JPH10219062A - Thermoplastic elastomer composition, its production and formed article made of the composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the subject composition capable of crosslinking a rubber component in a high degree, easy in melt forming and exhibiting excellent tensile properties, etc., by kinetically crosslinking a fluorine rubber with a fluorine resin using a specific crosslinking agent. SOLUTION: This composition is obtained by crosslinking at least a part of the following component A of a thermoplastic elastomer composed mainly of (A) 90-10 pts.wt. of (non)-crosslinked fluorine rubber and (B) 10-90 pts.wt. of a melt-processable fluorine resin using (C) a polyamine (preferably, an aromatic polyamine, e.g. p-phenylene diamine). Further it is preferably that the crosslinbking in the composition is performed in a thermoplastic elastomer prepared by compounding 90-10 pts.wt. of the component A and 10-90 pts.wt. of the component B with (D) tetrafluoroethylene/hexafluoropropylene/vinylidene fluoride three-dimensional copolymer having a specific gravity of >=1.90 in an amount of 0.05-30.0 pts.wt. based on 100 pts.wt. of the total of the component A and B. Thus, a fluorine rubber component is highly crosslinked and excellently dispersed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fluorine-based thermoplastic elastomer composition, particularly a fluorine-based dynamic cross-linkable thermoplastic which has a high degree of crosslinking of a fluorine rubber component, has good tensile properties and is easy to produce. The present invention relates to an elastomer composition, a method for producing the same, and a molded article obtained by molding the thermoplastic elastomer composition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A composition comprising a rubber portion and a thermoplastic resin portion is useful as a material which can be melt-molded and has rubber elasticity and flexibility, and is called a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). These can be obtained by copolymerization of a soft segment like a rubber and a hard segment like a resin, or a blend of a rubber and a thermoplastic resin. Among these, the technique of kneading rubber with a thermoplastic resin in a molten state, adding a crosslinking agent thereto, and crosslinking while dispersing the rubber in the resin is called dynamic crosslinking. The composition thus obtained is particularly suitable for dynamically crosslinked TPE
And is distinguished from a simple blend type TPE. In recent years, dynamically crosslinked TPEs of various compositions have
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,348,502 and 4,130,535 to Ran et al.
No. 4,173,556, No. 4,207,404, No. 4,40
It is known in each specification such as 9,365. Here, fluoro rubber (especially cross-linked fluoro rubber) as a rubber component
And a composition using a fluororesin as a resin component is expected to be a TPE excellent in heat resistance, chemical resistance and the like, and several research examples have been reported.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-57641 discloses a two-phase composition having a continuous phase and a dispersed phase, wherein the continuous phase contains a minimum of 38% by weight of fluorine. A two-phase composition is disclosed which is a thermoplastic fluorocarbon resin, wherein the dispersed phase comprises an amorphous crosslinked fluoroelastomer, wherein the dispersed phase comprises about 50-90% of the two-phase composition. Have been. As a method for producing the two-phase composition, the above-mentioned dynamic crosslinking method and a method of adding a crosslinking agent thereto while kneading a suspension of a fluororubber latex and a fluororesin are disclosed. In this publication, dynamic crosslinking of fluororubber is carried out with bisphenol AF or peroxide, and hexamethylenediamine carbamate is used only in examples where crosslinking is carried out in an aqueous suspension. Examples of the crystalline thermoplastic fluorocarbon resin include tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), chlorotrifluoroethylene,
For example, a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP) is used.

JP-A-5-14041 discloses a continuous phase of a thermoplastic fluorocarbon resin capable of being melt-molded and a vulcanized dispersed phase of a fluoroelastomer having a vulcanized site selected from a specific derivative group. Wherein the dispersed phase is 50 to 90% by weight based on the total of the continuous phase and the dispersed phase.
A PE composition is disclosed. Examples of the vulcanization site include an epoxy group, a carboxylic acid group or a derivative group thereof, and a sulfonic acid group or a derivative group thereof. Examples of the crosslinking agent for the fluororubber include polyfunctional amines such as ammonium benzoate and hexamethylene diamine, and polyfunctional amines. Epoxy compounds, metal oxides and the like are disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-12839 discloses that a fluorine-containing elastomer having a vulcanization site selected from specific functional groups and a fluororesin having a specific functional group react with both functional groups. There is disclosed a method for producing a fluorinated TPE, which comprises melt-kneading in the presence of a compound (C) to be obtained and bonding a fluorine-containing elastomer to a fluororesin via the compound (C). Examples of the functional group attached to the fluororesin or the functional group of the compound (C) include an epoxy group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, a thiol group, an isocyanate group, an acid anhydride group, an alkoxysilyl group, a halogenated silyl group, Halogen atoms and unsaturated double bonds are listed, and as the compound (C), benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid is used in Examples.

[0006] Apart from the above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-109301 discloses that a fluororubber latex having a crosslinked structure is produced by performing crosslinking simultaneously with a polymerization reaction of a fluororubber, and a thermoplastic fluororesin in the latex is produced. A fluorine-based TPE obtained by performing polymerization is disclosed.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the invention described in 8-109301, general-purpose varieties of fluororubber and fluororesin cannot be used. Also in the inventions described in JP-A-5-14041 and JP-A-8-12839, it is necessary to use a special product obtained by copolymerizing glycidyl vinyl ether or the like as a fluorine-containing elastomer (fluororubber).

In the invention described in JP-A-61-57641, general-purpose fluororesins and fluororubbers can also be used. However, as shown in Examples described later, a dynamically crosslinked TPE obtained from a general-purpose fluororesin and a fluororubber using a general-purpose polyol crosslinking agent and a peroxide crosslinking agent.
In general, the crosslinking of the fluorine rubber component is insufficient. Further, when the degree of crosslinking of the fluororubber component is increased, there is a drawback that the moldability decreases and the physical properties such as tension become unsatisfactory. Also in the examples of JP-A-61-57641, many samples, particularly samples obtained by dynamic crosslinking using a polyol, are formed by compression molding.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoplastic elastomer composition which is easily melt-molded and has excellent physical properties such as tensile properties, in particular, a highly crosslinked fluororubber component, using a general-purpose fluororubber and a fluororesin. Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluorine-based dynamically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer composition, a method for producing the same, and a molded article obtained by molding the thermoplastic elastomer composition.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have made intensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, when producing a dynamically crosslinked TPE from a fluororubber and a fluororesin, as a crosslinking agent. Completion of the present invention by finding that a rubber component can be highly cross-linked by using polyamine; and that fluorine-based dynamically cross-linked TPE based on polyamine cross-linking is easy to melt-mold and has excellent physical properties such as tensile properties. did.

That is, the thermoplastic elastomer composition of the present invention comprises (A) a crosslinked or uncrosslinked fluororubber 90 to 100.
In a thermoplastic elastomer consisting mainly of 10 to 90 parts by weight of (B) a melt-moldable fluororesin or (A) 90 to 10 parts by weight of a crosslinked or uncrosslinked fluororubber,
(B) a terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride having 10 to 90 parts by weight of a melt-moldable fluororesin and (C) a specific gravity of 1.90 or more;
0.05 based on a total of 100 parts by weight of the components (A) and (B)
A thermoplastic elastomer mainly comprising up to 30.0 parts by weight, wherein at least a part of the component (A) fluororubber is crosslinked by a polyamine.

The process for producing the thermoplastic elastomer composition of the present invention comprises the steps of (A ') 90 to 10 parts by weight of an uncrosslinked fluororubber, (B) 10 to 90 parts by weight of a melt-moldable fluororesin, and optional components. (C) 0.05 to 30.0 parts by weight of a terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more is added to the component (B) at a melting temperature of the fluororesin or the component (B) at or above the melting temperature of the fluororesin mixture. It is characterized by including a step of kneading at a temperature and adding a polyamine while kneading at the temperature to crosslink at least a part of the fluororubber component.

Furthermore, the molded article of the present invention is characterized by being formed by molding the thermoplastic elastomer composition of the present invention.

Here, it is an important requirement of the present invention to crosslink the fluororubber component with a polyamine. At present, crosslinking of general-purpose fluororubbers is often carried out using a polyol or a peroxide, and rarely, a carbamate salt of an aliphatic polyamine is used. JP-A-61-57641
Most of the examples in the publication of
Dynamic cross-linking with F or peroxide, with hexamethylene diamine carbamate being used only in the cross-linking process in aqueous suspension. However, when dynamic crosslinking is performed using a polyol or a peroxide, it is difficult to increase the degree of crosslinking of the rubber component. The obtained TPE
Is difficult to melt-mold and has poor tensile properties. On the other hand, according to the present invention, when the dynamic crosslinking is carried out with a polyamine, particularly an aromatic polyamine, it is possible to obtain TPE in which the fluororubber component is highly crosslinked without substantially impairing the physical properties such as moldability and tensile properties. . This is completely unexpected.

In the present invention, no matter what kind of fluororubber is used, it is possible to obtain a TPE with a high degree of cross-linking, which is excellent in the desired moldability and tensile properties. As the raw material (A ') uncrosslinked fluororubber, any rubber having a fluorine atom in the molecule can be used without particular limitation. For example, hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride binary copolymer (Viton A manufactured by Showa Denko DuPont, Florel manufactured by Sumitomo 3M), tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer (Viton B manufactured by Showa Denko DuPont, Florel manufactured by Sumitomo 3M, etc.), copolymer mainly composed of tetrafluoroethylene / propylene (Afras manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.), pentafluoropropylene / fluoride Vinylidene binary copolymer, chlorotrifluoroethylene / vinylidene fluoride binary copolymer, polymer having perfluoroalkoxy group (such as technofuron P7 manufactured by Montecatini), fluorosilicone rubber (silastic manufactured by Dow Corning) LS) and the like, and these can be used in combination. It is.

As the component (A ') uncrosslinked fluororubber in the present invention, those having a main chain consisting of carbon atoms and containing no chlorine atom, more preferably a binary system comprising vinylidene fluoride as a constitutional unit Alternatively, a ternary fluororubber or a copolymer mainly composed of tetrafluoroethylene / propylene can be used. By using ternary fluororubber with vinylidene fluoride as a constituent unit, TPE with more excellent tensile properties and chemical resistance
It can be a composition. By using a binary fluororubber having vinylidene fluoride as a structural unit, T
The compression set of the PE composition can be reduced. Also, the use of a copolymer consisting primarily of tetrafluoroethylene / propylene makes the TPE composition more flexible. In the present invention, these fluororubbers are preferably highly crosslinked, but the degree of crosslinking may be limited to semi-crosslinking or partial crosslinking depending on the purpose. The polyamine used as a crosslinking agent in the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, triethylenetetramine, hexamethylenediamine, hexamethylenediaminecarbamate, tetraethylenepentamine, diaminopropane, 1,12-diaminododecane, 1,3-diaminocyclohexane, 1,3-diaminocyclohexanecarbamate, bis (p -Aminocyclohexyl), hexamethylenediamine carbamate (Diak from DuPont)
No. 1), ethylenediamine carbamate (commercially available from DuPont under the trademark Diak No. 2), N, N'-disinamylidene-
1,6-hexanediamine (Diak N from DuPont)
o. 3), N, N'-bis (o
-Methoxybenzylidene) -1,6-hexanediamine,
N, N'-bis (p-methoxybenzylidene) -1,6-hexylenediamine, N, N'-bis (o-hydroxybenzylidene) -1,6-hexylenediamine, N, N'-bis (N , N'-Dimethyl-p-aminobenzylidene)-
Aliphatic polyamines such as 1,6-hexylenediamine and 4,4-bis (aminocyclohexyl) methane carbamate can be used.

Particularly preferred as the crosslinker polyamine in the present invention is an aromatic polyamine. For example,
p-phenylenediamine, m-phenylenediamine, 2,
5-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, N, N'-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, 4,4'-methylenedianiline, dianilinoethane, 4,4'-methylene-bis (3-nitroaniline) , 4,4'-methylene-bis (2-chloroaniline) (commercially available from DuPont under the trademark Moca), diaminopyridine, melamine and the like. By using an aromatic polyamine, the ease of molding, good tensile properties, and high crosslinking ratio of the rubber component, which are the characteristics of the present invention, can be more remarkably expressed. Aromatic polyamines are less basic than aliphatic polyamines, and as shown in the examples below, it is difficult to crosslink fluororubber in the production of ordinary vulcanized rubber products. Even if the fluororubber is crosslinked and cured, it will not be a continuous and beautiful product. For this reason, crosslinking with aromatic polyamines has not been put into practical use (for example, Journal of the Rubber Society of Japan, vol. 51 (4), p.
212 (1978)). However, quite unexpectedly, in a dynamic crosslinking system as in the present invention, the fluororubber can be highly crosslinked by the aromatic polyamine. The polyamine may be in the form of a hydrochloride or an organic acid salt.

At the time of crosslinking, it is preferable to use a crosslinking accelerator such as an acid acceptor. As the acid acceptor, magnesium oxide (MgO), calcium hydroxide (Ca (O
H) ₂ ), calcium oxide (CaO), lead oxide (Pb
O) and the like, but are not limited thereto, and a plurality of these acid acceptors may be used in combination. In particular, when an aromatic polyamine is used, a crosslinking accelerator such as an organic phosphonium salt such as benzyltriphenylphosphinium chloride, a quaternary ammonium salt such as tetrabutylammonium chloride, DBU (1,8- It is preferable to use a tertiary amine such as diazabicyclo [5.4.0] -7-undecene) and hexamethylenetetramine in combination. There are no particular restrictions on the amounts of the polyamine and the crosslinking accelerator (auxiliary agent), but usually 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of the polyamine and preferably 10 parts by weight or less of the crosslinking amine, based on 100 parts by weight of the component (A ') fluororubber. Agent, more preferably 0.5 to 7 parts by weight of polyamine
0.05 to 7 parts by weight of a crosslinking accelerator, particularly preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight of a polyamine and 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of a crosslinking accelerator,
Used with .about.20 parts by weight, especially 2-10 parts by weight of magnesium oxide. When the amounts of the polyamine and the crosslinking accelerator (assistant) are small, crosslinking is not so much performed, and when too large, the obtained TPE composition may be hard.

The component (B) melt-moldable fluororesin used in the present invention includes all fluororesins that can be molded and processed by ordinary thermoplastic resin molding methods such as injection molding and extrusion molding. Fluorine resin). Examples include tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), polyvinyl fluoride, chlorotrifluoroethylene, ethylene / chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE), ethylene / tetra Examples thereof include a fluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) and a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), but are not limited thereto, and a plurality of types of fluororesins may be used in combination. A terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more may be used as the component (B).

Here, a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more is commercially available, for example, from Sumitomo 3M Co., Ltd. under the trade name of THV fluoroplastic. Specific gravity 1.9
0 or more of the polymer has a structural unit of -C ₂ F
_{4 -: - C 3 F 6} -: - CF 2 CH 2 - molar ratio 30 of
70:10 to 40:10 to 50, and the molar ratio of ordinary ternary fluororubber is 0 to 30:15 to 60:40 to 80 (mostly 0 to 50 by weight).
25:25 to 50:50 to 75), the molar ratio of vinylidene fluoride units (—CF ₂ CH ₂ —) is lower. Therefore, the specific gravity is as high as about 1.90 or more (about 1.85 to 1.88 for ordinary ternary fluororubber), and the heat resistance and chemical resistance are good. Also, normal ternary fluororubber is amorphous at room temperature,
While not exhibiting a small strength unless crosslinked, a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more (hereinafter also simply referred to as a terpolymer) plastically deforms at room temperature. Difficult, has a tensile strength of about 200 kgf / cm ² , and is a thermoplastic resin. In particular, terpolymers having a specific gravity of about 1.95 or more have high chemical resistance, and ordinary tertiary fluororubbers are easily soluble in ketone and ester solvents, but are insoluble in these solvents. When the tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more is used as the component (B) fluororesin, TPE having excellent tensile properties and flexibility can be obtained.

In order to make the heat resistance of the TPE particularly excellent, a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA) or a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer is used as the component (B) as the fluororesin. Preferably, (FEP) is used.
By using PFA as a fluororesin component, the softening temperature
By using a flexible TPE of about 300 ° C. and a fluorine resin component of FEP, a flexible and excellent workability TPE having a softening temperature of about 260 ° C. can be obtained.

The tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA) is not particularly limited, and has a molecular weight, a melt viscosity, a crystallinity, a terminal group, a melting temperature,
Various P having different glass transition temperature, polymerization ratio of tetrafluoroethylene: perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether, etc.
FA can be used. As examples, AP201, AP210, AP211 and AP23 manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.
0, AP210AS, 340J, 345J, 451HP-J, MP10 manufactured by DuPont-Mitsui Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd., and Aflon P66P manufactured by Asahi Glass.

The tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP) is not particularly limited either, and has a molecular weight, melt viscosity, crystallinity, terminal group, melting temperature, glass transition temperature, tetrafluoroethylene: hexafluoropropylene. Various PFAs having different polymerization ratios and the like can be used. As an example, NP12x, N manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.
P20, NP21, NP30, NP40, 100J, 140J, 160J manufactured by Mitsui DuPont Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd., and the like. Polymers obtained by copolymerizing a small amount of a third component in addition to tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene (for example, SP100 and SP120 manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.)
May be used.

In order to make the strength of the TPE particularly excellent, an ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) may be used as the component (B) fluororesin. ET
There is no particular limitation on the FE, and various ETFs having different molecular weights, melt viscosities, crystallinities, terminal groups, melting temperatures, glass transition temperatures, ethylene: tetrafluoroethylene polymerization ratios, and the like are different.
E can be used. As examples, EP521, EP541, EP610, EP62 manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.
0, Tefzel2 manufactured by Mitsui Dupont Fluorochemicals
80, Aflon COP C55A, Aflon COP C55AX, Aflon COP C88A, Aflon COP C88APM, Aflon COP Z88 manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.
20, Aflon COP C885A and the like.

In the TPE composition of the present invention, the composition ratio of component (A) fluororubber: component (B) fluororesin is as follows:
The weight ratio is 90:10 to 10:90. If the proportion of the component (B) fluororesin is smaller than this, the melt molding aimed at by the present invention becomes difficult or impossible, and the tensile strength of the obtained TPE composition becomes low. If the proportion of the component (A) fluororubber is smaller than this, the resulting TPE composition will have poor flexibility and rubber elasticity. Considering the tensile properties, rubber elasticity, and ease of melt molding, etc., the weight ratio of component (A) fluororubber: component (B) fluororesin is 80:20 to
It is preferably in the range of 20:80, especially in the range of 75:25 to 25:75.

The component (B) as the fluororesin,
Although it has been described that a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more can be used, the terpolymer can also be used as a third component. That is, when the terpolymer is blended with a system containing a fluororesin other than the terpolymer as the component (B), the tensile properties can be improved without substantially impairing the flexibility of the TPE. In particular, about 50 of component (B)
When the weight percent or more is composed of PFA or FEP, the effect is remarkable. In this case, the blending amount of the terpolymer is determined as follows: (Hereinafter, only when the main component of component (B) fluororesin is not the terpolymer, component (C)
And is not included in the component (B).) 0.05 to 3 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the total of the components (A) and (B).
Preferably it is 0.0 parts by weight. Considering the properties of the obtained TPE, such as hardness, melting temperature, moldability, and dimensional stability, the amount of component (C) is 1 to 100 parts by weight based on the total of components (A) and (B). 20 parts by weight, especially 2 to 10 parts by weight; or 2 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the component (B) fluororesin
It is preferably from 30 to 30 parts by weight, particularly preferably from 3 to 20 parts by weight. When used as the third component, the terpolymer is-
Those having a molar ratio of C ₂ F ₄ —: — C ₃ F ₆ —: — CF ₂ CH ₂ — in the range of approximately 40 to 70:15 to 35:10 to 40, or having a specific gravity of about 1.93 or more, particularly It is preferable to use one having a specific gravity of about 1.95 or more. This significantly improves the tensile properties of the TPE composition. Further, a TPE composition having higher heat resistance and chemical resistance can be obtained.

In the TPE composition of the present invention, the partially crosslinked component (A) fluororubber (and part of the component (C) terpolymer) preferably forms a dispersed phase, and the component (B) ) The fluororesin (and part of the terpolymer of component (C)) becomes the continuous phase. Further, the average particle size of the fluororubber dispersed phase is preferably 30 μm or less, particularly preferably 10 μm or less. By setting the average particle size of the fluororubber dispersed phase to this level, more preferably 5 μm or less, particularly about 3 μm or less, the moldability, chemical resistance and tensile properties of the TPE composition of the present invention are more excellent. It can be.

The TPE composition of the present invention can be produced by various known methods. For example, it can be obtained by crosslinking each component while melting and kneading each component at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the component (B) fluororesin. Also,
A mixed solution obtained by dissolving and mixing the component (A ') uncrosslinked fluororubber with a solvent such as a ketone (for example, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl butyl ketone) or an ester (for example, propyl acetate or butyl acetate); Dispersion of fluororesin (AD2CR manufactured by Daikin Industries,
Cross-linking is performed while mixing with a Sumitomo 3M THV350C, etc., and then the solvent can be removed from the mixture to produce the compound. When a component (C) terpolymer having a specific gravity in the range of about 1.90 to 1.95 is used, a solution in which the terpolymer is dissolved in a ketone, an ester or the like may be used. it can.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fluororubber component is crosslinked by kneading with the component (B) fluororesin (or component (C) terpolymer) by so-called dynamic crosslinking. It is preferable that it is done. This makes it possible to easily obtain a TPE composition in which the component (B) the fluororesin is used as the continuous phase and the (A) at least partially crosslinked fluororubber is used as the dispersed phase. According to this technique, the average particle size of the fluororubber dispersed phase can be adjusted to the above range by adjusting conditions such as a kneading speed and a crosslinking speed. Those skilled in the art will easily find the conditions under which the average particle size of the fluororubber dispersed phase has a desired value.

In the case of crosslinking with a polyamine in the present invention, the dynamic crosslinking is preferably carried out by adding the polyamine after kneading the components (A '), (B) and (C) to some extent. preferable. If the crosslinking agent is present from the start of kneading, the dispersion of each component may be non-uniform. The crosslinking accelerator and the crosslinking accelerator may be added at the same time as the crosslinking agent, but may be added from the start of kneading or in a previous step to improve the dispersion. Along with the dynamic crosslinking with the polyamine, a polyol crosslinking agent such as bisphenol AF, bisphenol A, o, o'-biphenol, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylmethane, hydroquinone, dihydroxybenzophenone and their alkali metal salts can be used in combination. . The peroxide used depending on the type of fluororubber is, for example, di-t-butyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, t-butylcumyl peroxide, 1,1-di (t
-Butylperoxy) -3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di (t-butylperoxy) hexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di (t-butylperoxy) Hexin-3, 1,3-di (t-butylperoxyisopropyl) benzene, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di (benzoylperoxy) hexane, t-butylperoxyisopropyl carbonate, n-butyl-4,4- Crosslinking with di (t-butylperoxy) valerate, α, α'-bis (t-butylperoxy-m-isopropyl) benzene, benzoyl peroxide, or the like can also be performed.

The polyamine crosslinking agent can also crosslink a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more. In the TPE composition of the present invention, the tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more as the component (B) or (C) is partially (or almost completely). It may be crosslinked. As a result, the tensile strength and chemical resistance of the TPE composition of the present invention are further improved.

The TPE composition of the present invention can be obtained by the above-mentioned production method. The kneading of each component and the crosslinking of the component (A ') fluororubber component are preferably carried out by the component (B) (or component (B)). C)) about 1-10 higher than the melting temperature
0 ° C, more preferably about 5-80 ° C, particularly preferably about 10 ° C.
Perform at ~ 60 ° C higher temperature. If the kneading temperature is just below the melting temperature of the resin component, kneading with each component may not proceed well. On the other hand, if the kneading temperature is too high, the component (A) fluororubber may be deteriorated during the production, leading to a decrease in the physical properties of the obtained TPE composition.

The TPE composition of the present invention can be produced using various known kneading apparatuses. Examples include a Banbury mixer, a pressure kneader, a twin screw extruder, and the like. Those skilled in the art will readily be able to adjust the kneading conditions in various ways to obtain the desired TPE composition. For example, taking a case where a fluororesin having a melting temperature of about 300 ° C. is used as the component (B) and the component (B) is manufactured using a Banbury mixer,
At a temperature of about 300-350 ° C, especially about 310-330 ° C, component (A ') fluororubber, component (B) fluororesin, acid acceptor,
In addition, an optional amount of the component (C) terpolymer, crosslinking accelerator, antioxidant, reinforcing material, and the like are kneaded. After about 10 seconds to 3 minutes, or after the melt has become almost uniform, a crosslinking agent for fluororubber is added under kneading, for example, in three batches every 1 minute. If the kneading and crosslinking are carried out at the above temperature for about 3 to 20 minutes, particularly about 5 to 10 minutes after adding the entire amount of the crosslinking agent, the desired TPE composition can be obtained.

When the terpolymer component is used as the third component (C), the kneading order of (A ′) uncrosslinked fluororubber, component (B) fluororesin, and component (C) terpolymer is particularly specified. No restrictions. For example, the three components may be melt-kneaded at the same time; the component (B) and the component (C) terpolymer are first melt-kneaded, and then the mixture is mixed with the component (A ′) uncrosslinked fluororubber. It may be kneaded. The component (A ') uncrosslinked fluororubber and the component (C) terpolymer may be kneaded first, followed by kneading with the component (B) fluororesin. In particular, when PFA is used in combination with FEP or ETFE as component (B), component (A ') uncrosslinked fluororubber, component (C) terpolymer, and FEP or E among component (B)
It is also possible to knead with TFE first and then knead with PFA. In that case, the crosslinking of the fluororubber is preferably performed at the time of kneading with the component (C) terpolymer. The terpolymer of the component (C) generally has a lower softening temperature than the fluororesin of the component (B). FE among fluoroplastics
P and ETFE have lower softening temperatures than PFA. Therefore,
According to this method, kneading and crosslinking can be performed with almost no deterioration of the fluororubber. In addition, conditions such as temperature and time for kneading and crosslinking of the fluororubber can be set more freely. A mixture of component (A) and component (C) or ETFE is then added to component (B) PFA
For a short time at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting temperature of PFA, for example, 1 to
After mixing for 5 minutes, the TPE composition of the present invention can be obtained. In addition to the above, a method of adding and kneading a terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more later can be adopted.

Although the present invention is not limited by a particular theory, the reason why the present invention is effective is that polyamine crosslinking of fluororubber does not proceed as fast as polyol crosslinking, and that polyamine is more fluorine-containing than polyol. It is considered that the compatibility with rubber is good. Once the reaction starts, the polyol crosslinking of the fluororubber proceeds at a high speed. Also upon dynamic crosslinking, the polyol can crosslink the rubber as soon as it contacts the fluororubber after addition. Therefore, a large mass of the crosslinked fluororubber is generated in a short time, and the dispersion with the fluororesin will be poor. In addition, it is considered that unreacted polyol is trapped in the crosslinked rubber mass and does not contribute to subsequent crosslinking. On the other hand, since the crosslinking by the polyamine proceeds relatively slowly, a large crosslinked rubber mass is not generated at one time, and the added crosslinking agent may be effectively dispersed throughout the rubber phase. As a result, the fluororubber component is well dispersed while being highly crosslinked, and a TPE excellent in tensile properties and the like will be obtained. In particular, when an aromatic polyamine having a low basicity is used, the crosslinking proceeds more slowly, and the effect of the present invention will be remarkably exhibited.

The TPE composition of the present invention may further contain a reinforcing agent such as carbon black and silica, a coloring agent, a softening agent, a reinforcing fiber, and other various additives depending on purposes. It is also possible to mix other resins such as polyamide. Depending on the characteristics of the target composition, the types and amounts of various additives and the method of addition can be determined.

The composition of the present invention can be formed into O-rings, tubes, hoses, films, and other arbitrary shapes by various known molding methods, for example, injection molding, extrusion molding, cast molding, blow molding and the like. Can be molded into The present invention also encompasses molded articles comprising these compositions of the present invention.

After molding the above molded article according to the present invention, at a temperature lower than the melting temperature, for example, at a temperature of about 150 to 250 ° C.
Heat treatment for up to 50 hours can be performed for secondary vulcanization. By the secondary vulcanization, it is possible to further improve the good mechanical properties that are characteristic of the TPE composition of the present invention and the molded article comprising the same.

As described above, the TPE composition of the present invention comprises:
It has the advantages of excellent mechanical properties represented by good tensile properties, flexibility, good chemical resistance, and easy melt molding. Therefore, the molded article comprising the TPE composition according to the present invention is useful for applications where ordinary fluororubber vulcanizates are difficult to apply, for example, ketone and ester resistant parts, such as O-rings, tubes, hoses and the like. Although the TPE composition of the present invention can also be used as a substitute for a fluororubber vulcanizate, it has the advantage of being capable of being melt-molded, so that it is an article having a complicated and difficult-to-mold shape, and a thickness that is difficult to heat. It is particularly useful as a material for objects and the like.

[0040]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

Examples 1 to 19 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10 Tables 2 to 7 show the composition, injection molding easiness, and physical properties of each sample. In these tables, E indicates Examples and C indicates Comparative Examples. (Preparation of sample) The compounding materials shown in Tables 2 to 7 (in the table,
The unit of the compounding amount is parts by weight), and components other than the cross-linking agent are combined with Labo Plastomill of Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd. (mixing amount 60 m
l) while heating to a temperature of about 180-340 ° C.
The mixture was kneaded at rpm (each component was used in an amount such that the total volume was about 50 ml). After about 2 to 3 minutes, when the mixture has become a homogeneous melt, the vulcanizing agent or vulcanization accelerator is added in three batches at approximately 1 minute intervals, and then at a specific temperature for 5 to 5 minutes. A sample was obtained by kneading for 6 minutes (total 10 minutes). (Criteria for ease of molding) Next, the obtained mixture was subjected to JI injection molding at a cylinder temperature of 220 to 350 ° C using an injection molding machine.
It was injection molded into the shape of a S6 dumbbell. The flow direction of the molten sample during molding was made to coincide with the longitudinal direction of the dumbbell.

The moldability of the injection molding was evaluated according to the criteria shown in Table 1 and shown in Tables 2 to 7.

[0043]

[Table 1] Samples of stages 1 to 5 can be measured for hardness, and samples of stages 2 to 5 can be subjected to a tensile test. In addition to the above, some samples were injection molded into cylindrical test pieces (compact test pieces for compression set testing of JIS K6262) having a diameter of about 13 mm and a thickness of about 6.3 mm. (Physical properties test) Using the sample molded as described above, hardness measurement, tensile test, MEK extraction rate measurement and compression set measurement were performed by the following methods, and the results are shown in Tables 2 to 7. Was. Measurement of hardness: Shore A hardness was measured according to JIS K6253.
(The hardness test method of the vulcanized rubber) was measured. Tensile test: Conducted at about 25 ° C. and 500 mm / min according to JIS K6251 (test method for tensile strength of vulcanized rubber). The ultimate strength indicates the strength at the point where the tensile stress reaches the maximum, and the breaking strength indicates the strength when the sample breaks. MEK extraction ratio: The molded sample was boiled in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), filtered, the filtrate was distilled off, the weight of the extract was measured, and the ratio to the rubber weight in the original sample was calculated. Fluoro rubber is M
It is easily soluble in EK, but hardly soluble when crosslinked. Therefore, it is estimated that the lower the MEK extraction rate, the higher the degree of crosslinking of the fluororubber. Compression set: According to JIS K6262 (Test method for permanent set of vulcanized rubber), a cylindrical test piece was compressed by about 25%,
The temperature was maintained for 24 hours in an atmosphere of ° C.

Table 2 shows the composition of each sample and the results of physical properties tests.
FIG. In these tables, E represents an example,
C shows each comparative example. The properties of the fluororubber, fluororesin, and cross-linking agent indicated by the abbreviations and trademarks are as follows. (Description of compounding materials) The properties of the fluororubber, fluororesin, and crosslinking agent indicated by the abbreviations and trademarks in the table are as follows.

Fluoro rubber-1: ternary fluoro rubber, specific gravity
1.81, polyamine, polyol cross-linked grade Fluoro rubber-2: Binary fluoro rubber, peroxide cross-linked grade (Polyamine and polyol cross-linkable) Fluoro rubber-3: Binary fluoro rubber Fluoro rubber-4: Tetrafluoroethylene / propylene/
Vinylidene fluoride copolymer, specific gravity 1.60, peroxide cross-linked grade (Polyamine, polyol cross-linked is also possible) FEP-1: MFR (melt flat, 372 ° C, 5000g)
/ 10 min): 4.5 to 8.5 FEP-2: MFR (372 ° C., 5000 g / 10 min): 20
-30 PFA: MFR (372 ° C, 5000g / 10min): 1.0-
3.0 ETFE: MFR (372 ° C, 5000g / 10min): 4 to
8 Terpolymer: terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride, specific gravity 1.99
(Catalog value: 1.98) Polyamine-1: 2,5-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine Polyamine-2: p-phenylenediamine Polyamine-3: 1,6-hexamethylenediamine DBU: 1,8-diazabicyclo [5.4 .0] -7-undecene Polyol crosslinking agent: bisphenol AF peroxide crosslinking agent: Peroximon F40 (40% pure) Curative 20: Crosslinking accelerator for polyol crosslinking (pure content
TAIK-M60: crosslinking aid for peroxide crosslinking (pure content 60%)
%)

[0046]

[Table 2]

[0047]

[Table 3]

[0048]

[Table 4]

[0049]

[Table 5]

[0050]

[Table 6]

[0051]

[Table 7]

According to the present invention, T
In PE, it is clear that the fluororubber component is highly crosslinked. Looking at Comparative Examples 1 to 3, in the TPE based on polyol cross-linking, the higher the degree of cross-linking, the lower the tensile properties, but this is not necessarily the case in the TPE based on polyamine cross-linking according to the present invention. Also, if the fluorine resin component is the same and the degree of crosslinking is the same,
It has a higher tensile strength than TPE based on polyol crosslinking and peroxide crosslinking, and injection molding is generally easier.

TPE of the Invention Based on Polyamine Crosslinking
Has a smaller difference between the breaking strength and the ultimate strength than TPE based on polyol crosslinking. In particular, in the sample subjected to the secondary vulcanization in Example 3, the tensile stress became the highest at the time of breakage, and exhibited the same tensile properties as ordinary vulcanized rubber. The TPEs of the present invention based on polyamine crosslinks include polyol crosslinks,
It can be seen that there is an advantage that the compression set is small compared to TPE based on peroxide crosslinking.

Tables 4 to 7 show that the blending of the terpolymer as the third component improves the tensile properties of TPE.

Reference Example 1 This Reference Example 1 was used in the production of ordinary vulcanized rubber products.
This is to show that it is difficult to crosslink the fluororubber with the aromatic polyamine.

After kneading the rubber having the composition shown in Table 8, JS
The appropriate vulcanization time was measured with Curast Meter II manufactured by R Corporation. Table 8 also shows the measurement results.

[0057]

[Table 8] *: Torque did not increase even after 30 minutes. With only aromatic polyamine, the torque of the curast meter did not increase at 200 ° C., indicating that the crosslinking of the fluororubber did not proceed.

For samples B and C in Table 8, 150
An attempt was made to vulcanize and form a sheet of mm × 150 mm × 2 mm. Sample C was pressed at 160 ° C. for 10 minutes to give a clean sheet. On the other hand, Sample B was cured after pressing at 200 ° C. for 10 minutes, but only gave a discontinuous sheet full of foam.

Reference Example 2 This Reference Example 2 shows that in the composition of the present invention, the component (C) terpolymer may be partially crosslinked.

100.0 parts by weight of the terpolymer, 5.00 parts by weight of MgO and 4.00 parts by weight of Curative 20 were kneaded in a Labo Plastomill at 180-210 ° C. Three minutes, four minutes, and five minutes after the start of kneading, 2.00 parts by weight of p-phenylenediamine were added in about 1/3 each, and kneading was continued for 5 minutes (total 10 minutes). The obtained mixture was injection-molded into a JIS No. 6 dumbbell shape, and a tensile test and a thermal analysis were performed. The results are shown in Table 9 together with the test results for the untreated terpolymer.

[0061]

[Table 9]

The resin obtained in Reference Example 2 has a higher weight loss start temperature and a higher 10% loss temperature than the untreated product, and is excellent in heat resistance. Regarding the DTA peak, the untreated product had one peak, but had two peaks, and it is clear that the DTA was partially crosslinked.

Example 20 Among the ingredients shown in Table 7, components other than PFA were used, and at a temperature of 270 to 280 ° C. in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 19 (with the kneading order of the raw materials changed). Cross-linking was performed. The resulting composition is then treated with 33.3 parts by weight of PFA and 310-340 ° C.
After kneading at the above temperature for 3 minutes, molding was performed in the same manner as above, and a physical property test was performed. Table 7 shows the test results.

Example 21 As FEP, MFR (372 ° C., 5000 g / 10 min):
TPEs were prepared in the same manner as in Example 4 except that the kneading order was changed using the samples Nos. 2 to 3.5. The FEP and the terpolymer were melt-kneaded at a temperature of 330 to 350 ° C. in advance to form a mixture. Dynamic crosslinking was performed at a temperature of 270 to 280 ° C. using the mixture, a fluororubber, a crosslinking agent and the like.
The physical properties of the obtained TPE were as follows.

Ultimate strength: 65.2 kgf / cm ² , breaking strength: 62.3 kgf / cm ² , elongation at break: 172%, MEK extraction rate: 9% Note that FEP was not preliminarily mixed with the terpolymer. When dynamic kneading was tried, the FEP did not melt even when the temperature of the kneaded material reached about 300 ° C., and only fluororubber smoked, and TPE could not be obtained.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, a fluorine-based dynamic crosslinkable thermoplastic elastomer composition in which a fluororubber component is highly crosslinked, has good tensile properties, and is easy to produce. The present invention provides a method for producing a chemically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer composition, and a molded article obtained from the fluorine-based dynamically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer composition.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A crosslinked or uncrosslinked fluororubber 90
To 10 parts by weight and (B) a melt-moldable fluororesin 10 to 90
A thermoplastic elastomer composition mainly composed of parts by weight, wherein at least a part of the component (A) fluororubber is crosslinked with a polyamine. 2. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1, wherein the polyamine is an aromatic polyamine. 3. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 2, wherein the polyamine is p-phenylenediamine. (C) a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more is used in an amount of 0.05 to 100 parts by weight based on a total of 100 parts by weight of the components (A) and (B). The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is blended in a proportion of 30.0 parts by weight. 5. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 4, wherein the terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride as the component (C) has a specific gravity of 1.95 or more. 6. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 4, wherein the component (C) tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer is partially crosslinked. 7. The thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1, wherein 50% by weight or more of the component (B) melt-moldable fluororesin is a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer. Stuff. 8. The thermoplastic elastomer according to claim 1, wherein at least 50% by weight of the component (B) melt-moldable fluororesin is a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer. Composition. 9. (A ') 90 to 10 parts by weight of an uncrosslinked fluororubber, (B) 10 to 90 parts by weight of a melt-moldable fluororesin,
The optional component (C) is kneaded with 0.05 to 30.0 parts by weight of a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the component (B) fluororesin. The method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a step of adding a polyamine while kneading at the temperature and crosslinking at least a part of the fluororubber component. 10. (B) Fluororesin 10 to be melt-moldable
90 parts by weight and (C) 0.05 to 30.0 parts by weight of a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more are kneaded in advance at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of both. After obtaining the mixture, the polyamine is added while kneading with 90 to 10 parts by weight of the (A ′) uncrosslinked fluororubber at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the mixture to crosslink at least a part of the fluororubber component. A method for producing the thermoplastic elastomer composition according to any one of claims 4 to 8. (A ') 90 to 10 parts by weight of an uncrosslinked fluororubber, and (C) 0.05 to 30.0 parts by weight of a tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene / vinylidene fluoride terpolymer having a specific gravity of 1.90 or more. A component (B) and a part of a melt-moldable fluororesin are kneaded in advance at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the components (B) and (C), and a polyamine is added while kneading at the temperature. After at least part of the components have been crosslinked, the mixture and the additional component (B) fluororesin in an amount of 10 to 90 parts by weight are finally kneaded at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of all components. The method for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein: 12. The process for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 9, wherein an organic phosphonium salt, a quaternary ammonium salt or a tertiary amine is used in combination with a polyamine. 13. A molded article obtained by molding the thermoplastic elastomer composition according to claim 1. Description: