Layered composite of overpolymer rubbers as tougheners and thermoset and thermoplastic molding compositions

Claim 2

A composition comprising (A) a thermoplastic or thermoset resin molding compound and (B) from about 0.5 part to about 15 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the resin of an overpolymer comprised of (1) a hard graft-linked core having a Tg value of over about 20° C. and comprised of interpolymerized units of from about 50 percent to about 80 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, from about 19 percent to about 40 percent by weight of a copolymerizable vinylidene monomer, and from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight of a graft-linking monomer, (2) a cross-linked rubbery shell having a Tg value of below about 0° C. containing from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight based on the total weight of the shell of a crosslinking monomer, and (3) a hard overcoat having a Tg value of over about 20° C.; said core, shell, and overcoat present in a weight ratio of from about 1:0.7 to 5.0:0.4 to 4.0 based on the core.

Claim 3

A composition of claim 1 where in the overpolymer in (1) the copolymerizable vinylidene monomer is an acrylate monomer (s) of the formula ##STR2## wherein R is hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl, and R' is an alkyl radical containing 1 to about 24 carbon atoms or an alkoxyalkyl, alkylthioalkyl, or cyanoalkyl radical containing a total of 2 to about 12 carbon atoms in the radical and the grift-linking monomer is a vinyl or allyl ester of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, acid anhydride, or amide which contains from 3 to about 10 carbon atoms.

Claim 4

A composition of claim 2 where in the overpolymer in (2) the shell contains interpolymerized units of from about 90 percent to about 99.9 percent by weight based on the total weight of the shell of interpolymerized units of (a) an acrylate monomer of the formula ##STR3## wherein R and R' are defined as above, (b) a mixture of the defined acrylate monomer with up to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the shell monomers of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing 3 to about 8 carbon atoms, or (c) a mixture of diene and unsaturated nitrile monomers wherein the diene monomer(s) is the major monomer and the diene monomer(s) contains from 4 to about 10 carbon atoms and the unsaturated nitrile monomer(s) contains from 3 to about 8 carbon atoms, and the crosslinking monomer is selected from the group consisting of divinyl cyclic hydrocarbons, monomeric polyesters of a polyhydric alcohol containing 2 to about 10 carbon atoms with acrylic or methacrylic acid, and monomeric polyalkenyl polyethers of a polyhydric alcohol containing 2 to about 10 carbon atoms.

Claim 5

A composition of claim 3 where in the overpolymer in (3) the overcoat contains from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight of interpolymerized units of a graft-link monomer, a crosslink monomer, or mixtures of the same, and from about 90 percent to about 99.9 percent by weight of interpolymerized units of a vinyl aromatic monomer, an unsaturated nitrile monomer, or mixtures of a vinyl aromatic monomer or an unsaturated nitrile monomer with an acrylate monomer.

Claim 6

A composition of claim 4 wherein (A) is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonates, polystyrene, polypropylene, polymethacrylate, phenolic resins, furan resins, epoxy resins, and unsaturated polyester resins, and in (B) the overpolymer has in (1) the copolymerizable vinylidene monomer as an acrylate monomer(s) wherein R is hydrogen and R' is an alkyl radical containing 1 to about 18 carbon atoms or an alkoxyalkyl radical containing 3 to about 8 carbon atoms total in the radical and the graft-link monomer(s) is selected from the group consisting of vinyl acrylate and methacrylate, allyl acrylate and methacrylate, allyl and diallyl maleate, allyl and diallyl fumarate, diallyl glycollate, allyl acrylamide and methacrylamide, allyl crotonate, cinnamyl acrylate, and crotyl acrylate and methacrylate.

Claim 7

A composition of claim 5 where in the overpolymer in (2) the shell contains from about 90 percent to about 99.9 percent by weight of interpolymerized units of (a) an acrylate monomer(s) wherein R is hydrogen and R' is an alkyl radical having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or an alkoxyalkyl radical containing 3 to about 8 carbon atoms total in the radical, (b) a mixture of the above-defined acrylate monomer with acrylic or methacrylic acid, or (c) a mixture of butadiene and acrylonitrile, and the crosslinking monomer(s) is selected from the group consisting of divinyl benzene, divinyl naphthalene, divinyl cyclohexane, diethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, butylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, pentamethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, octylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, glyceryl diacrylate and triacrylate, trimethylol propane triacrylate and trimethacrylate, and the tetraacrylate ester of pentaerythritol.

Claim 8

A composition of claim 6 where in the overpolymer in (1) the acrylate monomer has R' as an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, in (2) the acrylate monomer has R' as an alkyl radical having 4 to 8 carbon atoms, and the weight ratio of core to shell to overcoat in the overpolymer is from about 1:0.8 to 2.5:0.5 to 1.5.

Claim 9

A composition of claim 7 wherein (A) is polyvinyl chloride, an epoxy resin, or an unsaturated polyester resin.

Claim 10

A composition of claim 8 wherein (B) the overpolymer is comprised of (1) a core of interpolymerized units of about 70 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, about 27 percent by weight of methyl acrylate, and about 3 percent by weight of allyl metacrylate, (2) a shell of interpolymerized units of about 94 percent by weight of n-butyl acrylate, about 2 percent by weight of acrylic acid, and about 4 percent by weight of trimethylol propane triacrylate, and (3) an overcoat of interpolymerized units of about 97 percent by weight of styrene and about 3 percent by weight of divinyl benzene.

Claim 11

A composition of claim 8 wherein (B) the overpolymer is comprised of (1) a core of interpolymerized units of about 70 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, about 29 percent by weight of methyl acrylate, and about 1 percent by weight of allyl methacrylate, (2) a shell of about 66 percent by weight of butadiene, about 33 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, and about 1 percent by weight of divinyl benzene, and (3) an overcoat of about 97 percent by weight of styrene and about 3 percent by weight of divinyl benzene.

Claim 12

A composition of claim 8 wherein (B) the overpolymer is comprised of (1) a core of interpolymerized units of about 70 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, about 29 percent by weight of methyl acrylate, and about 1 percent by weight of allyl methacrylate, (2) a shell of about 94 percent by weight of n-butyl acrylate, about 2 percent by weight of acrylic acid, and about 4 percent by weight of trimethylol propane triacrylate, and (3) an overcoat of about 70 percent by weight of acrylonitrile, about 29 percent by weight of methyl acrylate, and about 1 percent by weight of allyl methacrylate.