. polyethylenes prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with metallocene catalyst or with late transition metal catalyst systems are typically used in rotomolding applications. Linear low density polyethylene is preferably used as disclosed for example in "Some new results on rotational molding of metallocene polyethylenes" by D. Annechini, E. Takacs and J. Vlachopoulos in ANTEC, vol. 1,2001. The preferred polyethylene according to the present invention is a homo- or co- polymer of ethylene produced with a catalyst comprising a metallocene on a silica/aluminoxane support. More preferably, the metallocene component is ethylene- bis-tetrahydroindenyl zirconium dichloride or bis-(n-butyl-cyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride or dimethylsilylene-bis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-indenyl) zirconium dichloride. The most preferred metallocene component is ethylene-bis-tetrahydroindenyl zirconium dichloride. In this description, the term copolymer refers to the polymerisation product of one monomer and one or more comonomers. The melt index of the polyethylene resin preferably used in the present invention typically falls in the range 0.1 to 25 dg/min, preferably in the range 0.2 to 15 dg/min and most preferably in the range 0.5 to 10 dg/min. The melt flow index MI2 is measured following the method of standard test ASTM D 1283 at a temperature of 190°C and a load of 2.16 kg. The homo- and co-polymers of ethylene that can be used in the present invention preferably have a density in the range 0.910 to 0.975 g/ml and more preferably in the range 0.915 to 0.955 g/ml. The density is measured following the method of standard test ASTM D 1505 at 23°C. The polyethylene of the present invention may also have a bi- or multimodal molecular weight distribution, i.e. they may be a blend of two or more polyolefins with different molecular weight distributions, which can be blended either physically or chemically, i.e. produced sequentially in two or more reactors. The polydispersity D of the polyoethylene suitable for the present invention is in the range 2 to 20, preferably 2 to 8, more preferably less than or equal to 5, and most preferably tess than or equal to 4, the latter range being typically associated with the preferred metallocene-prepared polyethylene resins. The polydispersity index D is defined as the ratio Mw/Mn of the weight average molecular weight Mw over the number average molecular weight Mn. The polyolefins of the present invention may also comprise other additives such as for example antioxidants, acid scavengers, antistatic additives, fillers, slip additives or anti-blocking additives. The functionalised polyolefins, if present are polyolefins grafted with a material that provides polarity and/or reactivity and they therefore depend upon the nature of the adjacent layers. Preferably in the present invention, the polyolefins are grafted with anhydride and preferably, the polyolefin is polyethylene or polypropylene, more preferably, it is polyethylene. Alternatively, the functionalised polyolefin is an ionomer. Grafted polyethylene provides excellent adhesion properties whereas ionomers enhance mechanical properties. In a more preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the functionalised polyolefin is a mixture of ionomer and grafted polyethylene. The choice of resins to be included blend is tailored in function of the desired final properties such as for example: - excellent shock absorption; - excellent impact properties; - soft touch; - same good barrier properties as polyamide but at a lesser cost; - anti-slip when dry and slippery when wet - broad range of working temperature - good hardness - hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties - scratch resistance. The wall thickness of the finished articles is determined by the size of the final product, by the desired properties and by the cost: it can vary from 1 mm up to several cm. The size of the rotomoulded articles varies from 0.1 L up to 70 m3. Because of their excellent impact and shock absorbing properties, the rotomoulded articles prepared according to the present invention can be large, such as drums, bumpers or large containers. The present invention also discloses a process for preparing mono-layer rotomoulded articles. Rotomoulded articles can be prepared either by manual introduction of material during the moulding cycle or by the use of a drop-box. Manual addition involves moving the mould from the oven, removing a vent tube or plug that creates an opening in the part and adding material using a fennel or wand. This operation must be repeated for each additional layer. A drop-box typically contains a single material layer and it is an insulated container that holds material until it is released at the appropriate time during the cycle. The signal for release of material is usually transmitted as a pressure pulse via the airline through the arm of the machine. The insulation must be kept cool to prevent the material inside the box from melting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Figure 1 represents the microstructure of a rotomoulded article prepared from a blend of 77 wt% of polyethylene, 3 wt% of graphted polyethylene and 20 wt% of Pebax® 3533. Figure 2 represents the microstructure of a rotomoulded article prepared from the same polyethylene as that used in the blend of figure 1, used alone. Figure 3 represents the impact strength expressed in Newtons as a function of time expressed in ms, and where peak energy is marked by P. The deformation of the article as a function of time is also indicated on the graph. Examples. Several rotomoulded articles were prepared as follows. Different blends were prepared by coextrusion. They consisted of: - 77 wt% of polyethylene produced with a metallocene catalyst system based on ethylene-bis-tetrahydro-indenyl zirconium dichloride and having a melt flow index M12 of 4 dg/min and a density of 0.940 g/cm3; - 3 wt% of grafted polyethylene represented by and having a melt flow index MI2 of 25 dg/min and a density of 0.940 g/cm3; and - 20 wt% of Pebax® 3533 having hydrophobic properties or of Pebax® MH 1657 having hydrophilic properties. In another blend, the 3 wt% of grafted polyethylene were replaced by ionomer The blends were produced either as micropellets or as powder obtained by grinding standard pellets. The Pebax® that was used in the blend has a much lower Young's modulus than polyethylene and is a plasticiser. All test mouldings were carried out on the ROTOSPEED rotational moulding machine. It is a carrousel-style machine with offset arm, LPG burner arm with a burner capacity of 523 kW/hr, air fan cooling, and a maximum plate diameter of 1.5 m. An aluminum box mould was used to produce the test mouldings. The mould was equipped with a draft angle to facilitate demoulding and the bi-layer articles were prepared by the use of a drop box. The drop box was filled with the material needed for the first layer and then attached to the lid of the mould. A pneumatic ram in the drop box held the material in place until the required temperature was reached, the ram was then activated and the material was dropped in. That operation was repeated for each layer under the conditions described below. The moulding conditions for the trials were as follows: • oven temperature: 300 °C • peak internal air temperature (PIAT): 200 °C • cooling medium: forced air • preheated arm and mould • cycle time: 20 minutes • wall thickness of rotomoulded parts: 1.5 mm. The rotomoulded articles had an excellent homogeneity and the Pebax® was perfectly dispersed into the finished article as can be seen on figure 1: this result is quite surprising as Pebax® is known to be difficult to disperse. In addition, as can be seen on the same figure 1, the microstructure is very fine, much finer than that of typical polyethylene displayed on figure 2. This confers excellent mechanical properties to the finished articles. The impact properties of the rotomoulded articles were measured using the method of standard test ISO 6602-3 at a temperature of- 40 °C and using a falling mass of 26.024 kg, a speed of the falling mass of 4.43 m/s and an impact energy of 255 J. All tests showed a ductile behaviour as can be seen on figure 3. WE CLAIM: 1. Mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding: a. from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with a metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof; b. from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on the weight of component b., of a minor component selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and c. from 0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalised polyolefin wherein the functionalized polyolefin is an ionomer or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer. 2. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the blend comprises: a. from 50 wt% of polyethylene; b. from 0.1 to 50 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide; and c. from 0.5 to 20 wt% offunctionalised polyolefin. 3. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein the blend comprises at least 75 wt% of a metallocene-produced polyethylene. 4. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the metallocene catalyst component is bis(tetrahydroindenyl) or bis(nbutyl-cyclopentadienyl). 5. A process for producing the mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 by manual introduction of material during the moulding cycle or by the use of a drop-box. 6. A drum prepared from the rotomoulded article of anyone of claims 1 to 4. ABSTRACT MONO-LAYER ROTOMOULDED ARTICLES PREPARED FROM BLENDS COMPRISING POLYETHYLENE A mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding is disclosed. It comprises: (a) from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with a metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof; (b) from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on the weight of component b., of a minor component selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and (c) from 0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalized polyolefin wherein the functionalized polyolefin is an ionomer or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer.

Full Text

The present invention is related to the field of mono-layer rotomoulded articles
prepared from a blend comprising polyethylene mixed one or more other component
selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide.
Polyethylene represents more than 80 % of the polymers used in the rotomoulding
market. This is due to the outstanding resistance of polyethylene to thermal
degradation during processing, to its easy grinding, good flowability, and low
temperature impact properties.
Rotomoulding is used for the manufacture of simple to complex, hollow plastic
products. It can be used to mould a variety of materials such as polyethylene,
polypropylene, polycarbonate polyamide, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Linear low
density polyethylene is preferably used as disclosed for example in "Some new
results on rotational molding of metallocene polyethylenes" by D. Annechini, E.
Takacs and J. Vlachopoulos in ANTEC, vol. 1, 2001.
Polyethylenes prepared with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst are generally used in
rotomoulding, but metallocene-produced polyethylenes are desirable, because their
narrow molecular distribution allows better impact properties and shorter cycle time
in processing.
The metallocene-produced polyethylenes of the prior art (see ANTEC, vol. 1, 2001)
suffer from high shrinkage and warpage and for some applications from their
whiteness in their natural state.

Plastoetastomeric compositions such as described in US-5,457,159 can also be
used in rotomoulding, but they require complex processing steps of mixing and
vulcanisation.
US-6,124,400 discloses the use for rotomoulding of polymer alloys containing semi-
crystalline polyolefin sequences with chains of different controlled micro-structure
prepared in a "one-pot" polymerisation process from a single monomer. The
polymerization of these polymer alloys requires a complex catalyst system
comprising organometallic catalyst precursors, cationic forming cocatalysts and
cross-over agents.
It is thus desired to produce mono-layer rotomoulded articles prepared with blends
comprising polyethylene and one or more other resins of similar or dissimilar material
in order to improve the final properties of the finished product. For example, it may
be desirable to combine the good shock absorber and impact properties of
polyetherester with the acceptable food contact and qualities of polyethylene, such
as for example low cost and good impact at low temperature.
It is an aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles having good
barrier resistance.
It is a further aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles having a
good shock absorbing properties.
It is yet another aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles upon
which it is easy to glue additional parts.
It is also an aim of the present invention to prepare rotomoulded articles that have a
soft touch.
It is yet a further aim of the present invention to prepare articles having either good
hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a mono-layer article prepared by
rotational moulding from a blend that comprises:
a. from 10 to 99.9 wt%, preferably from 50 to 99.9 wt% of polyethylene (PE);
b. from 0.1 to 90 wt%, preferably from 0.1 to 50 wt% of one or more resins
selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or
polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA); and
c. from 0 to 20 wt% of functionalised polyolefin.
tn a more preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the blend
comprises at least 75 wt% of metallocene-produced polyethylene.
Preferably, the functionalised polyolefin is a functionalised polyethylene, selected
from grafted polyethylene or ionomer or a combination thereof and it is present in an
amount of from 0.5 to 20 wt%.
The blends are provided as standard pellets prepared by coextruding the
polyethylene resin, the one or more other resins selected from polyetherester or
saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide and the functionalised polyolefin.
The standard pellets can further be ground into powder or micropellets.
The articles may contain any number of additional conventional layers.
Preferably, polyethylene (PE) is prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or a metallocene-
based catalyst system or a combination thereof.
The polyetherester, saturated polyester, polycarbonate or polyamide used in the
present invention may comprise minor components selected from the group
consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and
fluoropolymer.
By minor component it is meant that such a component makes up less than 50 % by
weight.

The polyetheresters are copolymers having polyester blocks and polyether blocks.
They typically consist of soft polyether blocks, which are the residues of
polyetherdiols, and of hard segments (polyester blocks), which usually result from
the reaction of at least one dicarboxylic acid with at least one chain-extending short
diol unit. The polyester blocks and the polyether blocks are generally linked by ester
linkages resulting from the reaction of the acid functional groups of the acid with the
OH functional groups of the polyetherdiol. The short chain-extending diol may be
chosen from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol and
aliphatic glycols of formula HO(CH2)nOH in which n is an integer varying from 2
to 10. Advantageously, the diacids are aromatic dicarboxylic acids having from 8 to
14 carbon atoms. Up to 50 mol% of the dicarboxylic aromatic acid may be replaced
with at least one other dicarboxylic aromatic acid having from 8 to 14 carbon atoms,
and/or up to 20 mol% may be replaced with a dicarboxylic aliphatic acid having from
2 to 12 carbon atoms.
As examples of dicarboxylic aromatic acids, mention may be made of terephthalic,
isophthalic, dibenzoic, naphthalenedicarboxyiic acids, 4,4'-diphenylenedicarboxylic
acid, bis(p-carboxyphenyl)methane acid, ethyienebis(p-benzoic acid),
1,4-tetramethylenebis(p-oxybenzoic acid), ethylenebis(paraoxybenzoic acid) and
1,3-trimethylene bis(p-oxybenzoic acid). As examples of glycols, mention may be
made of ethylene glycol, 1,3-trimethylene glycol, 1,4-tetramethylene glycol,
1,6-hexamethylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,8-octamethylene glycol,
1,10-decamethylene glycol and 1,4-cyclohexylenedimethanol. The copolymers
having polyester blocks and polyether blocks are, for example, copolymers having
polyether blocks derived from polyether diols, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG),
polypropylene glycol (PPG) or polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG), dicarboxylic acid
units, such as terephthalic acid, and glycol (ethanediol) or 1,4-butanedio! units. The
chain-linking of the polyethers and diacids forms soft segments while the chain-
linking of the glycol or the butanediol with the diacids forms the hard segments of the
copolyetherester. Such copolyetheresters are disclosed for example in EP 402 883
and EP 405 227. These polyetheresters are thermoplastic elastomers. They may
contain plasticizers.

Polyetheresters can for example be obtained from Du Pont Company under the
Hytrel® trademark.
Saturated polyester resins are polycondensation products of dicarboxylic acids with
dihydroxy alcohols. They are a special kind of alkyd resin that are usually not
modified with fatty acids or drying oils and they have the ability, when catalysed, to
cure or harden at room temperature under little or no pressure. The preferred
saturated polyesters are'polyalkylene terephthatate, more preferably polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthatate (PBT).
Saturated polyesters can for example be obtained from Cyclics under the name
Cycllcs CBT®.
Polycarbonate (PC) is a thermoplastic resin obtained from a dihydroxy compound
and a carboxylic acid derivative or a carbonate diester. The preferred polycarbonate
is the condensation product of bisphenol A and phosgene.
Polyamide is the condensation product of:
- one or more amino acids such as aminocaproic acid, 7-aminoheptanoic acid,
11-aminoundecanoic acid and 12-aminododecanoic acid of one or more
lactams such as caprolactam, oenantholactam and lauryllactam; and
- one or more salts or mixtures of diamines such as hexamethylenediamine,
dodecamethyienediamine, meta-xylylenediamine, bis(p-
aminocyclohexyl)methane and trimethylhexamethylenediamine with diacids
such as isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, suberic
acid, sebacic acid and dodecanedicarboxylic acid.
As examples of polyamides, mention may be made of PA 6 and PA 6-6.
It is also advantageously possible to use copolyamides. Mention may be made of the
copolyamides resulting from the condensation of at least two a,co-aminocarboxy(ic
acids or of two lactams or of one lactam and one α,ω-aminocarboxylic acid. Mention

may also be made of the copolyamides resulting from the condensation of at least
one α,ω-aminocarboxylic acid (or a lactam), at least one diamine and at least one
dicarboxylic acid.
Advantageously, the copolyamide is chosen from PA 6/12 and and PA 6/6-6.
More generally, amine terminated materials can also be used in the blends of the
present invention and they are preferably selected from polyamide diamine
(PAdiNH2). According to their process of manufacture and/or the chain limiter used,
the polyamides may have excesses of acid or amine end groups or may even have a
proportion of alkyl or other end groups, for example aryl or any other function,
deriving from the structure of the limiter chosen. The excess of acid end groups
derives from a diacid chain limiter. The excess of amine end groups derives from a
diamine chain limiter. A primary amine chain limiter leads to a polyamide chain
having an alkyl end and an amine end.
The polyamides that can be used in the blend of the present invention may also be
impact-modified polyamides. Supple modifiers may be made, for example, of
functionalised polyolefins, grafted aliphatic polyesters, optionally grafted copolymers
containing polyether blocks and polyamide blocks, and copolymers of ethylene and
of an alkyl (meth)acrylate and/or of a saturated vinylcarboxylic acid ester. The
modifier may also be a polyolefin chain with polyamide grafts or polyamide oligomers
thus having affinities with the polyolefins and the polyamides. The supple modifier
may also be a block copolymer.
Foamed polyamides may also be used.
The polyamide blend may further advantageously include polyurethane or a
composition comprising polyamide and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH),
and more generally, any composition comprising polyamide and a barrier layer.
Polyether-block co-po!yamides are represented by the general formula

HO-[C(O)-PA-C(O)-O-PEth-0]n-H (I)
wherein PA represents the polyamide segment and PEth the polyether segment. For
example the polyamide segment can be a PA 6, PA 66, PA 11 or a PA 12. The
polyether segment can for example be a polyethylene glycol (PEG) or a
polypropylene glycol (PPG) or a potytetramethylenglycol (PTMG). The molecular
weight Mn of the polyamide sequence is usually between 300 and 15,000. The
molecular weight Mn of the polyether sequence is usually between 100 and 6000.
Such materials are commercially available for example from Arkema under the
Pebax® trade name.
The copolymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks are generally
obtained from the polycondensation of polyamide blocks having reactive end groups
with polyether blocks having reactive end groups, such as, inter alia:
1} polyamide blocks having diamine chain ends with polyoxyalkylene
blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends;
2) polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends with polyoxyalkylene
blocks having diamine chain ends, obtained by cyanoethylation and hydrogenation of
aliphatic dihydroxylated α,ω-polyoxyalkyiene blocks called polyetherdiols; and
3) polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends with polyetherdiols,
the products obtained being, in this particular case, polyetheresteramides.
The polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chain ends derive, for example, from the
condensation of polyamide precursors in the presence of a chain-stopping carboxylic
diacid.
The polyamide blocks having diamine chain ends derive, for example, from the
condensation of polyamide precursors in the presence of a chain-stopping diamine.
The polymers having polyamide blocks and polyether blocks may also include
randomly distributed units. These polymers may be prepared by the simultaneous
reaction of the polyether and of the precursors of the polyamide blocks.

For example, a polyetherdiot, polyamide precursors and a chain-stopping diaoid may
be made to react together. A polymer is obtained which essentially has polyether
blocks and polyamide blocks of very variable length, but in addition the various
reactants that have reacted randomly, which are distributed in a random fashion
along the polymer chain.
A potyether diamine, polyamide precursors and a chain-stopping diacid may also be
made to react together. A polymer is obtained which has essentially polyether blocks
and polyamide blocks of very variable length, but also the various reactants that
have reacted randomly, which are distributed in a random fashion along the polymer
chain.
The amount of polyether blocks in these copolymers having polyamide blocks and
polyether blocks is advantageously from 10 to 70% and preferably from 35 to 60%
by weight of the copolymer.
The pofyetherdiol blocks may either be used as such and copolycondensed with
polyamide blocks having carboxylic end groups, or they may be aminated in order to
be converted into polyetherdiamines and condensed with polyamide blocks having
carboxylic end groups. They may also be blended with polyamide precursors and a
diacid chain stopper in order to make the polymers having polyamide blocks and
polyether blocks with randomly distributed units.
The number-average molar mass Mn of the polyamide blocks is usually between 300
and 15,000, except in the case of the polyamide blocks of the second type. The
mass Mn of the polyether blocks is usually between 100 and 6000.
The polyurethanes, if present, typically consist of soft polyether blocks, which usually
are residues of polyetherdiols, and hard blocks (polyurethanes), which may result
from the reaction of at least one diisocyanate with at least one short diol. The short
chain-extending dioi may be chosen from the glycols mentioned above in the

description of the polyether esters. The polyurethane blocks and polyether blocks
are linked by linkages resulting from the reaction of the isocyanate functional groups
with the OH functional groups of the polyether diol.
Thermoplastic polyurethanes can for example be obtained from Elastogran GmbH
under the Elastollan® trade name or from Dow Chemical Company under the
Pellethane® trade name.
The fluoropolymers suited as processing aid in the present invention are for example
polymers of vinylidene fluoride (H2C=CF2) and/or copolymers of vinylidene fluoride
and hexafluoropropylene (F2C=CF-CF3). Though the copolymers of vinylidene
fluoride and hexafluoropropylene do not have elastomeric properties they are
commonly referred to as "fluoroelastomers". The content of the comonomer
hexafluoropropylene in a fluoroelastomer is usually in the range of 30 to 40 % by
weight. Fluoropolymers suited as processing aids in the current invention are for
example commercially available under the Dynamar®, Viton®and Kynar® trade
names from Dyneon, DuPont-Dow Elastomers or Arkema.
polyethylenes prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with metallocene catalyst or with late
transition metal catalyst systems are typically used in rotomolding applications.
Linear low density polyethylene is preferably used as disclosed for example in
"Some new results on rotational molding of metallocene polyethylenes" by D.
Annechini, E. Takacs and J. Vlachopoulos in ANTEC, vol. 1,2001.
The preferred polyethylene according to the present invention is a homo- or co-
polymer of ethylene produced with a catalyst comprising a metallocene on a
silica/aluminoxane support. More preferably, the metallocene component is ethylene-
bis-tetrahydroindenyl zirconium dichloride or bis-(n-butyl-cyclopentadienyl) zirconium
dichloride or dimethylsilylene-bis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-indenyl) zirconium dichloride.
The most preferred metallocene component is ethylene-bis-tetrahydroindenyl
zirconium dichloride.

In this description, the term copolymer refers to the polymerisation product of one
monomer and one or more comonomers.
The melt index of the polyethylene resin preferably used in the present invention
typically falls in the range 0.1 to 25 dg/min, preferably in the range 0.2 to 15 dg/min
and most preferably in the range 0.5 to 10 dg/min. The melt flow index MI2 is
measured following the method of standard test ASTM D 1283 at a temperature of
190°C and a load of 2.16 kg.
The homo- and co-polymers of ethylene that can be used in the present invention
preferably have a density in the range 0.910 to 0.975 g/ml and more preferably in the
range 0.915 to 0.955 g/ml. The density is measured following the method of standard
test ASTM D 1505 at 23°C.
The polyethylene of the present invention may also have a bi- or multimodal
molecular weight distribution, i.e. they may be a blend of two or more polyolefins with
different molecular weight distributions, which can be blended either physically or
chemically, i.e. produced sequentially in two or more reactors.
The polydispersity D of the polyoethylene suitable for the present invention is in the
range 2 to 20, preferably 2 to 8, more preferably less than or equal to 5, and most
preferably tess than or equal to 4, the latter range being typically associated with the
preferred metallocene-prepared polyethylene resins. The polydispersity index D is
defined as the ratio Mw/Mn of the weight average molecular weight Mw over the
number average molecular weight Mn.
The polyolefins of the present invention may also comprise other additives such as
for example antioxidants, acid scavengers, antistatic additives, fillers, slip additives
or anti-blocking additives.
The functionalised polyolefins, if present are polyolefins grafted with a material that
provides polarity and/or reactivity and they therefore depend upon the nature of the
adjacent layers. Preferably in the present invention, the polyolefins are grafted with

anhydride and preferably, the polyolefin is polyethylene or polypropylene, more
preferably, it is polyethylene. Alternatively, the functionalised polyolefin is an
ionomer. Grafted polyethylene provides excellent adhesion properties whereas
ionomers enhance mechanical properties. In a more preferred embodiment
according to the present invention, the functionalised polyolefin is a mixture of
ionomer and grafted polyethylene.
The choice of resins to be included blend is tailored in function of the desired final
properties such as for example:
- excellent shock absorption;
- excellent impact properties;
- soft touch;
- same good barrier properties as polyamide but at a lesser cost;
- anti-slip when dry and slippery when wet
- broad range of working temperature
- good hardness
- hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties
- scratch resistance.
The wall thickness of the finished articles is determined by the size of the final
product, by the desired properties and by the cost: it can vary from 1 mm up to
several cm.
The size of the rotomoulded articles varies from 0.1 L up to 70 m3. Because of their
excellent impact and shock absorbing properties, the rotomoulded articles prepared
according to the present invention can be large, such as drums, bumpers or large
containers.
The present invention also discloses a process for preparing mono-layer
rotomoulded articles.

Rotomoulded articles can be prepared either by manual introduction of material
during the moulding cycle or by the use of a drop-box.
Manual addition involves moving the mould from the oven, removing a vent tube or
plug that creates an opening in the part and adding material using a fennel or wand.
This operation must be repeated for each additional layer.
A drop-box typically contains a single material layer and it is an insulated container
that holds material until it is released at the appropriate time during the cycle. The
signal for release of material is usually transmitted as a pressure pulse via the airline
through the arm of the machine. The insulation must be kept cool to prevent the
material inside the box from melting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1 represents the microstructure of a rotomoulded article prepared from a
blend of 77 wt% of polyethylene, 3 wt% of graphted polyethylene and 20 wt% of
Pebax® 3533.
Figure 2 represents the microstructure of a rotomoulded article prepared from the
same polyethylene as that used in the blend of figure 1, used alone.
Figure 3 represents the impact strength expressed in Newtons as a function of time
expressed in ms, and where peak energy is marked by P. The deformation of the
article as a function of time is also indicated on the graph.
Examples.
Several rotomoulded articles were prepared as follows.
Different blends were prepared by coextrusion.

They consisted of:
- 77 wt% of polyethylene produced with a metallocene catalyst system based
on ethylene-bis-tetrahydro-indenyl zirconium dichloride and having a melt flow
index M12 of 4 dg/min and a density of 0.940 g/cm3;
- 3 wt% of grafted polyethylene represented by

and having a melt flow index MI2 of 25 dg/min and a density of 0.940 g/cm3; and
- 20 wt% of Pebax® 3533 having hydrophobic properties or of Pebax® MH
1657 having hydrophilic properties.
In another blend, the 3 wt% of grafted polyethylene were replaced by ionomer

The blends were produced either as micropellets or as powder obtained by grinding
standard pellets.
The Pebax® that was used in the blend has a much lower Young's modulus than
polyethylene and is a plasticiser.
All test mouldings were carried out on the ROTOSPEED rotational moulding
machine. It is a carrousel-style machine with offset arm, LPG burner arm with a
burner capacity of 523 kW/hr, air fan cooling, and a maximum plate diameter of 1.5
m.
An aluminum box mould was used to produce the test mouldings. The mould was
equipped with a draft angle to facilitate demoulding and the bi-layer articles were
prepared by the use of a drop box. The drop box was filled with the material needed
for the first layer and then attached to the lid of the mould. A pneumatic ram in the
drop box held the material in place until the required temperature was reached, the
ram was then activated and the material was dropped in. That operation was
repeated for each layer under the conditions described below.
The moulding conditions for the trials were as follows:
• oven temperature: 300 °C
• peak internal air temperature (PIAT): 200 °C
• cooling medium: forced air
• preheated arm and mould
• cycle time: 20 minutes
• wall thickness of rotomoulded parts: 1.5 mm.
The rotomoulded articles had an excellent homogeneity and the Pebax® was
perfectly dispersed into the finished article as can be seen on figure 1: this result is
quite surprising as Pebax® is known to be difficult to disperse. In addition, as can be
seen on the same figure 1, the microstructure is very fine, much finer than that of

typical polyethylene displayed on figure 2. This confers excellent mechanical
properties to the finished articles.
The impact properties of the rotomoulded articles were measured using the method
of standard test ISO 6602-3 at a temperature of- 40 °C and using a falling mass of
26.024 kg, a speed of the falling mass of 4.43 m/s and an impact energy of 255 J. All
tests showed a ductile behaviour as can be seen on figure 3.

WE CLAIM:
1. Mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding:
a. from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with a
metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof;
b. from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or
saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally
mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on the weight of component b., of a minor component
selected from the group consisting of polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic
polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and
c. from 0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalised polyolefin wherein the functionalized
polyolefin is an ionomer or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer.
2. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the blend
comprises:
a. from 50 wt% of polyethylene;
b. from 0.1 to 50 wt% of one or more resins selected from polyetherester or
saturated polyester or polycarbonate or polyamide; and
c. from 0.5 to 20 wt% offunctionalised polyolefin.
3. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2
wherein the blend comprises at least 75 wt% of a metallocene-produced polyethylene.
4. The mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the
metallocene catalyst component is bis(tetrahydroindenyl) or bis(nbutyl-cyclopentadienyl).
5. A process for producing the mono-layer rotomoulded article as claimed in any one of
claims 1 to 4 by manual introduction of material during the moulding cycle or by the use of a
drop-box.

6. A drum prepared from the rotomoulded article of anyone of claims 1 to 4.

ABSTRACT

MONO-LAYER ROTOMOULDED ARTICLES PREPARED
FROM BLENDS COMPRISING POLYETHYLENE
A mono-layer rotomoulded article prepared from a blend produced by coextruding is
disclosed. It comprises: (a) from 10 wt% of polyethylene prepared with a Ziegler-Natta or with
a metallocene-based catalyst system or a combination thereof; (b) from 0.1 to 90 wt% of one
or more resins selected from polyetherester or saturated polyester or polycarbonate or
polyamide or ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) optionally mixed with less than 50 wt%, based on
the weight of component b., of a minor component selected from the group consisting of
polyether-block co-polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane and fluoropolymer; and (c) from
0.5 to 20 wt% of functionalized polyolefin wherein the functionalized polyolefin is an ionomer
or a mixture of a grafted polyethylene and an ionomer.

MONO-LAYER ROTOMOULDED ARTICLES PREPARED FROM BLENDS COMPRISING POLYETHYLENE

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