Thermoplastic elastomer composition and method for producing the same

1. A thermoplastic elastomer composition comprising:

at least one elastomer component selected from the group consisting of elastomeric polymers (A) each of which has a side chain (a) containing a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety having a carbonyl-containing group and/or a nitrogen-containing heterocycle and has a glass-transition point of 25° C. or below and elastomeric polymers (B) each of which contains a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety and a covalent-bond cross-linking moiety in a side chain and has a glass-transition point of 25° C. or below;

an organically modified clay, a content ratio of which is 20 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the elastomer component;

an α-olefin-based resin having no chemical-bond cross-linking moiety; and

a paraffin oil in which a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. is 150 to 600 mm 2 /s,

wherein the organically modified clay is a quaternary ammonium salt of a clay, and the quaternary ammonium salt of the clay is at least one selected from the group consisting of trimethylstearylammonium salts, oleylbis(2-hydroxylethyl) methylammonium salts, dimethylstearylbenzylammonium salts, dioctadecyldimethylammonium salts, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

2. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein a content ratio of the α-olefin-based resin is 5 to 250 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the elastomer component.

3. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein

the α-olefin-based resin is at least one selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, ethylene-butene copolymers, and ethylene-propylene copolymers.

4. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein

a melt flow rate (MFR) of the α-olefin-based resin measured at 190° C. under a load of 2.16 kg according to JIS K6922-2 (published in 2010) is 40 g/10 min or higher.

5. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein

the hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety contained in the side chain of the elastomeric polymer (B) is a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety having a carbonyl-containing group and/or a nitrogen-containing heterocycle.

6. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein a cross linkage in the covalent-bond cross-linking moiety contained in the side chain of the elastomeric polymer (B) is at least one bond selected from the group consisting of amide, ester, lactone, urethane, ether, thiourethane, and thioether.

7. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety in the side chain (a) contains a structural portion represented by the following formula (1):

wherein in the formula (1),

A is a nitrogen-containing heterocycle, and

B is a single bond, an oxygen atom, an amino group represented by a formula NR′ where R′ is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a sulfur atom, or an organic group optionally containing any of the aforementioned atoms or groups.

8. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen-containing heterocycle is a 5-membered ring and/or 6-membered ring.

9. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen-containing heterocycle is at least one selected from a triazole ring, a thiadiazole ring, a pyridine ring, an imidazole ring, a triazine ring, an isocyanurate ring, and a hydantoin ring.

10. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein

the main chain of each of the elastomeric polymers (A) and (B) is at least one selected from diene-based rubbers, hydrogenated products of diene-based rubbers, olefin-based rubbers, optionally hydrogenated polystyrene-based elastomeric polymers, polyolefin-based elastomeric polymers, polyvinyl chloride-based elastomeric polymers, polyurethane-based elastomeric polymers, polyester-based elastomeric polymers, and polyamide-based elastomeric polymers.

11. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , wherein

a main chain of the polymer contained as the elastomer component is an olefin-based copolymer, and

a side chain of the polymer has an isocyanurate ring.

12. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 11 , wherein

in an infrared adsorption spectrum of the thermoplastic elastomer composition, a ratio between an absorption intensity (A) of a peak around a wavelength of 2,920 cm −1 derived from C—H stretching vibration in an olefin-based resin and an absorption intensity (B) of a peak around a wavelength of 1,695 cm −1 derived from a carbonyl group in the isocyanurate ring ([absorption intensity (B)]/[absorption intensity (A)]) is 0.01 or more.

13. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1 , further comprising a styrene block copolymer having no chemical-bond cross-linking moiety.

14. A method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition, comprising:

a first step of mixing an elastomeric polymer having a cyclic acid anhydride group in a side chain, an organically modified clay, an α-olefin-based resin having no chemical-bond cross-linking moiety, and a paraffin oil in which a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. is 150 to 600 mm 2 /s together to obtain a mixture, wherein the organically modified clay is a quaternary ammonium salt of a clay, and the quaternary ammonium salt of the clay is at least one selected from the group consisting of trimethylstearylammonium salts, salts of oleylbis(2-hydroxylethyl) methylammonium salts, dimethylstearylbenzylammonium salts, dioctadecyldimethylammonium salts, and mixtures of two or more thereof; and

a second step of adding, to the mixture, at least one raw material compound of a compound (I) that forms a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety upon a reaction with the cyclic acid anhydride group, and a mixed raw material of the compound (I) with a compound (II) that forms a covalent-bond cross-linking moiety upon a reaction with the cyclic acid anhydride group, to allow a reaction to proceed between the polymer and the raw material compound, thereby obtaining the thermoplastic elastomer composition, wherein

the thermoplastic elastomer composition obtained in the second step is a composition comprising:

at least one elastomer component selected from the group consisting of elastomeric polymers (A) each of which has a side chain (a) containing a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety having a carbonyl-containing group and/or a nitrogen-containing heterocycle and has a glass-transition point of 25° C. or below, and elastomeric polymers (B) each of which contains a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety and a covalent-bond cross-linking moiety in a side chain and has a glass-transition point of 25° C. or below;

the organically modified clay, a content ratio of which is 20 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the elastomer component; and

the α-olefin-based resin, and

in the first step, a ratio of the amount of the clay contained in the thermoplastic elastomer composition is 20 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the elastomer component.

15. The method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 14 , wherein the elastomeric polymer having a cyclic acid anhydride group in a side chain is a maleic anhydride-modified elastomeric polymer.

16. The method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 14 , wherein a compound that forms both a hydrogen-bond cross-linkable moiety and a covalent-bond cross-linking moiety upon a reaction with the cyclic acid anhydride group is used as the compound (I) and/or (II).

17. The method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 14 , wherein a compound having at least one substituent among hydroxy groups, thiol groups, amino groups, and imino groups is used as the compound (I) and/or (II).