Polyetherimide and polyetherimide sulfone blends having automotive lighting applications

1. A composition comprising a transparent, miscible polymer blend consisting of:

(a) from about 30 to about 70 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymer blend, of a polyetherimide sulfone comprising greater than or equal to 50 mole percent of the polymer linkages have an aryl sulfone group wherein the polyetherimide sulfone is made by reacting a salt of 4,4′-dihydroxy-2,2-diphenylpropane with a substituted aromatic bis(etherimide) compound of the Formula III:

wherein X is halogen or nitro group;

and

(b) from about 70 to about 30 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymer blend, of a polyetherimide comprising more than 1 structural units derived from a dianhydride and a diamine wherein the dianhydride is selected from the group consisting of 3,3-bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl ether dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl sulfide dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzophenone dianhydride; 2,2-bis[4-(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl ether dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl sulfide dianhydride; 4,4′-bis(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzophenone dianhydride; 4-(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)-4′-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl-2,2-propane dianhydride; 4-(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)-4′-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl ether dianhydride; 4-(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)-4′-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)diphenyl sulfide dianhydride; and, 4-(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)-4′-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzophenone dianhydride; and mixtures thereof and the diamine is selected from the group consisting of ethylenediamine, propylenediamine, trimethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetertramine, hexamethylenediamine, heptamethylenediamine, octamethylenediamine, nonamethylenediamine, decamethylenediamine, 1,12-dodecanediamine, 1,18-octadecanediamine, 3-methylheptamethylenediamine, 4,4-dimethylheptamethylenediamine, 4-methylnonamethylenediamine, 5-methylnonamethylenediamine, 2,5-dimethylhexamethylenediamine, 2,5-dimethylheptamethylenediamine, 2,2-dimethylpropylenediamine, N-methyl-bis(3-aminopropyl)amine, 3-methoxyhexamethylenediamine, 1,2-bis(3-aminopropoxy)ethane, bis(3-aminopropyl)sulfide, 1,4-cyclohexanediamine, bis-(4-aminocyclohexyl)methane, m-phenylenediamine, p-phenylenediamine, 2,4-diaminotoluene, 2,6-diaminotoluene, m-xylylenediamine, p-xylylenediamine, 2-methyl-4,6-diethyl-1,3-phenylene-diamine, 5-methyl-4,6-diethyl-1,3-phenylene-diamine, benzidine, 3,3′-dimethylbenzidine, 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, bis(4-aminophenyl)methane, bis(2-chloro-4-amino-3,5-diethylphenyl)methane, bis(4-aminophenyl) propane, 2,4-bis(amino-t-butyl) toluene, bis(p-amino-t-butylphenyl)ether, bis(p-methyl-o-aminophenyl)benzene, bis(p-methyl-o-aminopentyl)benzene, 1,3-diamino-4-isopropylbenzene, bis(4-aminophenyl) sulfide, bis(4-aminophenyl) ether and combinations comprising two or more of the foregoing;

wherein the composition has a minimum haze onset temperature of about 205° C., and wherein the polyetherimide comprises less than 5 weight percent of impurities based on the weight of the polyetherimide, said impurities having a molecular weight of less than about 500 daltons and comprising structural units derived from at least one aromatic dianhydride monomer or aromatic bis(ether anhydride) monomer, or from at least one aromatic monoamine.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the diamine is p-phenylene or m-phenylene or a mixture thereof and the dianhydride is a bisphenol A dianhydride.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyetherimide comprises structural units of the Formula V:

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyetherimide comprises structural units of the Formula

wherein X is hydrogen or an alkyl substituent, and n is more than 1.

5. An article comprising the composition of claim 1 .

6. The article of claim 5 , wherein the article has no haze prevention layer.

7. The article of claim 5 , wherein the article further comprises a metalized surface.

8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the metalized surface is disposed on a coating selected from the group consisting of organic coatings, inorganic coatings, composite coatings, and combinations thereof.

9. The article of claim 5 , wherein the article is a reflector.

10. The article of claim 5 , wherein the composition of the article further comprises a member selected from the group consisting of mold release agents, fillers, and combinations thereof.

11. The article of claim 5 , comprising a film, sheet, molded object, or composite.

12. The article of claim 11 , wherein the film, sheet, molded object, or composite has at least one layer comprising the composition.

13. The article of claim 5 , wherein the article is an extruded film or an extruded sheet.

14. The article of claim 5 , wherein the article is a fiber.

15. A composition comprising a transparent, miscible polymer blend consisting of:

(a) from about 30 to about 40 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymer blend, of a polyetherimide sulfone comprising greater than or equal to 50 mole percent of the polymer linkages have an aryl sulfone group wherein the polyetherimide sulfone is made by reacting a salt of 4,4′-dihydroxy-2,2-diphenylpropane with a substituted aromatic bis(etherimide) compound of the Formula III:

wherein X is halogen or nitro group;

and

(b) from about 60 to about 70 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymer blend, of a polyetherimide comprising a polymer having the following formula:

wherein the composition has a minimum haze onset temperature of about 205° C., wherein the polyetherimide comprises less than 5 weight percent of impurities based on the weight of the polyetherimide, said impurities having a molecular weight of less than about 500 daltons and comprising structural units derived from at least one aromatic dianhydride monomer or aromatic bis(ether anhydride) monomer, or from at least one aromatic monoamine.