Thermoplastic polycarbonate compositions with improved chemical and scratch resistance

1. A thermoplastic composition comprising:

from about 10 to about 85 wt. % of a polycarbonate terpolymer comprising structures derived from at least one of each of structures (I), (II) and (III), wherein (I) is a dihydroxy compound having the structure (A):

wherein n is 0 to 4 and R f is independently a halogen atom, a C 1-10 hydrocarbon group, or a C 1-10 halogen substituted hydrocarbon group;

(II) comprises a second dihydroxy compound derived from Formula (A) and different from (I) and wherein n and R f are as previously defined; and

(III) a third dihydroxy compound not derived from Formula (A), wherein the sum of the mol percent of all of structures (I) and (II) is greater than 45% relative to the sum of the molar amounts of all of structures (I), (II) and (III) in the polycarbonate terpolymer and wherein the polycarbonate terpolymer is amorphous;

from about 5 to about 45 wt. % of an impact modifier; and

from about 10 to about 45 wt. % of an ungrafted rigid copolymer, wherein the sum of the polycarbonate terpolymer, the impact modifier and the ungrafted rigid copolymer equals 100 wt. %,

and wherein the composition has a scratch resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured according to ISO 1518 at a constant load of 6 N and a chemical resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured as the percent retention of Tensile Elongation evaluated according to ISO 4599 using injection 4 mm thick molded tensile bars and wherein the chemical resistance is among one or more of an insect repellant having active ingredients of 200 g/kg N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and 435 g/kg ethanol, ethyl acetate or a 50/50 mixture by volume of toluene and isooctane.

2. The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the impact modifier is ABS, MBS, ASA, polycarbonate-polysiloxane copolymer, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing impact modifiers.

3. The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the ungrafted rigid copolymer is derived from acrylonitrile monomer or (meth)acrylate monomer.

4. The thermoplastic composition of claim 3 , wherein the ungrafted rigid copolymer is SAN or PMMA.

5. The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , further comprising a flow promoter.

6. The thermoplastic composition of claim 5 , wherein the flow promoter comprises a low molecular weight hydrocarbon resin derived from petroleum C 5 to C 9 feedstock.

7. The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein in the first dihydroxy (I) of Formula (A) n is 0.

8. The thermoplastic composition of claim 7 , wherein in the second dihydroxy (II) of Formula (A) n is 1 and R f is C 1 .

9. An article formed from the thermoplastic composition of claim 1 .

10. A thermoplastic composition comprising

from about 10 to about 85 wt. % of a polycarbonate terpolymer comprising structures derived from structures (I), (II) and (III), wherein (I) is a dihydroxy compound having the structure (A):

wherein n is 0 to 4 and R f is independently a halogen atom, a C 1-10 hydrocarbon group, or a C 1-10 halogen substituted hydrocarbon group;

(II) comprises a second dihydroxy compound derived from Formula (A) and different from (I) and wherein n and R f are as previously defined; and

(III) a third dihydroxy compound not derived from Formula (A), wherein the sum of the mol percent of all of structures (I) and (II) is greater than 45% relative to the sum of the molar amounts of all of structures (I), (II) and (III) in the polycarbonate terpolymer, the ratio of dihydroxy compounds (I):(II):(III) is about 1:1:1, and wherein the polycarbonate terpolymer is amorphous;

from about 5 to about 45 wt. % of an impact modifier; and

from about 10 to about 45 wt. % of an ungrafted rigid copolymer, wherein the sum of the polycarbonate terpolymer, the impact modifier and the ungrafted rigid copolymer equals 100 wt. %,

and wherein the composition has a scratch resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured according to ISO 1518 at a constant load of 6 N and a chemical resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured as the percent retention of Tensile Elongation evaluated according to ISO 4599 using injection 4 mm thick molded tensile bars and wherein the chemical resistance is among one or more of an insect repellant having active ingredients of 200 g/kg N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and 435 g/kg ethanol, ethyl acetate or a 50/50 mixture by volume of toluene and isooctane.

11. The thermoplastic composition of claim 10 , wherein in the first dihydroxy (I) of Formula (A) n is 0 and in the second dihydroxy (II) of Formula (A) n is 1 and R f is C 1 .

12. The thermoplastic composition of claim 10 , wherein the ungrafted rigid copolymer is derived from acrylonitrile monomer or (meth)acrylate monomer.

13. The thermoplastic composition of claim 11 , wherein the ungrafted rigid copolymer is SAN or PMMA.

14. The thermoplastic composition of claim 10 , further comprising a flow promoter comprising a low molecular weight hydrocarbon resin derived from petroleum C 5 to C 9 feedstock.

15. The thermoplastic composition of claim 10 , wherein the impact modifier is ABS, MBS, ASA, polycarbonate-polysiloxane copolymer, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing impact modifiers.

16. An article formed from the thermoplastic composition of claim 10 .

17. A thermoplastic composition comprising from about 10 to about 85 wt. % of a polycarbonate terpolymer comprising structures derived from structures (I), (II) and (III), wherein (I) is a dihydroxy compound having the structure (A):

wherein n is 0;

(II) comprises a second dihydroxy compound derived from Formula (A) wherein n is 1 and R f is methyl;

(III) a third dihydroxy compound not derived from Formula (A), wherein the sum of the mol percent of all of structures (I) and (II) is greater than 45% relative to the sum of the molar amounts of all of structures (I), (II) and (III) in the polycarbonate terpolymer, the ratio of compounds (I):(II):(III) is about 1:1:1, and wherein the polycarbonate terpolymer is amorphous;

from about 5 to about 45 wt. % of an impact modifier; and

from about 10 to about 45 wt. % of an ungrafted rigid copolymer, wherein the sum of the polycarbonate terpolymer, the impact modifier and the ungrafted rigid copolymer equals 100 wt. %,

and wherein the composition has a scratch resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured according to ISO 1518 at a constant load of 6 N and a chemical resistance that is better than the same composition using a standard BPA polycarbonate in lieu of the polycarbonate terpolymer when measured as the percent retention of Tensile Elongation evaluated according to ISO 4599 using injection 4 mm thick molded tensile bars and wherein the chemical resistance is among one or more of an insect repellant having active ingredients of 200 g/kg N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and 435 g/kg ethanol, ethyl acetate or a 50/50 mixture by volume of toluene and isooctane.

18. The thermoplastic composition of claim 17 , wherein the third dihydroxy compound is bisphenol A.