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US-12624166-B2 - Films for multiple layers assemblies

US12624166B2US 12624166 B2US12624166 B2US 12624166B2US-12624166-B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to assembly comprising a first component and a second component, each component comprising a polymer, as well as a film positioned between and bonded to the first component and the second component. The film is such that it comprises at least one poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) polymer and at least one nucleating agent. The assembly has an improved fracture toughness and overall good mechanical properties.

Inventors

  • Chantal Louis
  • James Francis Pratte
  • Mohammad Jamal El-Hibri
  • Yiqiang Zhao

Assignees

  • SYENSQO SPECIALTY POLYMERS USA, LLC
  • CYTEC INDUSTRIES INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20220222
Priority Date
20210625

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . An assembly comprising: a first component comprising a polymer (P1), a second component comprising a polymer (P2) and a film positioned between and bonded to the first component and the second component, wherein the film comprises or is made of: a) at least one poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) polymer, wherein the PEKK polymer comprises at least 50 mol. % of recurring units of formulas (M) and (P), the mol. % being based on the total number of moles in the polymer: wherein R 1 and R 2 , at each instance, is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, an aryl, an ether, a thioether, a carboxylic acid, an ester, an amide, an imide, an alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, an alkyl sulfonate, an alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, an alkyl phosphonate, an amine, and a quaternary ammonium; and i and j, at each instance, is an independently selected integer ranging from 0 to 4; wherein the molar ratio of recurring units (P) to recurring units (M) is from 50:50 to 56:44, and b) at least one nucleating agent.
  2. 2 . The assembly according to claim 1 wherein i and j are 0 for each R 1 and R 2 group.
  3. 3 . The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the PEKK polymer comprises at least 95 mol. % of the recurring units of formulae (M) and (P).
  4. 4 . The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the molar ratio of recurring units (P) to recurring units (M) is from 51:49 to 55:45.
  5. 5 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the PEKK polymer exhibits a melting temperature Tm ranging from 270 to 310° C., as measured by DSC according to ASTM D3418.
  6. 6 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the PEKK polymer is such that the heat of fusion ΔH f meets the following equation: Δ H f >1.69× T m −480 (eq 1) wherein: Tm is the PEKK melting temperature in ° C. and ΔH f is in J/g.
  7. 7 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the PEKK polymer complies with the set of the following properties: a melting point T m ≤310° C.; and a heat of fusion ΔH f >5 J/g; and Δ H f >1.69× T m −480 (eq 1) wherein: Tm is the PEKK melting temperature in ° C. and ΔH f is in J/g.
  8. 8 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the heat of fusion ΔH f of the PEKK polymer is at least 5.0 J/g.
  9. 9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the film comprises at least one nucleating agent selected from the group consisting of boron-containing compounds, alkaline earth metal carbonates, oxides, silicates, salts of alkaline earth metals, nitrides and carbon-based compounds.
  10. 10 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the PEKK polymer is such that it has been manufactured in a solvent in the absence of a Lewis acid or in the presence of an amount of Lewis acid of less than 2 wt. %, based on the total weight of the monomers.
  11. 11 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the PEKK polymer contains polymer-bound fluorine in an amount higher than 100 ppm.
  12. 12 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the amount of Al in the PEKK polymer is below 50 ppm.
  13. 13 . The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the PEKK polymer exhibits a Td(1%) of at least 500° C., as measured by thermal gravimetric analysis according to ASTM D3850, with a heating from 30° C. to 800° C. under nitrogen using a heating rate of 10° C./min.
  14. 14 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the film has a thickness ranging from 15 to 800 μm.
  15. 15 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein polymer (P1) and polymer (P2) are independently selected from the group consisting of poly(aryl ether ketones) (PAEK), poly(etherimides) (PEI), poly(amide imides) (PAI), poly(aryl ether sulfones) (PAES), poly(arylene sulphides) (PAS), poly(phthalamides) (PPA), polyamides (PA), polycarbonates (PC), liquid crystal polymers (LCP), poly(aromatic esters) (PAE) and blends thereof.
  16. 16 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein polymer (P1) and/or polymer (P2) are independently selected from the group consisting of PEEK and PEKK, wherein: PEEK denotes any polymer comprising at least 10 mol. % of the recurring units are recurring units (R PEEK ) of formula (J″-A): the mol. % being based on the total number of moles of recurring units in the polymer and PEKK denotes any polymer comprises at least 50 mol. % of recurring units of formulas (J′-B 1 ) and (J′-B 2 ), the mol. % being based on the total number of moles of recurring units in the polymer:
  17. 17 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein polymer (P1) and polymer (P2) are independently selected from PEKK polymers with a T/I ratio in the range from 55/45 to 85/15 and mixtures thereof.
  18. 18 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the first component is a composite material comprising one or more layers comprising fibers and polymer (P1), the second component is a composite material comprising one or more layers comprising fibers and polymer (P2), and/or the film comprises at least one scrim, nonwoven or lightweight fabric.
  19. 19 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the proportion of nucleating agent(s) is lower than 2.0 wt. %, this proportion being relative to the weight of the PEKK polymer.
  20. 20 . A method of making the assembly of claim 1 , which comprises the steps of: arranging the film between a first component comprising a polymer (P1) and a second component comprising a polymer (P2); and subjecting the film to a temperature (T m x ), suitable to melt the film but not to melt polymer (P1) and polymer (P2).

Description

The present application is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2022/054437 filed on Feb. 22, 2022, which claims the priority of provisional application U.S. 63/151,820 filed on Feb. 22, 2021 and European patent application EP 21181637.6 filed on Jun. 25, 2021. The entire contents of these applications are explicitly incorporated herein by this reference. In case of any incoherency between the present application and the PCT application that would affect the clarity of a term or expression, reference should be made to the present application only. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to assembly comprising a first component and a second component, each component comprising a polymer, as well as a film positioned between and bonded to the first component and the second component. The film is such that it comprises at least one poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) polymer and at least one nucleating agent. The assembly can notably be used to prepare parts and articles for the aerospace and automotive industries. BACKGROUND ART Within many industries, in particular the aerospace industry, considerable use is made of laminates, composites and other assemblies comprising multiple layers of different materials, each material contributing specific properties to the final assembly. It has often proven to be challenging to achieve satisfactory adhesion or bonding directly between the dissimilar layers that may need to be utilized in a composite or laminate. Poor compatibility between composite layers can limit the properties exhibited by such assemblies. In particular, certain thermoplastic polymers (particularly crystalline and/or high temperature thermoplastics) exhibit poor adhesion to other materials, leading to problems with delamination and loss of structural integrity when the assembly is placed in use in a highly demanding environment. A number of techniques have been proposed to secure and/or bond thermoplastic components together. In particular, many different welding processes, such as ultrasonic welding, induction welding and hot-plate welding, have been proposed for securing first and second thermoplastics components together. However, local melting of the first and second parts in the region of the weld may affect the integrity and/or shape of the parts. It may also lead to distortion due to residual stress build-up in the parts during the melting and/or cooling of the thermoplastic in the region of the weld. In order to address some of the problems associated with welding processes, it has been proposed to provide a film and/or adhesive between parts and/or layers to bond them together. WO 2011/001103A2 describes the use of an amorphous poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) film as a tie layer in assemblies such as composites and laminates. However, given the amorphous nature of the film, it is not deemed suitable for use in structural applications in the aerospace industry. As a general point, the use of amorphous materials as bonding layer in a composite may represent the weakest part of the structure, where properties such as solvent resistance are relatively low. Thus, the joint may be prone to attack by fluids leading to premature failure of the structure. WO 2015/198063A1 discloses the use of a polymeric material which comprises a PEEK-PEDEK polymer, that is a polymer having a repeat unit of formula —O-Ph-O-Ph-CO-Ph-  I and a repeat unit of formula —O-Ph-Ph-O-Ph-CO-Ph-  II wherein Ph represents a phenylene moiety, as an adhesive between a first part and a second part comprising polyaryletherketone polymers, in particular PEEK. The mechanical properties of PEEK-PEDEK polymers are however not as good as those of other polyaryletherketone polymers. WO 2021/085797, WO 2019/243433 and WO 2018/115233 are other applications of the art but they do not disclose the subject-matter of claim 1. Technical Problem There is a need of a film which is capable of bonding strongly together two components (or parts) made of polymers, so as to prepare an assembly presenting improved chemical resistance and improved mechanical properties. The film should be processed at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the two components to be bound, and advantageously at a temperature lower than 310° C. The invention aims at solving this technical problem. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention is set out in the appended set of claims. An object of the invention is thus an assembly. Another object of the invention is a method for making an assembly. Another object of the invention is a part or article. Another object of the invention is the use of an assembly. Another object is the composition comprising the PEKK polymer. More precisions and details about these objects are now provided below. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention is in the field of laminates, composites and other assemblies comprising multiple layers of different materials, e