MXPA00004410A - Multicomponent structures having improved adhesion - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides halopolymer-containing multicomponent structures comprising at least one halopolymer layer and at least one adhesive layer. The adhesive layer comprises a base polymer having at least one functional moiety selected from the group consisting of unsaturated acids and anhydrides thereof, amines and epoxy compounds, wherein said adhesive layer has an ASTM D-2240 shore hardness number of less than about 25 in the D scale and less than about 75 in the A scale. Multicomponent structures such as films, tubing, sheet and injection molded and blow molded articles prepared with these adhesives exhibit superior adhesion as well as the excellent barrier properties typically associated with halopolymer-containing multicomponent structures. A method of improving the adhesion of halopolymers is disclosed as well.

Description

MULTICOMPONENT STRUCTURES WITH BETTER ACCESSION REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application Series No. 60 / 064,482, filed on November 6, 1997.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to multi-component structures, and more specifically, to multi-component structures that have better adhesion. 2. Description of the prior art It is known in the art to produce multicomponent structures to take advantage of the different properties of the various components in the structure. Commonly of the multicomponent structures are the multilayer films in which different layers have specific characteristics. For example, in packaging applications it is desirable to use fluoropolymers which are known to be inert to most chemicals and their resistance to high temperatures as well as their low coefficients of friction. Homopolymers and copolymers of polychlorotrifluoroethylene ("PCTFE") and ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene alternating copolymers ("ECTFE") are particularly advantageous for their excellent barrier properties. However, the use of these fluoropolymers is especially limited to packaging applications because of their relatively high cost. One suitable means for reducing the cost of a packaging material made of an expensive polymer is to form multilayer structures in which the polymer layer is coextruded or laminated with other less expensive polymer layers. This approach is particularly desirable for fluoropolymer packing applications since a thin layer of the fluoropolymer is all that is needed to take advantage of the desirable properties of the fluoropolymers while reducing the cost. However, fluoropolymers do not adhere strongly to most other polymers; in fact, it is known that most fluoropolymers have non-adherent characteristics. The use of functionalized polyolefins as the adhesive layer in multicomponent structures has already been described, see for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 4,677,017 and 5,139,878, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. While these multilayer structures exhibit excellent moisture and barrier properties, in many cases they lack sufficient adhesive strength to have some important use. As a result, there are still no halopolymer films, co-extruded, in commerce. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved adhesive resin to improve upper multi-component structures suitable for a wide range of applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there is provided a multicomponent structure containing at least one halopolymer layer and at least one adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is a modified, soft polymer containing a base polymer with at least one portion functional group selected from the group consisting of unsaturated acids and anhydrides thereof, amines and epoxies, where the adhesive layer has a Shore Hardness Index ASTM D-2240 less than about 25 on the D scale and less than about 75 in scale A. Preferably, the Shore hardness index is less than about 20 on the scale of and less than about 72 on the A scale. It is preferred that the adhesive be highly modified with the functional portion. Adhesives that are modified with maleic anhydride are particularly advantageous in the practice of this invention. In a preferred embodiment, the multilayer structure is a three layer structure which, more preferably, is a three layer film. Unexpectedly it has been found that when soft polymers with a high degree of modification are used as the adhesive layer in multicomponent structures containing halopolymer, there is a high degree of adhesion between the halopolymer and the modified soft polymer.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED MODALITIES The adhesive layer of the present invention is formed from a base polymer having a functional portion, and has a Shore Hardness Index ASTM D-2240 less than about 25 on the D scale and less than about 75 on the A scale, whose polymer has been modified with an unsaturated acid, anhydride, amine or epoxide in an amount from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer. In a preferred embodiment, the Shore hardness index is less than about 20 on the D scale and less than about 72 on the A scale. The Shore hardness index is measured by the North American Standard Test Method (ASTM) D- 2240 which is well known to those skilled in the art. As used herein, Shore hardness index is determined by the Shore hardness test and is based on the penetration of a specific type of indenter when it is pushed to specific materials under specific conditions. The Shore hardness index is an inverse function of the extension of the indenter that depends on the elastic modulus and the viscoelastic behavior of the material. Thus, the greater the softness of the material, the lower the Shore hardness index. There are different types of durometers that are used in the Shore hardness tests, among which type A and type B are commonly reported. The difference of these two types is based on the shape of the indenter and the applied force. For example, an indenter of a type D durometer has a sharper point (ie, R 0.100 ± 0.012 mm) compared to the type A durometer (ie, R 0.79 ± 0.03 mm). The functional portion of the adhesive layer contains from about 0.2% to about 15%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 10%, and most preferably from about 1% to about 5% by weight, with based on the total weight of the polymer. In this invention, as the functional portion it is possible to use any unsaturated acid or anhydride. Suitable acids include unsaturated carboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, protonic acid, citraconic acid, and itaconic acid. Suitable anhydrides include anhydrides of any of the foregoing. Of these, maleic anhydride is more preferred. Suitable amines include aliphatic or aromatic, primary, secondary and tertiary amines. Specific examples include: 2, 4, 6-tribromoaniline, methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, dimethylamine-N-methylanaline [sic], ethylmethylamine, 2- (N-methylamine) eptane, sec-butyldimethylamine, N-ethyl-N-methylaniline , trimethylamine and N, N-dimethylanaline [sic]. Suitable epoxies are those having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the adhesive layer contains about 1% to about 5% maleic anhydride. Base polymers that are useful in the preparation of the adhesive layer, include, but are not limited to, poly (α-olefin) homopolymer, copolymers and mixtures thereof, and thermoplastic elastomers including styrenic block copolymers, olefinic elastomers, alloys elastomeric, thermoplastic polyurethanes, elastomeric polyesters and elastomeric polyamides. The poly (α-olefin) homopolymers can be manufactured from α-olefins having from about 2 to about 10 and preferably from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms, and include polyethylene (which includes ultra low density, low density, linear low density, medium density, high density and ultra high density), polypropylene, polybutylene, polybutene-1, polypentene-1, poly-3-methylbutene-1, poly-4-methylpentene-1 , and polyhexene.

Copolymers of two or more of the aforementioned a-olefins or α-olefins and other monomers such as alkyl esters of α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids are useful in the practice of this invention, see for example, US Patent No. 5,139,878, the description of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. The styrene block copolymers can be linear or branched and include styrene and butadiene (SBS), styrene and isoprene, styrene and ethylene-butylene (SEBS) and styrene and ethylene-propylene. Suitable thermoplastic, olefinic elastomers include ethylene-propylene diene (EPDM) and ethylene-propylene rubber. Suitable elastomeric alloys include rubbers that can be processed in the molten state, thermoplastic vulcanizates, such as ethylene-propylene rubber or nitrile rubber and polyolefins in which the. vulcanized rubber is dispersed intimately in the matrix of polyolefin and interpolymers of ethylene, such as polyethylene alloyed with polypropylene or polyethylene where the polyethylene is crosslinked. Suitable elastomeric polyesters include polyester and polyether copolymers. Suitable polyesters include poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and PET / PBT copolyesters. Suitable polyethers are those having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms. Suitable thermoplastic polyurethanes include polyurethanes based on polyester or based on polyether. Specific examples include Tin 58113 (based on polyester), Tin 58013 (based on polyether) and Tin 58880 (based on polyether) all available from B. F. Goodrich and Pellethane 2103-70A (polyether based) elastomer available from Dow Chemical Company. Suitable elastomeric polyamides include copolymers of a polyamide and a polyether. These polyamides include nylon 6, nylon 11, nylon 6,6, nylon 4,6, nylon 6,9, nylon 6,10, nylon 6,12, and nylon 6,6T. Suitable ethers are those having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms. Preferred base polymers include olefinic thermoplastic elastomers and poly (α-olefin) homopolymers, copolymers and mixtures thereof. These base polymers can be substituted in any position with any of the following compounds: halogen (including chlorine, fluorine and bromine), oxygen and nitrogen. A particularly effective composition is the ethylene-propylene elastomer (EP rubber) modified with about 2% to about 4% maleic anhydride, containing about 80% of the ethylene component and 20% of the propylene component throughout the composition. The ethylene-propylene elastomer can be a copolymer or a mixture with different concentrations of the E / P composition and / or the E / P sequence, wherein at least one of the components in the mixture is modified with unsaturated carboxylic acids and anhydrides. An example of a two-component mixture in which one component is a random copolymer * essentially EP or ethylene-to-olefin copolymer without modification, and the other is an EP block copolymer or modified crystalline polyethylene with a high concentration of maleic anhydride. The latter component can also be a terpolymer, consisting of ethylene, propylene and maleic anhydride. The modified, soft polymers of the invention can be prepared by the traditional methods well known in the art, including, but not limited to, copolymerization and grafting processes. See, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 3,481,910, 3,480,580; 4,612,155 and 4,751,270, the descriptions of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. The halopolymers with which it is possible to use the soft, modified polymers are known in the art, and all are available commercially. These include, but are not limited to, fluoropolymers, chloropolymers and fluorochloropolymers having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms, wherein at least one carbon atom in the polymer is substituted with at least one halogen atom. Specific examples of suitable halopolymers include: PCTFE homopolymers and copolymers, ECTFE copolymers, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA), poly (vinylidene fluoride), poly (vinyl fluoride) ), poly (vinylidene chloride), poly (vinyl chloride), copolymers or mixtures of tetrafluoroethylene and copolymers or mixtures of vinylidene fluoride and mixtures of two or more of the foregoing. Preferred halopolymers include PCTFE homopolymers and copolymers, ECTFE copolymers, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers (FEP), copolymers or mixtures of tetrafluoroethylene and copolymers and mixtures of vinylidene fluoride. It is possible to use modified, soft polymers with homopolymers to prepare multicomponent structures that include co-extruded articles such as films and tubing, laminates such as film and sheets, and injection molded and blown articles.

Modified, soft polymers produced in accordance with the teachings herein are suitable for the manufacture of multicomponent structures and, in particular, multilayer films. The multilayer films can be prepared by methods well known in the art, (see, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,677,017, the description of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference and the examples mentioned above) and can be oriented in one or both directions, or not oriented. (see U.S. Patent No. 4,362,585, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference). The multilayer films include at least one halopolymer layer and at least one adhesive layer adjacent to the halopolymer layer. Suitable film structures include, but are not limited to: A / B / C, A / B / C / B / A, and C / B / A / B / C where A is a halopolymer, B is a layer Adhesive and C is a thermoplastic polymer. In a more preferred embodiment, the structure of the film has at least three layers; a halopolymer layer, an adhesive layer adjacent to the halopolymer and a layer of thermoplastic polymer adjacent to the modified soft polymer. PCTFE is a preferred halopolymer for these three layer films. Such a film is particularly useful in packaging pharmaceutical and other materials, such as those materials that require blister packaging. Thermoplastic polymers can be used for the halopolymer / bonding layer structure include polyamides such as crystalline and amorphous nylon, eg, nylon 6 and MXD6 (available from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.); polyesters such as poly (ethylene terephthalate), poly (ethylene terephthalate) modified with 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, poly (1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate), poly (butylene terephthalate), poly (ethylene naphthalate) and poly (butylene naphthalate), polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutene, and the other polyolefins mentioned above with respect to the base polymers; polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyacrylates, poly (vinyl chloride), poly (vinylidene chloride), ethylene vinyl acetate, polyurethanes and copolymers or mixtures thereof. Of course, in the structures of this invention it is possible to include other additives that are normally included in the multicomponent structures. These include UV absorbers and stabilizers, fillers, slip additives, antioxidants and heat stabilizers. As already noted, the material of the invention can be used to prepare multicomponent structures in addition to films. These structures can be prepared by coextrusion, lamination, injection molding and blow molding. All these processes are known in the art; see, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,139,878; 4,677,017; and 4,510,301, the descriptions of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. For example, the multicomponent structures of the present invention can be used to prepare symmetrical or asymmetrical tubes multicomponent containing at least one halopolymer layer and at least one layer adjacent to the adhesive layer of the halopolymer. In a preferred embodiment, the tube contains at least one halopolymer layer, at least one adhesive layer adjacent to the halopolymer layer and at least one layer of thermoplastic polymer adjacent to the adhesive layer. Suitable structures for the tubes include, but are not limited to: A / B / C, A / B / C / B / A and C / B / A / B / C where A is a halopolymer, B is a layer Adhesive and C is a layer of thermoplastic polymer. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a method to improve the adhesion of other polymers halopolímeros multicomponent structures is to use a soft polymer, modified as an adhesive layer between the halopolymer and the other polymer. It was surprisingly found that multicomponent structures produced in accordance with the teachings herein showed superior adhesion between layers compared to multi-component structures using adhesive resins of the prior art. The following examples are presented to provide a more complete understanding of the invention. The specific techniques, conditions, proportions of materials and reported data established to illustrate the principles and practice of the invention are exemplary and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.

Example 1 Three-layer films were co-extruded from poly (chlorotrifluoroethylene) homopolymers (PCTFE) density: 2.11 g / cc, melting point: 211 ° C, Aclar® HP from Allied Signal Inc.), linear low density polyethylene ("LLDPE ") (density: 0.920 g / cc, melt index: 1.0 g / 10 min a 190 ° C per ASTM D-1238, prepared by the Dow Chemical Company) and an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer composed of (1) a functionalized polyolefin (density: 0.89 g / cc, melt index: 1.0 g / lOmin at 190 ° C) C, Shore hardness in D scale of 21, and Shore hardness in scale A of 76, containing by weight 68% of ethylene, 25% of propylene, 7% of vinyl acetate and less than 1% of maleic anhydride, of Mitsui Chemical America, Inc.) (Admer SF 700A) as a comparative example; (2) a mixture of 75% functionalized polyolefin (1), 15% other functionalized polyolefin with a lower melting index (Admer AT 1276) (density: 0.888 g / cc, melt index 0.4 g / 10 min, Shore hardness in D scale of 25, the same composition as (1), also from Mitsui Chemical America, Inc.) and 10% of the styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene linear block copolymer (density: 0.92 g / cc, Shore hardness in scale A of 65, from Shell Chemical Company) (Kraton G 1657) (this mixture has a Shore hardness indicated in Table 1), also a comparative example; or (3) a highly functionalized polyolide elastomer (density 0.884 g / cc, melt index 0.4 g / 10 min, Shore hardness in D scale of 20, and a Shore hardness in scale A of 72, containing 78% ethylene, 19% propylene and about 2-4% maleic anhydride, from Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc.) (Admer AT 1293). The halopolymer layer was prepared by drying the PCTFE for 4 hours at 121 ° C and extruding through a Killion single-screw extruder with a diameter of 3.2 cm (1.26 inches) (L / D = 24/1) equipped with three zones of heating and two adapters. The temperature profile of the extruder was set at 277 ° C, 282 ° C and 288 ° C for zones 1-3, respectively. The adapters were maintained at 288 ° C. The melting temperature was 286 ° C. The LLDPE layer, containing a copolymer of ethylene and octene-1 with a density of 0.920 and a melt index (ASTM D-1238) of 1.0 g / 10 min, at 190 ° C, was prepared by extruding the polyethylene through a Killion single-screw extruder with a diameter of 3.8 cm (1 ^ _ inches) (L / D = 24/1) equipped with three heating zones and two adapters. The heating zones 1-3 were maintained at 238 ° C, 249 ° C and 260 ° C, respectively. The adapters were maintained at 260 ° C. The melting temperature was 256 ° C. The binding resin was extracted through a 3.2 cm (1.26 inch) single-screw Killion extruder equipped with four heating zones and two adapters. The heating zones 1-4 were maintained at 238 ° C, 249 ° C, 260 ° C and 266 ° C, respectively. The adapters were maintained at 266 ° C. The resulting melt temperature was 263 ° C. The multilayer structure was coextruded as an LLDPE / adhesive / halopolymer structure and cast on a melt roll that was maintained at 62 ° F (17 ° C) followed by a cooling roll that was maintained at about 80 ° F (27 ° C). The data obtained are established below in Table 1: Table 1 Bond strength g in (g / cm) Adhesive index of% Tape on Hardness Shore Shore hardness anhydride PCTFE only both in scale D in male A scale side one side modification Comparative 1 21 76 < 1% 81 (32) 238 (94) Comparative 2 21 75 < 1% 182 (72) 486 (191) 3 20 72 2-4% 321 (126) 561 (221) These data show that the adhesion between layers can be correlated with the "softness" (Shore hardness index on scales D and A) and the level of modification of the maleic anhydride of the adhesive layer. For soft materials, the Shore hardness index is reported on the A scale rather than on the B scale due to the better differentiation in the A scale. In this case, the films prepared with adhesive layers having a Shore A hardness of less than 75 (and a Shore D hardness less than 25) exhibit significant improvement in intercoat adhesion compared to films prepared with "hard" adhesives having a low degree (i.e., <1%) modification with anhydride.

Example 2 The multicomponent films described in Example 1 were prepared with ECTFE (an alternating copolymer, ie, 50% ethylene and 50% chlorotrifluoroethylene, density 1.68 g / cc, melting point 240 ° C, from Ausimont USA, Inc.) as the halopolymer and comparative adhesive (2) and adhesive (3), described in Example 1, as the adhesive layer. The data obtained are established below in Table 2.

Table 2 Bond strength g in (g / cm) Adhesive Index Index of% Tape on Hardness Tape Shore hardness Shore anhydride PCTFE only both in scale D in male A scale one side sides Modification Comparative 2 21 75 < 1% 350 (138) 550 (217) 3 20 72 2-4% 400 (157) > 650 (> 256 These data also show that the inter-layer adhesion of the halopolymers can be correlated with the "softness" (Shore hardness index on both D and A scales) and the modified maleic anhydride level of the modified soft polymer adhesive. That is to say, the soft, modified adhesives have superior bonding characteristics regardless of the halopolymer used in the multicomponent structure. Thus, the adhesion between layers does not depend on the halopolymer but rather is correlated with the type of adhesive.

Example 3 To illustrate the correlation between adhesive strength and softness, the multicomponent films described in Example 1 were prepared with a variety of comparative adhesives, all of which had Shore hardness index greater than 25 in D scale. The film prepared with ultra density low poly (ethylene) ("ULDPE") as the adhesive layer (Flexomer DEFA 1373 available from Union Carbide, density: 0.903, vicat softening temperature 53 ° C (ASTM D-1525), 0.3-0.6% modification with maleic anhydride) having a Shore hardness index of 40 in scale D presented 190 g / in (75 g / cm) of binding strength with. tape on both sides and 75 g / in (30 g / cm) bond strength with tape only on the PCTFE side. The film prepared with a linear low density poly (ethylene) ("LLORE") as the adhesive layer (Admer NF500A available from Mitsui Chemical America, Inc. density: 0.98 g / in, vicat softening temperature: 86 ° C (ASTM D-1525), less than 1% modification with maleic anhydride) having a Shore hardness index of 46 on D scale presented bond strength of 150 g / in (59 g / cm) with tape on both sides and 50 g / in (20 g / cm) with tape only on the PCTFE side. The film prepared with poly (propylene) "pp" as the adhesive layer (Admer QF500A available from Mitsui Chemical America, Inc. density: 0.90 g / cc, vicat softening temperature 143 ° C (ASTM D-1525) less than 1% of modification with maleic anhydride) having a Shore hardness index of 67 on the D scale presented 100 g / in (39 g / cm) of bond strength with tape on both sides and 45 g / in (18 g / cm) with tape only on the PCTFE side. The film with an adhesive layer consisting of the Blend resin described in US Patent No. 5,139,878, and containing 60% of the comparative binding resin 1 of Example 1 and 40% of an ethyl methyl acrylate copolymer (EMAC 2202). available from Chevron Chemical Company density: 0.93, methyl acrylate content 21% by weight, vicat softening temperature 60 ° C (ASTM D-1525) without modification with maleic anhydride, Shore hardness in D scale of 38) and having an index of Shore hardness of 28 in D scale, presented 220 g / in (87 g / cm) of bond strength with tape on both sides of the film and 75 g / in (30 g / cm) with tape on the side of the PCTFE only. The film having an adhesive layer containing ethylene vinyl acetate (a maleic anhydride-modified vinyl acetate as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,677,017) ("EVA") (Bynel 3101 available from EI du Pont de Nerours and Company, near of 18% vinyl acetate content, density 0.943 g / cc, vicat 650 c [sic] softening temperature (ASTM D-1525), less than 1% modification with maleic anhydride) with a Shore hardness index of 90 in scale A and about 33 on D scale presented 190 g / in (75 g / cm) of bond strength with tape on both sides of the film and 70 g / in (28 g / cm) with tape on the PCTFE side only. Table 3 summarizes these results.

Table 3 Bond strength g in (g / cm) Hardness index layer Tape% on tape in Shore adhesive in PCTFE anhydride softening scale only both A or D vicat maleic side one side (ASTM D-1525) ULDPE modification 40 in scale D 53 < 1% 75 (30) 190 (75) LLDPE 46 in D 86 scale < 1% 50 (20) 150 (59) PP 67 on D 143 scale < 1% 45 (18) 100 (39) Blend 28 on D scale - < 1% 75 (30) 220 (87) EVA 90 in A 65 scale < 1% 70 (28) 190 (75) 33 in D scale As with Examples 1 and 2, these data show that the adhesion between layers can be correlated with the "softness" (Shore hardness) and the level of modification of the anhydride of the modified adhesive layer. More specifically, the modified adhesives having a Shore hardness index in D scale greater than 25 and low modification with maleic anhydride (ie, <1%) showed low adhesive strength, i.e., less than 220 g / in (87 g. / cm) with tape on both sides, which is often insufficient for practical applications. On the contrary, the adhesive (3) of Examples 1 and 2, having a Shore hardness index of less than 25 on the D scale and 75 on the A scale and having modification with maleic anhydride greater than 1% have excellent bond strength . Thus, modified, soft adhesives show markedly higher intercoat adhesion compared to their "harder" counterparts. While not intending to adhere to any specific theory, it is considered that the acid-base interaction between the electronegative halides on the surface of the halopolymer and the acid nature of the hydrolyzed anhydride make these soft modified polymers good binding agents. Having thus described the invention, in a rather complete detail, it will be understood that it is not necessary to strictly adhere to the details but that other changes and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art all within the scope of the invention as defined by the attached claims.

Claims (29)

1. CLAIMS A multicomponent structure containing: a) at least one hallpolymer layer; and b) at least one adhesive layer wherein the adhesive layer contains a base polymer having at least one functional portion selected fthe group consisting of unsaturated acids or anhydrides thereof, amines and epoxies, wherein the adhesive layer has an index of Shore hardness ASTM D-2240 less than about 25 on the D scale and less than 75 on the A scale.
2. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the multicomponent structure is a three layer structure.
3. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the multicomponent structure is a three layer film.
4. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is present in an amount fabout 0.1 to about 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive layer.
5. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is present in an amount fabout 0.2 to about 15% by weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive layer.
6. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is present in an amount fabout 0.5 to about 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive layer.
7. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is present in an amount fabout 1 to about 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive layer.
8. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is an unsaturated carboxylic acid.
9. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is an anhydride of an unsaturated carboxylic acid.
10. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is maleic anhydride.
11. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is selected fthe group consisting of primary, secondary and tertiary aliphatic amines and atic, primary, secondary and tertiary amines.
12. 12. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the functional portion of the adhesive layer is an epoxy having fabout 2 to about 20 carbon atoms.
13. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the base polymer of the adhesive layer is selected fthe group consisting of homopolymers of poly (α-olefin) copolymers and mixtures thereof, and thermoplastic elastomers.
14. The multicomponent structure of claim 13, wherein the base polymer is a poly (α-olefin) homopolymer having fabout 2 to about 10 carbon atoms.
15. 15. The multicomponent structure of claim 13, wherein the base polymer is a poly (α-olefin) homopolymer having fabout 2 to about 6 carbon atoms.
16. 16. The multicomponent structure of claim 13, wherein the base polymer is a thermoplastic elastomer selected fthe group consisting of styrenic block copolymers, olefinic elastomers, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes, elastomeric polyesters and elastomeric polyamides.
17. 17. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is a styrenic block copolymer, selected fthe group consisting of linear and branched copolymers.
18. 18. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is an olefinic thermoplastic elastomer is selected fthe group consisting of ethylene propylene diene and ethylene propylene rubber.
19. 19. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is an elastomeric alloy selected fthe group consisting of processable rubbers in the molten state, thermoplastic vulcans and ethylene interpolymers.
20. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is a thermoplastic urethane is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes based on polyester and polyether polyether based.
21. 21. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is an elastomeric polyester which is a copolymer of a polyester and a polyether.
22. 22. The multicomponent structure of claim 16, wherein the base polymer is an elastomeric polyamide which is a copolymer of a polyamide and a polyether.
23. 23. The multicomponent structure of claim 1, wherein the halopolymer is a fluoropolymer.
24. The multicomponent structure of claim 23, wherein the fluoropolymer is selected from the group consisting of PCTFE homopolymers and copolymers, ECTFE copolymer, ethylene tetrafluoro ethylene copolymer, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer, perfluoroalkoxy polymers, poly ( vinylidene fluoride), poly (vinyl fluoride) copolymers or mixtures of tetrafluoro ethylene, copolymers or mixtures of vinylidene fluoride and mixtures of two or more of the foregoing.
25. 25. The multicomponent structures of claim 23, wherein the fluoropolymer is a homopolymer or copolymer of PCTFE.
26. 26. The multicomponent structure of claim 23, wherein the fluoropolymer is a PCTFE homopolymer.
27. 27. The multi-component structure of claim 1 further contains at least one thermoplastic layer.
28. 28. The multicomponent structure of claim 27, wherein the thermoplastic layer is selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyacrylate, poly (vinyl chloride), poly (vinylidene chloride), ethylene vinyl acetate , polyurethanes and copolymers or mixtures of two or more of the above.
29. 29. The multicomponent structure of claim 27, wherein the thermoplastic layer is a polyolefin. The multicomponent structure of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer has a Shore hardness index of less than about 20 on the D scale and less than about 72 on the A scale. A multilayer film containing the multicomponent structure of claim 1 The multilayer film of claim 31, wherein the multilayer film is oriented. A multicomponent structure containing: a) at least one layer of PCTFE homopolymer or copolymer; b) at least one adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer contains a base polymer having at least one functional portion selected from the group consisting of unsaturated acids or anhydrides thereof, amines and epoxies, wherein the adhesive layer has an index Shore hardness ASTM D-2240 less than about 25 on the D scale and less than about 75 on the A scale; and c) at least one thermoplastic polyolefin layer. A multilayer film containing the multicomponent structure of claim 33. A method for improving the adhesion of the halopolymers to other polymers in a multicomponent structure, which consists of using an adhesive layer between the halopolymer and the other polymer, the adhesive layer containing a polymer base with at least one functional portion selected from the group consisting of unsaturated acids and anhydrides thereof, amines and epoxies, the adhesive layer having a Shore Hardness Index ASTM D-2240 less than about 25 on the D scale and less than about 75 in scale A.