Resin composition for wire and cable covering material

1. A flexible resin composition consisting of poly(arylene ether) resin, syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer, a phosphate ester fire retardant, and one or more additives selected from the group consisting of pigments, dyes, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbents, light stabilizers, lubricants, mold lubricants, nucleating agents, plasticizers, fluidity improving agents, antistatic agents, compatibilizers, antibacterial agents, wherein the poly(arylene ether) is present in an amount of 10 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the poly(arylene ether) has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.08 to 0.60 dl/g, measured at 25° C. in chloroform.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the poly(arylene ether) is poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the poly(arylene ether) is modified with a modifier having a polar group.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the syndiotactic polystyrene has a syndiotacticity of 30% or more expressed in terms of the content of the racemic pentad.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the syndiotactic polystyrene has a weight average molecular weight greater than or equal to 10,000 atomic mass units as determined by gel permeation chromatography.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the syndiotactic polystyrene is modified with a modifier having a polar group.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the syndiotactic polystyrene is present in an amount of 5 to 35 parts by weight, based on the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene-octene elastomer is present is an amount of 5 to 50 parts by weight, based on the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer has a styrene content greater than or equal to 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer.

11. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer has a styrene content greater than or equal to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer.

12. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer has a number average molecular weight of 5,000 to 1,000,000 atomic mass units.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer has at least 80% of the double bonds of butadiene hydrogenated.

14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer is present in an amount of 3 to 30 parts by weight, based on the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene copolymer elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

15. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the phosphate ester fire retardant is selected from the group consisting of trimethyl phosphate, triethyl phosphate, tripropyl phosphate, tributyl phosphate, tripentyl phosphate, trihexyl phosphate, tricyclohexyl phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, trixylenyl phosphate, dimethyl ethyl phosphate, methyl dibutyl phosphate, ethyl dipropyl phosphate, hydroxyphenyl diphenyl phosphate, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing.

16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the phosphate ester fire retardant is an aromatic polyphosphate ester.

17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the phosphate ester fire retardant is a polyphosphate ester represented by the following formula:

where R has one of the following structures:

n varies from 1 to 10, and Ar 1 to Ar 4 are a phenyl group, tolyl group or xylyl group.

18. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the phosphate ester fire retardant is present in an amount of 5 to 25 parts by weight, based on the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

19. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the syndiotactic polystyrene is present in an amount of 5 to 35 parts by weight, based on the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant.

20. An electric wire comprising the composition of claim 1 .

21. A flexible resin composition consisting of poly(arylene ether) resin, syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer, a phosphate ester fire retardant, and one or more additives selected from the group consisting of pigments, dyes, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbents, light stabilizers, lubricants, mold lubricants, nucleating agents, plasticizers, fluidity improving agents, antistatic agents, compatibilizers, antibacterial agents wherein the poly(arylene ether) is present in an amount of 10 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the combined weight of poly(arylene ether), syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene and phosphate ester fire retardant and further wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymer has a styrene content greater than or equal to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer and the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer has at least 80% of the double bonds of butadiene hydrogenated.

22. A flexible resin composition consisting of poly(arylene ether) resin, syndiotactic polystyrene, ethylene-octene elastomer, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer, a phosphate ester fire retardant, and one or more additives selected from the group consisting of pigments, dyes, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbents, light stabilizers, lubricants, mold lubricants, nucleating agents, plasticizers, fluidity improving agents, antistatic agents, compatibilizers, antibacterial agents, wherein the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymer has a styrene content greater than or equal to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the hydrogenated styrene-butadiene block copolymer.