GB816024A - Improvements in or relating to the productions of coatings - Google Patents

Abstract

Coated shaped articles, e.g. films, fabrics, fibres, rigid and semi-rigid moulded and extruded forms, are produced by exposing the surface of the shaped organic polymer to at least 1 watt-second per square centimetre of surface of an ionizing radiation with an energy of at least 0.1 million electron volts to activate the surface, applying to the activated surface, in fluid form, in the absence of radiation, an organic compound chemically distinct from the polymer, non-polymerizable and fluid at a temperature below the softening temperature of the organic polymer, to form a coating which remains united to the polymer even when treated with solvents which normally dissolve the compound. The ionizing radiation may be an electron beam having an energy of 0.1 to 3 million electron volts produced for example by a cathode-ray tube, a resonant cavity accelerator, a high-energy electron accelerator, a Van de Graff accelerator, a betatron, a synchroton or a cyclotron, or may be in the form of ionizing electromagnetic radiation. Shaped organic polymers may be any normally solid oriented or unoriented organic polymeric material which may have a molecular weight greater than 500, such as hydrocarbon polymers, e.g. polyethylene, polystyrene, polybutadiene, rubber, polyisobutylene, and butadiene-styrene copolymers; halogenated hydrocarbon polymers, e.g. polyvinylchloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polychloroprene, polytetrafluoro-ethylene, and polyvinylfluoride; ester-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl acetate, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyethylene terephthalate; hydroxyl-containing hydroxyl-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol; natural and regenerated cellulose; ether containing polymers, e.g. polytetrahydrofuran, polyformaldehyde and dioxolane polymers; condensation polymers, e.g. phenol-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, triazine-formaldehyde; polyamides and polyimides; polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl acetals and mixtures or copolymers based on two or more of the above compounds; and natural polymers, e.g. cotton, wool and silk. The organic compound, which may be in the form of a gas, liquid or viscous melt when contacted with the shaped polymer, may be a compound containing at least one C-X bond where X is hydrogen, halogen, or carbon, e.g. hydrocarbon, halogenated hydrocarbon, alcohol, amine, aldehyde, ketone, ether, acid, ester, amide, phenol, sulphonic acid, nitrocompound, fat or synthetic polymer; chain transfer agents or telogens; fusible organic polymers such as liquid or low melting hydrocarbons, e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, and low molecular weight polystyrene; ester-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyrate, polymethyl acrylate, and polymethyl methacrylate; polymeric ethers which may have a melting point below 100 DEG C., e.g. polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polytetrahydrofuran, polyvinyl ethers, and dioxolane polymers; polyvinyl acetals, low softening vinyl halide/vinyl ester copolymers and dextrins. Specification 715,914, [Group IV (a)], Swiss Specifications 149,405 and 151,868, German Specification 331,283 and U.S.A. Specification 2,050,704 are referred to.ALSO:Coated shaped articles, e.g. films, fabrics, fibres, rigid and semi-rigid moulded and extruded forms, are produced by exposing the surface of the shaped organic polymer to at least 1 watt-second per square centimetre of surface of an ionizing radiation with an energy of at least 0.1 million electron volts to activate the surface, applying to the activated surface, in fluid form, in the absence of radiation, an organic compound chemically distinct from the polymer, non-polymerisable and fluid at a temperature below the softening temperature of the organic polymer, to form a coating which remains united to the polymer even when treated with solvents which normally dissolve the compound. The ionizing radiation may be an electron beam having an energy of 0.1 to 3 million electron volts produced for example by a cathode-ray tube, a resonant cavity accelerator, a high-energy electron accelerator, a Van de Graff accelerator, a betatron, a synchrotron, or a cyclotron, or may be in the form of ionizing electromagnetic radiation. Shaped organic polymers may be any normally solid oriented or unoriented organic polymeric material which may have a molecular weight greater than 500, such as hydrocarbon polymers, e.g. polyethylene, polystyrene, polybutadiene, rubber, polyisobutylene, and butadiene-styrene copolymers; halogenated hydrocarbon polymers, e.g. polyvinylchloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polychloroprene, polytetrafluoro-ethylene, and polyvinylfluoride; ester-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl acetate, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyethylene terephthalate; hydroxyl-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol; natural and regenerated cellulose; ether containing polymers, e.g. polytetrahydrofuran, polyformaldehyde and dioxolane polymers; condensation polymers, e.g. phenolformaldehyde, urea - formaldehyde, triazineformaldehyde; polyamides and polyimides; polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl acetals and mixtures or copolymers based on two or more of the above compounds; and natural polymers, e.g. cotton, wool and silk. The organic compound, which may be in the form of a gas, liquid or viscous melt when contacted with the shaped polymer, may be a compound containing at least one C-X bond, where X is hydrogen, halogen, or carbon, e.g. hydrocarbon, halogenated hydrocarbon, alcohol, amine, aldehyde, ketone, ether, acid, ester, amide, phenol, sulphonic acid, nitro-compound, fat or synthetic polymer; chain transfer agents or telogens; fusible organic polymers such as liquid or low melting hydrocarbons, e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, and low molecular weight polystyrene; ester-containing polymers, e.g. polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyrate, polymethyl acrylate, and polymethyl methacrylate; polymeric ethers which may have a melting point below 100 DEG C., e.g. polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polytetrahydrofuran, polyvinyl ethers, and dioxolane polymers; polyvinyl acetals, low softening vinyl halide/vinyl ester copolymers and dextrins. Specification 715,914, Swiss Specifications 149,405 and 151,868, German Specification 331,283 and U.S.A. Specification 2,050,704 are referred to.