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EP-4735508-A2 - SUSTAINABLE, HIGH FLOW LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER COMPOSITION

EP4735508A2EP 4735508 A2EP4735508 A2EP 4735508A2EP-4735508-A2

Abstract

A polymer composition that comprises a polymer matrix containing a first liquid crystalline polymer that includes one or more monomers derived from bio-naphtha is provided. The polymer composition exhibits a melt viscosity of about 60 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO 11443:2021 at a shear rate of 1,000 seconds -1 and temperature that is 15°C higher than the melting temperature of the composition.

Inventors

  • KIM, YOUNG SHIN

Assignees

  • Ticona LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240618

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A polymer composition comprising a polymer matrix containing a first liquid crystalline polymer that includes one or more monomers derived from bionaphtha, wherein the polymer composition exhibits a melt viscosity of about 60 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO 11443:2021 at a shear rate of 1 ,000 seconds’ 1 and temperature that is 15°C higher than the melting temperature of the composition.
  2. 2. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the bio-content of the first liquid crystalline polymer is from about 5 wt.% to about 100 wt.%.
  3. 3. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the bio-naphtha is formed from a bio-distillate feedstock that includes a complex mixture of naturally occurring fats and/or oils.
  4. 4. The polymer composition of claim 3, wherein the bio-distillate feedstock includes a fat and/or oil derived from cotton, coconut, com, palm, peanut, linseed, rice, rapeseed, olive, soybean, sunflower, linola, tallow, tall, castor, butter, milk, or a combination thereof.
  5. 5. The polymer composition of claim 3, wherein the bio-naphtha is formed by a method that includes fractionating the bio-distillate feedstock into a substantially liquid triglyceride phase L and a saturated or substantially saturated, solid or substantially solid triglyceride phase S, wherein the bio-naphtha is derived from the phase S.
  6. 6. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid crystalline polymer contains repeating units derived from 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, such as a bio-4-hydroxybenzoic acid derived from bio-naphtha.
  7. 7. The polymer composition of claim 6, wherein the bio-4-hydroxybenzoic acid is formed by a process that includes treating a bio-phenol derived from bionaphtha with an alkali metal hydroxide to form an alkali metal phenolate, and heating the alkali metal phenolate in the presence of carbon dioxide to form the bio-4-hydroxybenzoic acid.
  8. 8. The polymer composition of claim 7, wherein the first liquid crystalline polymer contains repeating units derived 4-hydroxybenzoic acid in an amount of from about 40 mol.% to about 80 mol.%.
  9. 9. The polymer composition of claim 5, wherein the first liquid crystalline polymer further contains repeating units derived from 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, such as in an amount from about 0.1 to about 20 mol.% of the first liquid crystalline polymer.
  10. 10. The polymer composition of claim 5, wherein the first liquid crystalline polymer further contains repeating units derived from terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, hydroquinone, 4,4’-biphenol, or a combination thereof.
  11. 11 . The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer matrix further contains a second liquid crystalline polymer having a melting temperature of about 300°C or more as determined in accordance with ISO 11357-3:2018 and a melt viscosity of about 50 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO 11443:2021 at a shear rate of 1 ,000 seconds -1 and temperature that is 15°C higher than the melting temperature of the second polymer.
  12. 12. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer matrix constitutes from about 40 wt.% to about 90 wt.% of the polymer composition.
  13. 13. The polymer composition of claim 15, wherein the polymer composition has a sustainable content of from about 10 wt.% to 100 wt.% based on the total weight of the composition.
  14. 14. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition exhibits a deflection temperature under load of about 170°C or more as measured according to ISO 75-2:2013 at a specified load of 1.8 MPa.
  15. 15. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid crystalline polymer has a melting temperature of about 280°C or more as determined in accordance with ISO 11357-3:2018 and a melt viscosity of about 50 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO 11443:2021 at a shear rate of 1 ,000 seconds -1 and temperature that is 15°C higher than the melting temperature of the first liquid crystalline polymer.
  16. 16. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition exhibits an unaged V-0 rating at a thickness of 0.8 mm when subjected to a vertical burn test procedure in accordance with LIL94.
  17. 17. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition contains a flame retardant system distributed within the polymer matrix, wherein the flame retardant system contains a low-halogen flame retardant, such as a siloxane polymer
  18. 18. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition contains a granular particulate filler, such as barium sulfate particles, talc particles, or a combination thereof, in an amount of from about 1 to about 100 parts weight per 100 parts of the polymer matrix.
  19. 19. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition further includes mica, reinforcing fibers, or a combination thereof.
  20. 20. The polymer composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition is formed by a process that includes melt processing the first liquid crystalline polymer in the presence of a metal hydroxide.

Description

SUSTAINABLE, HIGH FLOW LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER COMPOSITION Related Application [0001] The present application is based upon and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/510,649, having a filing date of June 28, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference. Background of the Invention [0002] Electrical components (e.g., fine pitch connectors) are commonly produced from wholly aromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (“LCPs”). One benefit of such polymers is that they can exhibit a relatively high “flow”, which refers to the ability of the polymer when heated under shear to uniformly fill complex parts at fast rates without excessive flashing or other detrimental processing issues. In addition to enabling complex part geometries, high polymer flow can also enhance the ultimate performance of the molded component. Most- notably, parts generated from well-flowing polymers generally display improved dimensional stability owing to the lower molded-in stress, which makes the component more amenable to downstream thermal processes that can be negatively impacted from warpage and other polymer stress relaxation processes that occur in less well-molded materials. Despite their benefits, current commercial “high flow” LCP compositions tend to be formed from raw materials that have been produced from crude oil through a catalytic cracking process. Recently, however, a need for a more carbon neutral approach has been sought. To be carbon neutral, a company must remove the same amount of carbon dioxide that it is emitting into the atmosphere to achieve a net-zero carbon emissions. A carbon negative company, on the other hand, removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. In view of the significant efforts across the globe of companies to become carbon neutral or carbon negative, a need exists for liquid crystalline polymer compositions that are more sustainable that yet are able to maintain high flow properties. Summary of the Invention [0003] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a polymer composition is disclosed that comprises a polymer matrix containing a first liquid crystalline polymer that includes one or more monomers derived from bionaphtha. The polymer composition exhibits a melt viscosity of about 60 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO 11443:2021 at a shear rate of 1 ,000 seconds-1 and temperature that is 15°C higher than the melting temperature of the composition.. [0004] Other features and aspects of the present invention are set forth in greater detail below. Brief Description of the Figures [0005] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof to one skilled in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which: [0006] Fig. 1 A depicts a thin walled electrical connector according to aspects of present invention; [0007] Fig. 1 B depicts an enlarged view of a portion of thin walled connector of FIG. 1A; and [0008] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a thin walled connector and connector receptacle that may be formed according to the present invention. Detailed Description [0009] It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention. [0010] Generally speaking, the present invention is directed to a polymer composition that contains a polymer matrix containing bio-LCP, which includes one or more monomers derived from bio-naphtha. Through careful control over the specific nature and concentration of the components employed in the composition, the present inventor has discovered that the resulting composition can be formed that has a unique combination of having a certain bio-content and yet still maintaining a low melt viscosity. For example, the bio-LCP may have a “bio- content” of about 5 wt.% to 100 wt.%, in some embodiments from about 10 wt.% to about 90 wt.%, in some embodiments from about 20 wt.% to about 70 wt.%, and in some embodiments, from about 30 wt.% to about 60 wt.% based on the total weight of monomers (repeating units) employed in the polymer. As used herein, the term “bio-content” generally refers to the weight percentage of monomers (repeating units) that are derived from bio-naphtha. Thus, it should be understood that this weight percentage may include the bio-hydroxybenzoic acids described herein (e.g., bio-4-hydroxybenzoic acid), as well as other monomer components that may also be derived from bio-naphtha, such as bio-terephthalic acid (“bio- TA”), bio-isophthalic acid (“bio-IA”), bio-4, 4’-biphenol (“bio-BP”), bio-hydroquinone (“bio-HQ”), bio-2-hydroxy-6-naphthoic acid (“bio-HNA”), bio-2, 6- naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (“bio-NDA”), bio-4-aminophenol (“bio-AP”), bioacetaminophen (“bio-A