Methods of processing high service temperature hydrocarbon gels
View Patent ↗Methods of processing high service temperature crosslinked thermoplastic gels are provided. The methods include combining (a) an oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprising at least one functional group configured to chemically crosslink in the presence of a crosslinker and (b) a crosslinker; maintaining the combination of the physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel and the crosslinker at a temperature at which they remain substantially unreacted; subsequently heating the combination to a temperature at which the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel reacts with the crosslinker.
1. A method for processing a high temperature crosslinked thermoplastic gel comprising:
combining
(a) an oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprising at least one functional group configured to chemically crosslink in the presence of a crosslinker and
(b) a crosslinker;
maintaining the combination of the physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel and the crosslinker at a temperature at which they remain substantially unreacted; and
subsequently heating the combination to a temperature at which the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel reacts with the crosslinker.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of mixing the combination of the physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel and the crosslinker.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combination of the physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel and the crosslinker are maintained in a cold slurry.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the heating is performed with a hot static mixer to create a hot molten gel.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of transferring the hot molten gel into an injection molder.
6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of transferring the hot molten gel into a molding part.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprises maleic anhydride-modified SEBS.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprises a carboxylic acid modified polymer.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel further comprises a char catalyst.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the char catalyst is a coated ammonium polyphosphate.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel further comprises a char former.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the char former is pentaerythritol.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker comprises a metal salt.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the crosslinker is selected from the group consisting of aluminum acetylacetonate, zinc acetylacetonate, titanium acetylacetonate and zirconium acetylacetonate.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the crosslinker is aluminum acetylacetonate.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel further comprises a blowing agent.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the blowing agent is melamine.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker is a liquid prior to the step of heating the mixture.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the crosslinker is tetraethylenepentamine.
20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming a chemically crosslinked thermoset object with flame retardancy sufficient to pass the UL-94 test.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel and crosslinker are further combined with
(c) an inhibitor.
22. The method of making a thermoset object with an oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprising
combining into a cold slurry
(a) an oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprising at least one functional group configured to chemically crosslink in the presence of a crosslinker, wherein the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel comprises
(i) a char catalyst,
(ii) a char former,
(iii) a blowing agent,
(iv) a maleic anhydride-modified SEBS,
(v) a softener oil, and
(vi) at least one stabilizer, and
(b) a crosslinker;
maintaining the cold slurry at a temperature at which the combination remains substantially unreacted;
subsequently heating the combination with a hot static mixer to a temperature at which the oil-swelled physically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer gel reacts with the crosslinker to form a chemically crosslinked thermoset object;
transferring the hot molten gel into an injection molder; and
forming a chemically crosslinked thermoset object with flame retardancy sufficient to pass the UL-94 test.