MXPA00012673A - Blends of polyolefin and poly(ethylene oxide) and process for making the blends - Google Patents

Abstract

A compositional blend having from about 1 weight percent to about 85 weight percent of a modified polyolefin and from about 99 weight percent to about 15 weight percent of a modified poly(ethylene oxide). The modified polyolefin and modified poly(ethylene oxide) have a total of from about 1 weight percent to about 30 weight percent of a monomer grafted thereto. Included is a method for making the blend comprising using a single pass extruder to perform the steps of melt blending a polyolefin, a poly(ethylene oxide), a monomer and a sufficient amount free radical initiator to graft from about 1 percent to 100 percent of the monomer onto the polyolefin and poly(ethylene oxide).

Description

MB2CLAS OF POLIOLEFINA AND POLY (ETHYLENE OXIDE) AND PROCESS TO MAKE THE MIXES Field of the invention The present invention relates to the mixtures comprising a polyolefin and a poly (ethylene oxide) and method for making the mixtures. More particularly, the invention relates to mixtures having up to about 8 percent by weight of a modified polyethylene or modified polypropylene and a modified poly (ethylene oxide) and a method for making the modified polyolefin blend and poly (ethylene oxide). ethylene) that uses a simple one step reactive extrusion process.

Background of the Invention Personal care products, such as diapers, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence garments, and the like are usually constructed of a number of different components and materials. Such articles typically have a part, usually the bottom layer, the liner, or the separator constructed of a liquid repellent film material. This repellent material is appropriately constructed to minimize or prevent the exudation of the liquid absorbed from an article and to obtain a greater utilization of the absorbent capacity of the product. The liquid repellent film commonly used includes plastic materials such as similar polyethylene films.

Although such products are relatively cheap, hygienic and easy to use, disposing of such a dirty product is not without problems. With a greater interest in protecting the environment, there is a need to develop materials that are more compatible with the waste disposal technologies that are being developed and those that exist while still providing the effect that consumers still expect. An ideal disposal alternative will be to use the municipal residential and private drainage treatment systems. The appropriate products for disposal in drainage systems can be discharged with a water jet in a convenient toilet and are called "water jet". While flushing such items may be convenient, the liquid repellent material which does not normally disintegrate in water tends to clog the toilets and drainage pipes. Thus it becomes necessary, although not desirable, to separate the barrier film material from the absorbent article before jetting off.

In addition to the article itself, typically the package in which the absorbent article is distributed is also made of a water resistant material. Resistance to water is necessary to avoid degradation of the packaging by environmental conditions and to protect the disposable articles inside it. Although this package can be safely stored with other garbage for commercial disposal, and especially in the case of the individual packaging of the products, it is very often more convenient to remove paquote in the toilet with the discarded disposable item. However, in cases where such a package is composed of water resistant material, which typically results in clogging of the drains to the toilet.

In an effort to overcome these deficiencies, the two methodologies have been used. The first one for the hydrophilic materials to be treated with a hydrophobic material to impart the desired water resistance properties to the material.

The second method has been to modify a water resistant polymer. One of the most useful ways to modify polymers involves mixing them with other polymers of different structures and properties. In a few cases, the polymer blend combinations are thermodynamically miscible and exhibit physical and mechanical compatibility. However, by far a large number of mixtures are progressively removed and generally exhibit poor mechanical compatibility. The progressively removed mixtures may in some cases exhibit physical and mechanical compatibility where the polymer compositions are similar, for example, polyolefin mixed with other similar polyolefins, or where the crosslinking agents are aggregated to improve the compatibility of the intercalate between the constituents of the composition. the polymer mixture.

The polymer blends of polyolefins and poly (ethylene oxide) are melt processable but exhibit very poor mechanical compatibility. This poor mechanical compatibility is manifested in the mechanical property profile of the mixtures relative to the properties of the unmixed constituent.

In view of the problems of the prior art, it remains highly desirable to provide a material that responds to water. Such blends can be used to make the barrier films water jettable, extrusion applications and molded articles injected. Synthesis of the invention Briefly, one aspect of the present invention provides for a blend composition of a modified polyolefin and a modified poly (ethylene oxide). The blended composition is comprised of from about percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of a modified polyolefin and from about 99 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of a poly (modified ethylene oxide) modified polyolefin. and the modified poly (ethylene oxide) graft thereon from about percent by weight to about 30 percent by weight, based on the weight of the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide), of a monomer.

Another aspect of the invention provides for a method for making the modified polyolefin blend composition and the modified poly (ethylene oxide). The method provides a molten reactive extrusion modification, simple step of polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide). This simple step process allows significant advantages over two steps where the plexel is first modified by grafting a monomer into the backbone of the polyolefin which is then extruded again with the poly (ethylene oxide). The few advantages include cost savings, reduced polymer degradation and greater uniformity in the final product. Especially, the method for preparing the blend of the modified polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) using a single-pass, molten reactive extruder comprises melting the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) in the extruder and adding to the mixture of polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) a monomer and a significant amount of a free radical initiator for grafting from about percent by weight to about 100 percent by weight of monomer in the polyolefin and in the poly (ethylene oxide). ethylene).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a blend composition comprising a modified polyolefin and a modified poly (ethylene oxide). More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a blend composition comprising a modified polyethylene or modified polypropylene and a modified poly (ethylene oxide).

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for making a modified polyolefin blend composition and a modified poly (ethylene oxide) using a simple pass reactant extruder.

As used herein, "reactive extrusion" is the use of chemical reactions during the extrusion of the polymer to form the desired products. The initiator of the free radical, the crosslinking agents, and other reactive additives can be injected into the extruder to make such reactions.

Detailed Description of the Invention The mechanical and visual compatibility of the polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) mixture is very poor. However, it has now been unexpectedly found that the polyolefins and the poly (ethylene oxide) can be modified with one or more monomers, such that the materials made of the mixture having more than about 85 percent by weight of a modified polyolefin and as little as 15 percent by weight d a modified poly (ethylene oxide) respond to water. More specifically, it has been found that polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) blendsWhen they are grafted with a monomer during the reactive extrusion, it imparts response to the water to the films and thermoplastic articles made thereof. Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is for a composition of matter comprising a polymer blend having from about 1 percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of a modified polyolefin and from about 99 percent by weight to about of 15 percent by weight of a modified poly (ethylene oxide). Preferably, the mixture comprises from about 30 percent by weight to 85 percent by weight of a modified poly (ethylene oxide). More preferably, the mixture comprises from about 55 percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of a modified polyolefin and from about 45 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of modified poly (ethylene oxide).

The amount of monomer added to the polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) mixture is from about percent by weight to about 30 percent by weight preferably, from about 1 percent by weight to about 20 percent by weight and more. preferably, from about d 1 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight e where all such ranges are based on the total weight of the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide).

The saturated ethylene polymers useful in the practice of this invention are the homopolymers or the copolymers of ethylene and polypropylene and are essentially linear in structure. As used herein, the term "saturated" refers to polymers which are completely saturated but also include polymers that contain up to about 5% non-saturation. Ethylene homopolymers include those prepared under the already low pressure, for example, linear low density or high density polyethylene, or high pressure, eg, branched or low density polyethylene. High density polyethylenes are generally characterized by a density that is equal to or greater than 0.94 grams per cubic centimeter (g / cc). Generally, the high density polyethylenes useful as the base resin in the present invention have a density in the range of about 0.94 grams per cubic centimeter to about 0.97 grams per cubic centimeter. Polyethylenes can have a melt index, as measured at 2.16 kilograms and 190 degrees Celsius (° C), in the range of 0.005 decigrams per minute (dg / min) to 100 decigrams per minute. Desirably, polyethylene has a melt index of 0.01 decigrams per minute at about 50 decigrams per minute and more desirably 0.05 decigrams per minute at about 25 decigrams per minute. Alternatively, the polyethylene blends can be used as the base resin in producing the graft copolymer compositions, and such blends can have a melt index greater than 0.005 decigrams per minute to less than about 100 decigrams per minute.

Low density polyethylene has a density of less than 0.94 grams per cubic centimeter and is usually in the range of 0.91 grams per cubic centimeter to about 0.93 grams per cubic centimeter. The low density polyethylene polymer has a melt index of about 0.05 decigrams per minute to about 100 decigrams per minute and desirably from 0.05 decigrams per minute to about 20 decigrams per minute. The ultra low density polyethylene can be used in accordance with the present invention. Generally, ultra low density polyethylene has a density of less than 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter.

Generally, the polypropylene has a semi-crystalline structure having a molecular weight of about 40,000 grams per mole or more, a density d around 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter, a casting point of 138 to 171 ° C for isotactic polypropylene and a tensile strength of 5000 pounds per square inch. Polypropylene can also have other tacticities that include syndiotactic and atactic.

The polyolefins mentioned above can also be manufactured by the use of well-known Ziegler-Natta multiple site catalysts or the more recent single site metallocene catalyst. The metallocene catalyst polyolefins have better controlled polymer microstructures than the manufactured polyolefins using Ziegler-Natta catalysts, which include narrow molecular weight distribution, controlled chemical composition distribution, comonomer sequence length distribution, and stereoregularity. Metallocene catalysts are known to polymerize propylene in atactic, isotactic, syndiotactic, isotactic-atactic stereoblock copolymer.

The ethylene copolymers which may be useful in the present invention may include copolymers of ethylene with one or more unsaturated monomers, additional polymerisable. Examples of such copolymers include, but are not limited to, copolymers of ethylene and of alpha olefins (such as propylene, butane, hexene or octane) which include linear low density polyethylene, ethylene copolymers and vinyl esters of linear or branched carboxylic acids having 1 to 24 carbon atoms such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, and ethylene and acrylic copolymers or methacrylic esters of linear, branched or cyclic alkanols having from 1 to 28 carbon atoms. Examples of these above copolymers include the ethylene alkyl (meta) -crylate copolymers, such as the ethylene methyl acrylate copolymers.

Free radical initiators useful in the practice of this invention include acyl peroxides such as benzyl peroxide; dialkyl, diaryl; or arachyl peroxides such as di-t-butyl peroxide; dicumyl peroxide; butyl cumyl peroxide; 1,1-di-t-butyl peroxy-3,5,5,5-trimethylcyclohexane; 2-dimethyl-2,5-di (t-butylperoxy) hexane; 2, 5-dimethyl-2,5-bhis (t-butylperoxyhexin-3 and bis (at-butyl peroxyisopropylbenzene), the peroxiesters such as t-butyl peroxypivalate, t-butyl peroctoate, t-butyl perbenzoate; 2, 5-dimethylhexyl-2, 5-di (perbenzoate), t-butyl di (perftalate), dialkyl peroxymonocarbonates and peroxycarbonates, hydroperoxides such as t-butyl hydroperoxide, p-methane of hydroperoxide, hydroperoxide pinna and hydroperoxide eumeno and ketone peroxides such as cyclohexanone peroxide and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide.Azo compounds such as azobisisobutyronitrile can also be used.

The poly (ethylene oxide) polymers suitable for the present invention can have a molecular weight in the range of 100,000 to 8,000,000 grams per mole (gram per mole). Poly (ethylene oxide) is available from Union Carbid Corporation under the brand name of POLYOX®. Typically, poly (ethylene oxide) is a free flowing white powder and sec having a crystalline melting point in the order d around 65 ° C, above which the poly (ethylene oxide) resin becomes thermoplastic and can be formed by molding, extrusion and other methods known in the art.

The method for making the polymer blends includes melt-bonding the desired weight ratios of a mixture of the polyolefin, the poly (ethylene oxide), the monomer and a free radical initiator in an extruder and at the temperature of reaction where the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) are converted to a molten state. Therefore, the polyolefin, the poly (ethylene oxide) monomer and the free radical initiator can be added simultaneously to the extruder before the polymer constituents, for example, the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) have been melted Preferred monomers used in the present invention include 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (hereinafter HEMA) and polyethylene glycol (meta) -crylates. The term (meta) polyethylene glycol crilates as used herein includes the polyethylene glycol methacrylates and the polyethylene glycol acrylates and the derivatives and which vary the molecular weights thereof. A desirable polyethylene glycol methacrylate is the ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol) (hereinafter abbreviated as PEG-MA). This invention has been demonstrated in the following examples by the use of poly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as the polar vinyl monomers. Both poly (ethylene glycol) ether methacrylate and 2-hydroethyl methacrylate were supplied by Aldrich Chemical Company. The 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate used in the examples was designated with catalog number Aldrich 40,954-5. The monomer used in Comparative Examples B to D and Examples 1 to 10 was a derivative of polyethylene glycol methacrylate, ethyl ether methacrylate poly (ethylene glycol) having an average molecular weight number of about 24S grams per mole The polyethylene glycol (meta) crilates with a number average molecular weight high or less than 246 grams per mole are also applicable for this invention. (meta) polyethylene glycol crilates can have a range of up to 50,000 grams per mole. However, low molecular weights are preferred for fast graft reaction rates. This desired range of the molecular weight of the monomers is from about 246 to about 5, 000 grams per mole and the most desirable range is around 246 to about 2.00 grams per mole. The monomer used in Example 11 was polyethylene glycol methacrylate having an average molecular weight number of about 360 grams per mole purchased from Aldrich Chemical Company, catalog number 40,953 7. Again, a wide range is expected. of monomers as well as a wide range molecular weights of monomers will be capable of imparting effects similar to polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) and may be effective monomers for modification and grafting purposes.

Preferably, the molten extruder used by the molten mixture can introduce various constituents into the mixture at different locations along the length of the screw. For example, the free radical initiator, crosslinking agents or other reactive additives may be injected into the mixture before or after one or more of the polymer constituents is melted or mixed thoroughly. More preferably, the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) are added at the beginning of the extruder. After the melt, the monomer is added to the molten polymers and later the extruder barrel, the free radical initiator is fed to the molten mixture. Although not preferred, the scope of the invention may include simultaneously adding the monomer and the free radical initiator into the molten mixture of the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide). It is important for the method of the invention that the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) be melted contemporaneously with or before the addition of the monomer and the free radical initiator Although not bound by any theory, it is believed that monomer, in the presence of the free radical initiator, the grafts in both the polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) po allowing articles made from the mixture or the modified polyolefin and the poly (ethylene oxide) modified have a greater response to water. As used herein, the term "response to water" refers to the loss of the tensile strength or tension at the breaking of a wet film relative to the tensile strength of the dry film or the tension at breaking.

The amount of the initiator to the libr radical added to the extruder should be a sufficient amount to graft from about 1 percent to 100 percent of the monomer in the polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide). This can have a range of about 0.1 percent by weight to about 1 percent by weight of initiator. Preferably, the amount of initiator added to the extruder has a range of about 0. percent by weight to about 5 percent by weight where all such ranges are based on the amount of monomer added to the molten mixture.

Surprisingly, a film or other thermoplastic article made of the modified polyolefin and modified poly (ethylene oxide) mixture described above is perceptible to water.

The present invention is illustrated in detail in detail by the specific examples presented below. It should be understood that these examples are exemplary examples and are not intended to limit the invention, but rather are to be interpreted broadly within the scope and content of the appended claims.

In each, one of the examples following a polyolefin / poly (ethylene oxide) mixture was prepared as described. Comparative example A is a physical mixture of the polymer resins. The mixtures of the comparative examples B to D were prepared by a two-step process. In the first step the polyethylene was modified by grafting a monomer to it. The method for making the modified polyethylene is described in greater detail in the copending patent application of the United States of America having the serial number number 08 / 733,410 recorded on October 18, 1996 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In the second step, the modified polyolefin is mixed with the poly (ethylene oxide). The selected properties of the materials of Examples A to D are listed in Table 1 below. Examples 1 to 11 below were made in accordance with the present invention. The properties selected from the materials of Examples 1 to 10 are listed in Tables 2, 3 and 4.

Comparative Example A A mixture of 60/40 percent resin by weight of a low density polyethylene that has a melt index of 1.9 decigrams per minute (dg / min.) And a density of 0.917 grams per cubic centimeter (g / cc) (Dow 5031 available from Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich.) And poly (ethylene oxide) having a molecular weight of 200.00 gram per mole. (The POLYOX® SR N-80 available from Union Carbid Corp.) was fed into a twin screw extruder that rotated from right to left Haake at a rate of 5 pounds per hour (lb / hr). The extruder had a length of 300 millimeters. Each conical screw had a diameter of 30 millimeters in the feed port and a diameter of 20 millimeters in the die. The extruder had four zones placed at 170, 180, 180 and 190 ° C. The screw speed of the extruder was 150 revolutions per minute.

Comparative Examples B to D For the comparative examples B to D d low density polyethylene, Dow 5031, was modified by grafting thereto the ethyl ether glycol d polyethylene methacrylate (catalog number (catalog number 40,954) available from Aldrich Chemical Company of Milwuakee, Wl abbreviated hereafter referred to as PEG-MA.) Polyethylene grafted poly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate is prepared using the twin screw extruder rotating from right to left Haake described above.Extruder feed comprises adding contemporaneously, in the feed throat of the extruder, 5 pounds per hour of low density polyethylene and an amount of the ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol) and of a free radical initiator, 2, 5-dimethyl-2, 5-di (t-butylperoxy) hexane, supplied by Atochem, 2000 Market St. Philadelphia, PA under the LUPERSOL® 101 brand.

For comparative example B the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol) was 0.125 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.0125 pounds per hour.

For comparative example C the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol) was 0.25 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.025 pounds per hour.

For comparative example D the proportion of ethyl ether methacrylate feed of poly (ethylene glycol) was 0.5 pounds per hour and the feed rate of initiate was 0.025 pounds per hour.

A 60/40 mixture was prepared following the method of Comparative Example A mentioned above, except that the modified polyethylene of each example, the comparative example to D, was replaced by the unmodified polyethylene. The products resulting from the comparative examples have the characteristics indicated in Table 1.

The film processing of the blends was performed using the Haake extruder as described above with the following modifications. The extruder included a 4-inch slotted die at a temperature of 195 ° C. The screw speed was 30 revolutions per minute. A cold tangled roller was used to collect the film. The cooled roll was operated at a sufficient speed to form a film having a thickness of about 4 millimeters (0.004 of an inch) and was maintained at a temperature of about 15 to 20 ° C.

Wet and dry tension tests The dry stress tests were performed in a Sintech l / D voltage test available from MTS Systems Corp., Machesny Park, IL. The film was cut into a type V dog bone shape in accordance with ASTM D638. The test was carried out with a grip separation of 30 millimeters and a cross head speed of 4 millimeters per second.

The wet tension tests were carried out on a Vitodyne V1000 mini-tension tester available from Chatillon, Greensboro, NC Film samples were placed on handholds and submerged at room temperature, water not removed for 30 seconds. the percentage of tension at break, the energy to break (as area under tension against the voltage curve) and the modulus was calculated for each film tested.The percentage loss in tension properties from dry to wet was determined for each example .

Table 1 Percentage of loss in the properties of dry and wet The 60/40 percentage by weight resin mixture of a low density polyethylene (Dow 5031) and a poly (ethylene oxide) (POLYOX® WSRN-80) was fed to the twin screw extruder which rotates from right to left Haake at a rate of 5 pounds, per hour. Contemporaneously with the polymer fed from the extruder, the specified amounts of a monomer, ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol), and a free radical initiator (LUPERSOL ® 101) were added into the feed throat. The extruder had four heating zones placed at 170, 180, 180 and 190 ° C. The screw speed of the extruder was 150 revolutions per minute.

For example 1 the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethylene glycol) was 0.125 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.0125 pounds per hour.

For example 2 the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethyl glycol) was 0.25 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.025 pounds per hour.

For example 3 the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethyl glycol) was 0.5 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.025 pounds per hour.

For example 4 the feed ratio of ethyl ether methacrylate of poly (ethyl glycol) was 0.75 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.0375 pounds per hour.

The products resulting from Examples 1 to 4 had the characteristics indicated in Table 2.

Table 2 Percentage of loss in wet dry properties For examples 1 to 4 the amount of monomer grafted to polyethylene was 0.65 percent by weight, 1.03 percent by weight, 0.51 percent by weight and 1.13 percent by weight, respectively. The percentage by weight of the monomer grafted to the polyethylene was determined by FT-IR and the elemental oxygen content as described in co-pending patent application of the United States of America No. 08 / 733,410 registered October 18, 1996 total of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example 3, the amount of monomer grafted to poly (ethylene oxide) was determined to be 14.9 percent by weight by NM spectroscopy.

Examples 5 to 8 The 60/40 percent by weight mixture of resin from a low density polyethylene (Dow 5031) and its poly (ethylene oxide) (POLYOX® WSRN-80) was fed to twin screw extruder which rotates from right to left. Haak at a rate of 5 pounds per hour. Contemporaneously with the polymer fed to the extruder, specific amounts of monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and free radical initiator (LUPERSOL® 101) were added into the feed throat. The extruder had four heating zones placed at 170, 180, 180 and 190 ° C. The screw speed of the extruder was 150 revolutions per minute.

For example 5 the feeding ratio of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was 0.125 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.0125 pounds per hour.

For example 6 the feeding ratio of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was 0.25 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.25 pounds per hour.

For example 7 the feeding ratio of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was 0.5 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.025 pounds per hour.

For example 8 the feeding ratio of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was 0.75 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.0375 pounds per hour.

The resulting products of examples 5 to 8 had the characteristics indicated in table 3. Table 3 Percentage of loss in properties from dry to wet Example 9 A 30/70 percent by weight resin blend of a low density polyethylene (Dow 5031) and a poly (ethylene oxide) (POLYOX® WSRN-80) was fed to the twin screw extruder which rotates from right to left Haake at a rate of 5 pounds per hour. Contemporaneously with the polymer fed to the extruder, specific amounts of a monomer, ethyl ether methacrylate of polyethylene glycol, and free radical initiator (LUPERSOL® 101) were added to the feed throat. The extruder had four heating zones placed at 170, 180, 180 and 190 ° C. The screw speed of the extruder was 150 revolutions per minute.

For example 9, the feed ratio of polyethylene glycol ethyl ether methacrylate was 0.25 pounds per hour and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.05 pounds per hour.

Example 10 An 80/20 percent by weight resin blend of a low density polyethylene (Dow 5031) and a poly (ethylene oxide) (POLYOX® WSRN-80) was fed to the twin screw extruder which rotates from right to left to a proportion of pounds per hour. Contemporaneously with the extruder-fed polymer, specific amounts of a monomer, ethylene ether methacrylate of polyethylene glycol, and initiator (LUPERSOL® 101) were added to the feed throat. The extruder had four heating zones placed at 170, 180, 180 and 190 ° C. The screw speed of the extruder was 150 revolutions per minute.

For example 10, the feed ratio of ethylene glycol polyethylene methacrylate was 0.25 pounds per hour (5 percent by additional weight) and the proportion of initiator feed was 0.05 pounds per hour.

The resulting products of examples 9 and 10 had the characteristics indicated in table 4.

Table 4 Example 11 A 60/40 percentage by weight resin blend of a low density polyethylene (Dow 5031) and a poly (ethyl d oxide) (POLYOX ® WSRN-80) was fed into a twin screw extruder Werner & Pfleiderer ZSK-30 at a rate of 2 pounds per hour. The resin mixture was fed to the feed throat of the extruder, for example, barrel # 1. The extruder had fourteen barrels and 1338 millimeters of total length d processing with a length of screw to the proportion of diameter (L / D) of 44. The devolitization zone was located in barrel # 11. The heating system of the extruder consists of seven heating zones. Barrel # 1 is not heated but cooled by water. The barrels # 2, # 3 and # were designated as zone # 1, barrels # 5 and # 6 as zone # 2, barrels # 7 and # 8 as zone # 3, and barrels # 9 and # 10 as zone # 4, barrels # 11 and # 12 as zone # 5, barrels # 13 # 14 as zone # 6 and die as zone # 7. The extruder temperatures were measured as the temperatures of these seven heating zones.

The die had four openings of 3 millimeters in diameter, which are separated by 7 millimeters. The polymer strips were cooled by an air-cooled conveyor belt twenty feet long. On the conveyor belt, twenty fans were installed to provide cooling using ambient air. The cooled strips were subsequently granulated by a granulator. Then the polyethylene and the poly (ethylene oxide) melted in the extruder by the action of the heated slab and the conductive heating of the barrels, a polyethylene glycol methacrylate (catalog number Aldrich 40,953-7, average number average molecular weight of around 360 grams per mole) was injected through a pressurized injection nozzle in barrel # 5. The injection ratio of polyethylene glycol methacrylate was 1.46 pounds per hour. A free radical initiator (LUPERSOL® 101 supplied by Atochem) was injected into barrel # 6 at a rate of 0.048 pounds per hour. The following barrel temperatures were recorded during the experiment: zone # 1, 182 ° C; zone # 2, 177 ° C; zone # 3, 179 ° C; zone # 4, 180 ° C; zone # 5, 180 ° C; and area # 7, 188 ° C. The casting temperature of the extrudate was 204 ° C. The melt pressure was 193 pounds per square inch. The vacuum of the devolitization was 25. inches of mercury. The granules produced by the process in this example were converted into films as in Comparative Examples B to D. A section of the film formed in the composition of this example was placed in water. A silky and soft phone was obtained. The PEO grafted from the film dissolved in the water, which makes the water thin to the touch.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various substitutions, omissions, changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the foregoing examples be considered merely exemplary of the present invention and not be considered a limitation thereof.

Claims (20)

1. A composition of matter comprising a mixture having from about 1 percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of a modified polyolefin and from about 99 percent by weight to about 1 percent by weight of a poly (ethylene oxide) ) modified, wherein said modified polyolefin and said modified poly (ethylene oxide) have a total amount from about percent by weight to about 30 percent by weight, based on the total amount of 3 polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) ), of a monomer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol acrylates and polyethylene glycol methacrylates grafted onto said polyolefin and said poly (ethylene oxide).

2. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that it comprises from about 30 percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of said modified polyolefin and from about 70 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of said modified poly (ethylene oxide).

3. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that it comprises from about 55 percent by weight to about 85 percent by weight of said modified polyolefin and from about 45 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of dich. modified poly (ethylene oxide).

4. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said polyolefin is polyethylene.

5. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said polyolefin is polypropylene.

6. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said modified polyolefin and said modified poly (ethylene oxide) have a total of from about 1 percent by weight to about 20 percent by weight of said monomer grafted to the same

7. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said modified polyolefin and said modified poly (ethylene oxide) have a total of from about 1 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight of said monomer grafted to the same

8. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said monomer is a polyethylene methacrylate or a derivative thereof.

9. The composition as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said monomer is a polyethylene glycol acrylate or a derivative thereof.

10. A method for preparing a mixture of a modified polyolefin and a modified poly (ethylene oxide) comprising melt-bonding an amount of polyolefin, an amount of a polyethylene oxide), an amount of polyethylene glycol acrylate or of glycol polyethylene methacrylate, and a sufficient amount of free radical initiator to modify said polyolefin and said poly (ethylene oxide) by grafting from about 1 percent to 10 percent of said monomer into said polyolefin and poly (ethylene oxide) ).

11. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said modified polyolefin comprises from about 1 percent by weight to about 8 percent by weight of said mixture and said modified poly (ethylene oxide) comprises from about 99 to about 15 percent per weight of said mixture.

12. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said modified polyolefin comprises from about 30 percent by weight to about 8 percent by weight of said mixture and said poly (modified ethylene oxide comprises from about 70 to about of 1 percent by weight of said mixture.

13. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said modified polyolefin comprises from about 55 percent by weight to about 8 percent by weight of said mixture and said modified poly (ethylene oxide) comprises from about 45 to about 1 percent by weight of said mixture.

14. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said polyolefin is selected from the group consisting of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, high density polyethylene, ultra low density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, low linear density polyethylene and polypropylene.

15. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said free radical initiator is selected from the group consisting of benzoyl peroxide; of di-t-butyl peroxide; of dicumyl peroxide; of cumyl butyl peroxide; of 1, of 1-di-t-butyl peroxy-3 of 5, of 5-trimethylcyclohexane; 2, 5-dimethyl-2, 5-di (t-butylperoxide) hexane; of 2, of 5-dimethyl-2, of 5-bis (t-butylperoxide) hexyne-3; of bis (a-t-butyl peroxyisopropylbenzene); of t-butyl peroxypivalate; of t-butyl peroctoate; of t-butyl perbenzoate; 2, 5-dimethylhexyl-2, 5-di (perbenzoate); of t-butyl di (perftalate); of t-butyl hydroperoxide; of p-methane hydroperoxide; of pinane hydroperoxide; of eumeno hydroperoxide; of cyclohexanone peroxide and ethyl ketone methyl peroxide.

16. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said amount of said free radical initiator added to said extruder is from about 0.1 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight, based on the amount of monomer.

17. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that from about 1 percent by weight to about 20 percent by weight, based on the amount of said polyolefin and said poly (ethylene oxide), of monomer is added to said extruder.

18. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that from about 1 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight, based on the amount of said polyolefin and said poly (ethylene oxide), of monomer is added to said extruder.

19. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said monomer is polyethylene glycol acrylate.

20. The method as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that said monomer is polyethylene glycol methacrylate.