Polycarbonate compositions, articles formed therefrom, and methods of manufacture thereof

1. A composition comprising

a first polycarbonate having a limited oxygen index of greater than 26%, wherein an article molded from the first polycarbonate has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 600 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

a second polymer different from the first polycarbonate, the second polymer comprising a poly(carbonate-siloxane) copolymer, a polydialkylsiloxane, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; wherein an article molded from the second polymer has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 600 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ;

wherein an article molded from the composition has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 480 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

wherein the first polycarbonate is a polycarbonate copolymer comprising first repeating units and second repeating units, wherein the first repeating units are not the same as the second repeating units, and wherein

the first repeating units are bisphenol carbonate units of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently C 1-12 alkyl, C 1-12 alkenyl, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, or C 1-12 alkoxy,

p and q are each independently 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O) 2 —, —C(O)—, a C 1-11 alkylidene of formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each independently hydrogen or C 1-10 alkyl, or a group of the formula —C(═R e )— wherein R e is a divalent C 1-10 hydrocarbon group; and

the second repeating units comprise arylate ester units or bisphenol carbonate units that are not the same as the first repeating bisphenol carbonate units, and

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane is present in an amount effective to provide 0.1 wt. % to 1.00 wt. % of silicon based on the total weight of the composition; and

wherein the composition is free of a polyetherimide.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein in the polycarbonate copolymer, the first repeating units are bisphenol A carbonate units.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein in the polycarbonate copolymer, the second repeating units are carbonate units of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently C 1-12 alkyl, C 1-12 alkenyl, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, or C 1-12 alkoxy,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4, and

X b is C 2-32 bridging hydrocarbon group that is not the same as the X a in the first repeating bisphenol carbonate units.

4. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the second repeating units of the polycarbonate copolymer are carbonate units of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently a C 1-3 alkyl group,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4,

R 3 is each independently a C 1-6 alkyl group,

j is 0 to 4, and

R 4 is hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl, phenyl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 C 1-6 alkyl groups.

5. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the second repeating units are carbonate units of the formula

wherein R 5 is hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 C 1-6 alkyl groups.

6. The composition of claim 4 , wherein R 5 is phenyl.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polycarbonate copolymer is a poly(carbonate-bisphenol arylate ester) comprising bisphenol A carbonate units as the first repeating units and arylate ester units as the second repeating units, wherein the second repeating units are of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently C 1-12 alkyl, C 1-12 alkenyl, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, or C 1-12 alkoxy,

p and q are each independently 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O) 2 —, —C(O)—, a C 1-11 alkylidene of the formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each independently hydrogen or C 1-10 alkyl, or a group of the formula —C(═R e )— wherein R e is a divalent C 1-10 hydrocarbon group.

8. The composition of claim 7 , wherein

R a and R b are each independently a C 1-3 alkyl,

p and q are each independently 0 or 1,

X a is alkylidene of formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each C 1-6 alkyl, and

the ratio of the weight percent of the ester units to the carbonate units in the poly(carbonate-bisphenol arylate ester) is 50:50 to 99:1.

9. The composition of claim 7 , wherein the poly(carbonate-bisphenol arylate ester) is a poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) comprising 55 to 65 wt. % of the ester units, wherein the ester units have a molar ratio of isophthalate to terephthalate of 45:55 to 55:45.

10. The composition of claim 7 , wherein in the poly(carbonate-bisphenol arylate ester) is a poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) comprising 75 to 85 wt. % of the ester units, wherein the ester units have a molar ratio of isophthalate to terephthalate of 98:2 to 88:12.

11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polycarbonate copolymer is a poly(carbonate-bisphenol arylate ester) comprising bisphenol A carbonate units as the first repeating units and arylate ester units as the second repeating units, wherein the second repeating units are of the formula

optionally, monoaryl carbonate units of the formula

and

optionally, bisphenol ester units of the formula

wherein, in the foregoing formulas

R h is each independently a C 1-10 hydrocarbon group,

n is 0 to 4,

R a and R b are each independently a C 1-12 alkyl,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O) 2 —, —C(O)—, or a C 1-13 alkylidene of formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each independently hydrogen or C 1-12 alkyl, or a group of the formula —C(═R e )— wherein R e is a divalent C 1-12 hydrocarbon group.

12. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the polycarbonate copolymer comprises

1 to 20 mol % of bisphenol A carbonate units,

20 to 98 mol % of isophthalic acid-terephthalic acid-resorcinol ester units, and

optionally, 1 to 60 mol % resorcinol carbonate units, isophthalic acid-terephthalic acid-bisphenol A ester units, or a combination thereof.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the first polycarbonate comprises a branched polycarbonate comprising repeating carbonate units of the formula:

wherein greater than or equal to 60 percent of the total number of R 1 groups contain aromatic organic groups and the balance thereof are aliphatic, alicyclic, or aromatic groups; and end-capping groups derived from phenol or a phenol containing a substituent of cyano group, aliphatic groups, olefinic groups, aromatic groups, halogens, ester groups, ether groups, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing,

and

greater than or equal to 3 mole %, based on the total moles of the polycarbonate, of moieties derived from a branching agent.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the branching agent comprises trimellitic trichloride, 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane or a combination of trimellitic trichloride and 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane.

15. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the first polycarbonate further comprises a polycarbonate homopolymer comprising repeating units of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently a C 1-12 alkyl group, C 1-12 alkenyl, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, or C 1-12 alkoxy,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O) 2 —, —C(O)—, a C 1-11 alkylidene of formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each independently hydrogen or C 1-10 alkyl, or a group of the formula —C(═R e )— wherein R e is a divalent C 1-10 hydrocarbon group.

16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the repeating units are bisphenol A carbonate units.

17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) copolymer comprises first repeating units and second repeating units, wherein

the first repeating units are bisphenol carbonate units of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently C 1-12 alkyl, C 1-12 alkenyl, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, or C 1-12 alkoxy,

p and q are each independently 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O) 2 —, —C(O)—, a C 1-11 alkylidene of formula —C(R c )(R d )— wherein R c and R d are each independently hydrogen or C 1-10 alkyl, or a group of the formula —C(═R e )— wherein R e is a divalent C 1-10 hydrocarbon group; and

the second repeating units are polysiloxane units of the formula

wherein

R is each independently a C 1-13 monovalent hydrocarbon group, and

E has an average value of 2 to 200.

18. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the second repeating units are siloxane units of the formulas

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein

R is each independently a C 1-13 monovalent hydrocarbon group,

Ar is each independently a C 6-30 aromatic group,

R 2 is each independently a C 2-8 alkylene group, and

E has an average value of 2 to 200.

19. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the siloxane units are of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 2 to 200.

20. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the siloxane units are of the formula

wherein

R is each independently a C 1-13 monovalent hydrocarbon group,

R 3 is independently a divalent C 2-8 aliphatic group,

M is each independently a halogen, cyano, nitro, C 1-8 alkylthio, C 1-8 alkyl, C 1-8 alkoxy, C 2-8 alkenyl, C 2-8 alkenyloxy group, C 3-8 cycloalkyl, C 3-8 cycloalkoxy, C 6-10 aryl, C 6-10 aryloxy, C 7-12 arylalkyl, C 7-12 arylalkoxy, C 7-12 alkylaryl, or C 7-12 alkylaryloxy, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing,

n is each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, and

E has an average value of 2 to 200.

21. The composition of claim 20 , wherein the siloxane units are siloxane units of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 2 to 200.

22. The composition of claim 17 , wherein E has an average value of 5 to 120.

23. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the second polymer is present in an amount effective to provide 0.10 wt. % to 1.00 wt. % silicon based on the total weight of the composition.

24. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polydialkylsiloxane has a viscosity from 10 to 100,000,000 mPa-s at 25° C., and wherein the alkyl groups are the same or different each have 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

25. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polydialkylsiloxane is a polydimethyl siloxane having a viscosity from 50 to 1,000 mPa-s at 25° C.

26. A composition of claim 4 comprising, based on the weight of the composition,

65 to 95 wt. % of a polycarbonate, wherein the first polycarbonate is a polycarbonate copolymer comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

units of the formula

wherein R 5 is hydrogen, phenyl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 C 1-6 alkyl groups, or C 1-4 alkyl; and

5 to 35 wt. % of the second polymer, wherein the second is a poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

siloxane units of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 2 to 200;

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprises 0.5 to 55 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane);

wherein no or substantially no brominated polycarbonate is present in the composition; and the composition is free of a polyetherimide;

wherein an article molded from each of the polycarbonate copolymer and the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 600 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

wherein an article molded from the composition comprising the polycarbonate copolymer and the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 480 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

27. The composition of claim 26 , wherein the composition comprises 5 wt. to 20 wt. % of the poly(carbonate-siloxane) having 1 to 10 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane), and the composition has a transmission of greater than 60% determined according to ASTM D1003.

28. A composition of claim 10 comprising, based on the weight of the composition,

70 to 99 wt. % of the first polycarbonate, wherein the first polycarbonate is a poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) comprising 75 to 85 wt. % of the ester units, wherein the ester units have a molar ratio of isophthalate to terephthalate of 98:2 to 88:12; and

1 to 30 wt. % of the second polymer, wherein the second polymer is a poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

siloxane units of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 5 to 120;

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprises 0.5 to 55 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane);

wherein an article molded from each of the poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) or the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 900 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

wherein an article molded from the composition comprising the poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) and the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 480 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 , and

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane is present in an amount effective to provide 0.1 wt. % to 1.00 wt. % of silicon based on the total weight of the composition; and

wherein the composition is free of a polyetherimide.

29. The composition of claim 28 , wherein the composition comprises from 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % of the poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprising from 1 to 10 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane), and wherein the composition has a transmission of greater than 80% determined according to ASTM D1003.

30. A composition of claim 10 comprising, based on the weight of the composition,

95 to 99.5 wt. % of the first polycarbonate, wherein the first polycarbonate is a poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) comprising 75 to 85 wt. % of the ester units, wherein the ester units have a molar ratio of isophthalate to terephthalate of 98:2 to 88:12; and

0.5 to 5 wt. % of the second polymer, wherein the second polymer is polydimethylsiloxane;

wherein an article molded from the poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 900 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

wherein an article molded from the composition comprising the poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) and the polydimethyl siloxane has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 480 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

31. The composition of claim 1 , wherein no or substantially no brominated polycarbonate is present in the composition.

32. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an organophosphorus compound in an amount effective to provide 0.1-2 wt. % phosphorus, based on the total weight of the composition.

33. The composition claim 32 , wherein the organophosphorus compound is an aromatic organophosphorus compounds having at least one organic aromatic group and at least one phosphorus-containing group, or an organic compounds having at least one phosphorus-nitrogen bond.

34. The composition of claim 33 , wherein the aromatic organophosphorus compound comprises a C 3-30 aromatic group and a phosphate group, phosphite group, phosphonate group, phosphinate group, phosphine oxide group, phosphine group, phosphazene, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing phosphorus-containing groups.

35. The composition of claim 33 , wherein the aromatic organophosphorus compound is of the formula

wherein

R 16 , R 17 , R 18 and R 19 are each independently C 1-8 alkyl, C 5-6 cycloalkyl, C 6-20 aryl, or C 7-12 arylalkylene, each optionally substituted by C 1-12 alkyl, and

X is a mono- or poly-nuclear aromatic C 6-30 moiety or a linear or branched C 2-30 aliphatic radical, which can be OH-substituted and can contain up to 8 ether bonds, provided that at least one of R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , and X is aromatic,

n is each independently 0 or 1, and

q is from 0.5 to 30.

36. The composition of claim 35 , wherein

each of R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , and R 19 is phenyl,

X is of the formula

each n is 1, and

p is 1-5.

37. The composition of claim 33 , wherein the aromatic organophosphorus compound is bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), triphenyl phosphate, resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate), tricresyl phosphate, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

38. A composition of claim 10 comprising, based on the weight of the composition,

50 to 93 wt. % of the first polycarbonate, wherein the first polycarbonate is a poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) comprising 75 to 85 wt. % of the ester units, wherein the ester units have a molar ratio of isophthalate to terephthalate of 98:2 to 88:12;

4 to 30 wt. % of the second polymer, wherein the second polymer is a poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

siloxane units of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 5 to 120;

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprises 0.5 to 55 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane);

wherein the composition further comprises 3 to 20 wt. % of bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), based on the weight of the composition;

wherein an article molded from each of the poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-co-(bisphenol phthalate ester) or the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 900 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

wherein an article molded from the composition has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 300 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 , and a maximum average heat release (MAHRE) of less than or equal to 90 kW/m 2 determined according to ISO 5660-1 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 , and

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) is present in an amount effective to provide 0.1 wt. % to 1.00 wt. % of silicon based on the total weight of the composition; and

wherein the composition is free of a polyetherimide.

39. A composition of claim 4 comprising, based on the weight of the composition,

45 to 92 wt. % of the first polycarbonate, wherein the first polycarbonate is a polycarbonate copolymer comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

units of the formula

wherein R 5 is hydrogen, phenyl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 C 1-6 alkyl groups, or C 1-4 alkyl;

5 to 35 wt. % of the second polymer, wherein the second polymer is a poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprising

bisphenol A carbonate units, and

siloxane units of the formula

or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, wherein E has an average value of 2 to 200;

wherein the poly(carbonate-siloxane) comprises 0.5 to 55 wt. % of siloxane units based on the total weight of the poly(carbonate-siloxane);

wherein the composition further comprises 3 to 20 wt. % of bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), based on the total weight of the composition; and the composition is free of a polyetherimide;

wherein an article molded from each of the polycarbonate copolymer and the poly(carbonate-siloxane) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of greater than 600 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 ; and

wherein an article molded from the composition comprising the polycarbonate copolymer, the poly(carbonate-siloxane), and the bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of less than or equal to 300 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 , and a maximum average heat release (MAHRE) of less than or equal to 90 kW/m 2 determined according to ISO 5669-1 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

40. The composition of claim 38 , wherein the composition has a melt volume flow rate of 4 to about 30 cc/10 min, measured at 300° C./1.2 Kg at 360 second dwell according to ISO 1133.

41. The composition of claim 40 , wherein the composition has

an MAI equal to or higher than 100 J, determined at 23° C. at an impact speed of 4.4 m/second in accordance with ISO 6603 on discs with a thickness of 3.2 mm, and

a ductility in multiaxial impact of 75% and higher determined at 23° C. at an impact speed of 4.4 m/second in accordance with ISO 6603 on discs with a thickness of 3.2 mm.

42. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising 0.1 to 12 wt. % of TiO 2 .

43. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising no more than 5 wt. % based on the weight of the composition of a processing aid, a heat stabilizer, an antioxidant, an ultra violet light absorber, a colorant, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

44. The composition of claim 1 , wherein an article molded from the composition has a smoke density after 4 minutes (DS-4) of smaller than 300 determined according to ISO 5659-2 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

45. The composition of claim 1 , wherein an article molded from the composition has a maximum average heat release (MAHRE) of less than or equal to 90 kW/m 2 determined according to ISO 5669-1 on a 3 mm thick plaque at 50 kW/m 2 .

46. An article selected from a molded article, a thermoformed article, an extruded film, an extruded sheet, one or more layers of a multi-layer article, a substrate for a coated article, and a substrate for a metallized article made from the composition of claim 1 .

47. An article made from the composition of claim 1 , wherein the article is a marine vehicle, or aircraft interior partition, a train, a marine vehicle, or aircraft seat back, a component of a train, a marine vehicle, or aircraft tray table, a food tray, a train, a marine vehicle, or aircraft interior trim panel, a train, a marine vehicle, or aircraft interior display panel, a train, a marine vehicle, or interior side wall, a component of a train, a marine vehicle, or aircraft baggage storage door, an enclosure for an electronic device, a display unit, or television housing, a component of a food cart, a component of a refrigerator door, a component of magazine rack, a handle, an automobile grille, a component of an air flow regulator, and an aircraft, a marine vehicle, or train interior part or seat component.

48. An article comprising the composition of claim 1 , wherein the article comprises a train seat component, a train wall component, a train luggage rack, or a train lighting component.

49. A method of manufacture of an article, comprising molding, extruding, or casting the composition of claim 1 to form the article.