Method for forming a golf ball from a poly(dimethyl siloxane) ionomer
View Patent ↗A method of making a golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein at least one of the core or cover layer comprises homo and copolymers of poly(dimethyl siloxane) ionomers, and their blends for improved resiliency and abrasion resistant golf balls.
1. A method of making a golf ball having a core and at least one outer layer formed from a polymer consisting of a poly(dimethyl siloxane) ionomer consisting of repeating siloxane units, comprising the following steps:
polycondensating hydroxyl terminated poly(dimethyl siloxane) chains with a dicholoro silane compound containing a tert-butyl group;
cleaving of a tert-butyl group using triflic acid; and
neutralizing the acid moiety in the polymer either partially or fully with a suitable metal salt selected from the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, zinc acetate or magnesium oxide and molding into a component of a golf ball.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer has an acid content from 5 to 50 weight percent.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein flow modifiers are incorporated into the polymer composition and the composition has a neutralization level of 70 to 100 percent.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the flow modifier is a fatty acid selected from a group consisting of butyric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, palmitoleic acid, petroselinic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, cis-vaccenic acid, trans-vaccenic acid, gadoleic acid, gondoic acid, erucic acid, nervonic acid, linoleic acid, .gamma.-linolenic acid, .alpha.-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid, dihomo-.gamma.-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, timnodonic acid, clupandonic acid, dimers, trimers and mixtures thereof.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer comprises an outer core layer and a cover.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer comprises an outer core layer, an intermediate layer and a cover.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer comprises an outer core layer, an intermediate layer, an inner cover layer, and a cover.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer comprises an inner cover layer and a cover.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer that is formed from poly(dimethy siloxane) ionomer has a hardness between 30 to 70 Shore D.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one outer layer that is formed from poly(dimethy siloxane) ionomer has a flexural modulus between 10 to 80 kpsi.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core may comprise poly(dimethyl siloxane) ionomer and blends of polybutadiene rubber thermoset and thermoplastic materials.
12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the triflic acid catalyst content is from 2 to 3 micro-liter per 10 grams of the polymer.