WO2010082397A1

WO2010082397A1 - Optical film, polarizer, and liquid-crystal display device

Info

Publication number: WO2010082397A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/069179
Authority: WO
Inventors: 齋藤　浩一; 山田　るみ子
Original assignee: コニカミノルタオプト株式会社
Priority date: 2009-01-19
Filing date: 2009-11-11
Publication date: 2010-07-22

Abstract

An optical film produced by a melt film formation method, the film being transparent, having resistance to high temperatures and high humidities, and having significantly reduced brittleness; and a polarizer and a liquid-crystal display device which include the optical film. The optical film produced by a melt film formation method comprises an acrylic resin (A) and a cellulose ester resin (B) in a ratio of from 95:5 to 30:70 by mass, and is characterized by having a haze of 0.5% or lower and an elongation at break of 30-250% after having undergone a 120-hour high-temperature high-humidity treatment at 80ºC and 90%RH.

Description

Optical film, polarizing plate and liquid crystal display device

The present invention relates to an optical film produced by a melt film-forming method, and more particularly to an optical film produced by a melt film-forming method having good transparency, high temperature and high humidity resistance, and significantly improved brittleness.

Demand for liquid crystal display devices is expanding for applications such as liquid crystal televisions and personal computer liquid crystal displays. In general, a liquid crystal display device is composed of a liquid crystal cell in which a transparent electrode, a liquid crystal layer, a color filter, etc. are sandwiched between glass plates, and two polarizing plates provided on both sides thereof. The optical element (polarizing plate protective film) is sandwiched between a child (also referred to as a polarizing film or a polarizing film). As this polarizing plate protective film, a cellulose triacetate film is usually used.

On the other hand, due to recent technological advances, the enlargement of liquid crystal display devices has accelerated, and the applications of liquid crystal display devices have diversified. For example, it can be used as a large display installed on a street or in a store, or used as an advertising display in a public place using a display device called digital signage.

In such applications, since it is assumed to be used outdoors, deterioration of the polarizing film due to high temperature and high humidity becomes a problem, and the polarizing plate protective film is required to have higher high temperature and high humidity resistance. However, it has been difficult to obtain sufficient high-temperature and high-humidity resistance using a cellulose ester film such as a cellulose triacetate film that has been conventionally used.

On the other hand, polymethyl methacrylate (hereinafter abbreviated as PMMA), which is a representative of acrylic resin, has been used favorably for optical films because it exhibits excellent hygroscopicity and excellent transparency and dimensional stability.

However, the PMMA film has poor heat resistance and has a problem that its shape changes when used at high temperatures or for long-term use. In addition, the acrylic resin film is fragile and brittle when compared with a cellulose ester film and the like, and is difficult to handle, and particularly difficult to stably produce an optical film for a large liquid crystal display device. .

In order to improve the moisture resistance and heat resistance, a method of adding a polycarbonate (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”) to an acrylic resin has been proposed in order to improve the moisture resistance and heat resistance. Since the compatibility between the two is insufficient, it tends to become cloudy and is difficult to use as an optical film (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-5-306344 JP 2008-88417 A

In contrast to conventional problems, when an acrylic film and a cellulose ester resin are mixed and an optical film is produced by a solution casting method, an optical film having excellent transparency, durability under high temperature and high humidity, and excellent brittleness is obtained. What we get is clear from our examination.

On the other hand, the cellulose ester film conventionally used for the polarizing plate protective film is generally formed by the solution film forming method, but in recent years, the film forming examination by the melt film forming method has been advanced. It has been found that the optical film formed by mixing the acrylic resin and the cellulose ester resin by the melt film forming method generates white turbidity.

As a result of examination, it was found that the white turbidity was improved by reducing the molecular weight of the acrylic resin, but this method deteriorates the brittleness and cannot achieve both transparency and brittleness.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide an optical film produced by a melt film-forming method that is transparent, has high temperature and high humidity resistance, and has significantly improved brittleness. is there.

In particular, an object is to provide an optical film that is suitably used as a polarizing plate protective film in a large-sized liquid crystal display device or a liquid crystal display device for outdoor use.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.

1. An optical film containing an acrylic resin (A) and a cellulose ester resin (B) in a mass ratio of 95: 5 to 30:70, and produced by a melt film-forming method, which is 120 hours at 80 ° C. and 90% RH. An optical film characterized by having a haze after a high temperature and high humidity treatment of 0.5% or less and an elongation at break of 30% or more and 250% or less.

2. 2. The optical film as described in 1 above, containing 0.05 to 2.0% by mass of at least one ester wax or polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester.

3. 3. The optical film as described in 2 above, wherein the ester wax or polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester is at least one selected from glycerin fatty acid ester, diglycerin fatty acid ester, and sorbitan fatty acid ester.

4. The acrylic resin (A) has a weight average molecular weight Mw of 110,000 to 1,000,000, a total acyl group substitution degree (T) of the cellulose ester resin (B) of 2.0 to 3.0, and a carbon number. 4. The optical film as described in any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein the substitution degree of the acyl group of 3 to 7 is 1.2 to 3.0.

5. 5. The optical film as described in any one of 1 to 4 above, which contains 0.1 to 2.0% by mass of acrylic particles (C).

6. 6. A polarizing plate comprising the optical film according to any one of 1 to 5 above.

7. 7. A liquid crystal display device using the polarizing plate described in 6 above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical film that is transparent, has high temperature and humidity resistance, and has markedly improved brittleness.

In particular, it is possible to provide an optical film that is suitably used as a polarizing plate protective film used in a large-sized liquid crystal display device or a digital signage liquid crystal display device.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[Optical film]
<Acrylic resin (A)>
The acrylic resin used in the present invention includes a methacrylic resin. The resin is not particularly limited, but a resin comprising 50 to 99% by mass of methyl methacrylate units and 1 to 50% by mass of other monomer units copolymerizable therewith is preferable.

Examples of other copolymerizable monomers include alkyl methacrylates having 2 to 18 alkyl carbon atoms, alkyl acrylates having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, alkyl acrylates such as acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. Unsaturated group-containing divalent carboxylic acids such as saturated acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid, aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene and α-methylstyrene, α, β-unsaturated nitriles such as acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile, Examples include maleic anhydride, maleimide, N-substituted maleimide, glutaric anhydride, acrylamide derivatives such as acryloylmorpholine, N-vinylpyrrolidone, etc., and these are used in combination of one or more monomers. Can be used.

Among these, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, s-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and the like are preferable from the viewpoint of thermal decomposition resistance and fluidity of the copolymer. n-Butyl acrylate is particularly preferably used.

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the acrylic resin (A) used in the optical film of the present invention is preferably in the range of 110,000 to 1,000,000, and in the range of 140,000 to 600,000. Is more preferable, and the range of 200,000 to 400,000 is particularly preferable. If the weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the acrylic resin (A) is too small, sufficient brittleness improvement cannot be obtained. If it is too large, the transparency (haze) deteriorates and the productivity decreases due to an increase in melt viscosity.

The weight average molecular weight of the acrylic resin according to the present invention can be measured by gel permeation chromatography. The measurement conditions are as follows.

Solvent: Methylene chloride Column: Shodex K806, K805, K803G (Used by connecting three Showa Denko Co., Ltd.)
Column temperature: 25 ° C
Sample concentration: 0.1% by mass
Detector: RI Model 504 (manufactured by GL Sciences)
Pump: L6000 (manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.)
Flow rate: 1.0ml / min
Calibration curve: Standard polystyrene STK standard polystyrene (manufactured by Tosoh Corp.) Mw = 2,800,000-500 calibration curves with 13 samples were used. The 13 samples are preferably used at approximately equal intervals.

The production method of the acrylic resin (A) in the present invention is not particularly limited, and any known method such as suspension polymerization, emulsion polymerization, bulk polymerization, or solution polymerization may be used. Here, as a polymerization initiator, a normal peroxide type, azo type, or redox type can be used. The polymerization temperature may be 30 to 100 ° C. for suspension or emulsion polymerization, and 80 to 160 ° C. for bulk or solution polymerization. In order to control the reduced viscosity of the obtained copolymer, polymerization can be carried out using alkyl mercaptan or the like as a chain transfer agent.

Commercially available acrylic resins can be used as the acrylic resin according to the present invention. For example, Delpet 60N, 80N (Asahi Kasei Chemicals Co., Ltd.), Dialal BR52, BR80, BR83, BR85, BR88 (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.), KT75 (Electrochemical Industry Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned. . Two or more acrylic resins can be used in combination.

<Cellulose ester resin (B)>
The cellulose ester resin (B) according to the present invention has a total acyl group substitution degree (T) of 2.0 to 3 particularly from the viewpoint of improvement in brittleness and transparency when it is compatible with the acrylic resin (A). The substitution degree of the acyl group having 0.0 and 3 to 7 carbon atoms is preferably 1.2 to 3.0, more preferably the total substitution degree of the acyl group is 2.5 to 3.0 and 3 carbon atoms. The substitution degree of the acyl group of ˜7 is 2.0 to 3.0.

When the total substitution degree of the acyl group of the cellulose ester resin (B) is less than 2.0, the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) are not sufficiently compatible with each other and used as an optical film. It can be a problem. In addition, even when the total substitution degree of the acyl group is 2.0 or more, if the substitution degree of the acyl group having 3 to 7 carbon atoms is less than 1.2, still sufficient compatibility cannot be obtained, Brittleness will decrease.

In the present invention, the acyl group may be an aliphatic acyl group or an aromatic acyl group. In the case of an aliphatic acyl group, it may be linear or branched and may further have a substituent. The portion that is not substituted with an acyl group usually exists as a hydroxyl group. These can be synthesized by known methods.

The cellulose ester resin (B) according to the present invention is preferably at least one selected from cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate benzoate, cellulose propionate, and cellulose butyrate. Among these, cellulose ester resins that are particularly preferable are cellulose acetate propionate and cellulose propionate.

Incidentally, the substitution degree of the acetyl group and the substitution degree of other acyl groups were determined by the method prescribed in ASTM-D817-96.

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the cellulose ester resin according to the present invention is preferably 75,000 or more, particularly from the viewpoint of improvement in compatibility with the acrylic resin (A) and brittleness, and 75,000 to 240,000. Is more preferably in the range of 100,000 to 240,000, particularly preferably 160,000 to 240,000. When the weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the cellulose ester resin is too small, the effect of improving heat resistance and brittleness is not sufficient, and when it is too large, the transparency and the surface quality are deteriorated and the effect of the present invention cannot be obtained. In the present invention, two or more kinds of cellulose resins can be mixed and used.

In the optical film of the present invention, the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) are used in a mass ratio of 95: 5 to 30:70, preferably 90:10 to 50:50, and more preferably Is 90:10 to 60:40.

If the mass ratio of the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) is more than 95: 5, the effect of the cellulose ester resin (B) cannot be sufficiently obtained, and the mass ratio is When the amount of acrylic resin is less than 30:70, the high temperature and high humidity resistance becomes insufficient.

In the optical film of the present invention, the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) must be contained in a compatible state. The physical properties and quality required for an optical film are achieved by supplementing each other by dissolving different resins.

Whether the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) are in a compatible state can be determined by, for example, the glass transition temperature Tg.

For example, when the two resins have different glass transition temperatures, when the two resins are mixed, there are two or more glass transition temperatures for each resin because there is a glass transition temperature for each resin. When they are compatible, the glass transition temperature specific to each resin disappears and becomes one glass transition temperature, which is the glass transition temperature of the compatible resin.

The glass transition temperature referred to here is an intermediate value determined according to JIS K7121 (1987) using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC-7 model manufactured by Perkin Elmer) at a heating rate of 20 ° C./min. The point glass transition temperature (Tmg).

The optical film of the present invention may contain resins and additives other than the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

The total mass of the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) in the optical film of the present invention is preferably 55% by mass or more of the optical film, more preferably 60% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 70% by mass or more.

<Acrylic particles (C)>
The optical film of the present invention preferably contains acrylic particles (C).

The acrylic particle (C) according to the present invention represents an acrylic component present in the state of particles (also referred to as an incompatible state) in the optical film containing the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B). .

The acrylic particles (C) used in the present invention are not particularly limited, but are preferably acrylic particles having a multilayer structure of two or more layers, and particularly preferably the following multilayer structure acrylic granular composite. .

The multilayer structure acrylic granular composite is formed by laminating an innermost hard layer polymer, a cross-linked soft layer polymer exhibiting rubber elasticity, and an outermost hard layer polymer from the center to the outer periphery. This refers to a particulate acrylic polymer having a structure.

Preferred embodiments of the multilayer structure acrylic granular composite used in the acrylic resin composition according to the present invention include the following. (A) Monomer comprising 80 to 98.9% by weight of methyl methacrylate, 1 to 20% by weight of alkyl acrylate having 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, and 0.01 to 0.3% by weight of polyfunctional grafting agent (B) 75 to 98.5% by mass of an alkyl acrylate having 4 to 8 carbon atoms in the presence of the innermost hard layer polymer in the presence of the innermost hard layer polymer. A crosslinked soft layer polymer obtained by polymerizing a mixture of monomers comprising 0.01 to 5% by mass of a polyfunctional crosslinking agent and 0.5 to 5% by mass of a polyfunctional grafting agent, (c) In the presence of a polymer comprising an inner hard layer and a crosslinked soft layer, a monomer mixture comprising 80 to 99% by weight of methyl methacrylate and 1 to 20% by weight of alkyl acrylate having 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group. Outermost obtained by polymerizing The layered polymer has a three-layer structure, and the obtained three-layered polymer is the innermost hard layer polymer (a) 5 to 40% by mass, the soft layer polymer (b) 30 to 60% by mass. And an outermost hard layer polymer (c) having an insoluble part when fractionated with acetone, and having a methyl ethyl ketone swelling degree of 1.5 to 4.0. Complex.

As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-17406 or Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-39095, not only the composition and particle diameter of each layer of the multilayered acrylic granular composite are defined, but also the multilayered acrylic granular composite. By setting the tensile modulus of the body and the degree of swelling of methyl ethyl ketone in the acetone-insoluble part within a specific range, it is possible to realize a further sufficient balance between impact resistance and stress whitening resistance.

Here, the innermost hard layer polymer (a) constituting the multilayer structure acrylic granular composite is 80 to 98.9% by mass of methyl methacrylate and 1 to 20 mass of alkyl acrylate having 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group. % And a mixture of monomers consisting of 0.01 to 0.3% by weight of a polyfunctional grafting agent is preferred.

Here, examples of the alkyl acrylate having 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group include methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, s-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and the like. And n-butyl acrylate are preferably used.

When the alkyl acrylate unit is less than 1% by mass, the thermal decomposability of the polymer is increased. On the other hand, when the unit exceeds 20% by mass, the innermost hard layer polymer (a) has a low glass transition temperature. Since the impact resistance imparting effect of the layer structure acrylic granular composite is lowered, neither is preferable.

Examples of the polyfunctional grafting agent include polyfunctional monomers having different polymerizable functional groups, such as allyl esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid, and allyl methacrylate is preferably used. . The polyfunctional grafting agent is used to chemically bond the innermost hard layer polymer and the soft layer polymer, and the ratio used during the innermost hard layer polymerization is 0.01 to 0.3% by mass. .

The crosslinked soft layer polymer (b) constituting the acrylic granular composite is an alkyl acrylate having from 9 to 8 carbon atoms having an alkyl group of 1 to 8 in the presence of the innermost hard layer polymer (a). What is obtained by polymerizing a mixture of monomers comprising, by mass, 0.01 to 5% by mass of a polyfunctional crosslinking agent and 0.5 to 5% by mass of a polyfunctional grafting agent is preferred.

Here, n-butyl acrylate or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate is preferably used as the alkyl acrylate having 4 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group.

In addition to these polymerizable monomers, it is possible to copolymerize 25% by mass or less of other monofunctional monomers capable of copolymerization.

Examples of other monofunctional monomers that can be copolymerized include styrene and substituted styrene derivatives. As the ratio of the alkyl acrylate having 4 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and styrene increases, the glass transition temperature of the polymer (b) decreases as the former increases, that is, it can be softened. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the transparency of the resin assemblage, the refractive index of the soft layer polymer (b) at normal temperature should be closer to the innermost hard layer polymer (a) and the outermost hard layer polymer (c). The ratio between the two is selected in consideration of these factors.

As the polyfunctional grafting agent, those mentioned in the section of the innermost layer hard polymer (a) can be used. The polyfunctional grafting agent used here is used to chemically bond the soft layer polymer (b) and the outermost hard layer polymer (c), and the proportion used during the innermost hard layer polymerization is impact resistance. From the viewpoint of the effect of imparting properties, 0.5 to 5% by mass is preferable.

As the polyfunctional crosslinking agent, generally known crosslinking agents such as divinyl compounds, diallyl compounds, diacrylic compounds, dimethacrylic compounds and the like can be used, but polyethylene glycol diacrylate (molecular weight 200 to 600) is preferably used.

The polyfunctional cross-linking agent used here is used to generate a cross-linked structure during the polymerization of the soft layer (b) and to exhibit the effect of imparting impact resistance. However, if the above-mentioned polyfunctional grafting agent is used during the polymerization of the soft layer, the polyfunctional crosslinking agent is not an essential component because the crosslinked structure of the soft layer (b) is generated to some extent. Is preferably 0.01 to 5% by weight from the viewpoint of imparting impact resistance.

The outermost hard layer polymer (c) constituting the multi-layer structure acrylic granular composite has a methyl methacrylate of 80 to 99 mass in the presence of the innermost hard layer polymer (a) and the soft layer polymer (b). % And a mixture of monomers consisting of 1 to 20% by mass of an alkyl acrylate having 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group is preferred.

Here, as the acrylic alkylate, those described above are used, but methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate are preferably used. The proportion of the alkyl acrylate unit in the outermost hard layer (c) is preferably 1 to 20% by mass.

Also, when the outermost hard layer (c) is polymerized, an alkyl mercaptan or the like can be used as a chain transfer agent to adjust the molecular weight for the purpose of improving the compatibility with the acrylic resin (A).

In particular, it is preferable to provide the outermost hard layer with a gradient such that the molecular weight gradually decreases from the inside toward the outside in order to improve the balance between elongation and impact resistance. Specifically, the outermost hard layer is divided into two or more monomer mixtures for forming the outermost hard layer, and the amount of chain transfer agent to be added each time is increased sequentially. It is possible to decrease the molecular weight of the polymer forming the layer from the inside to the outside of the multilayer structure acrylic granular composite.

The molecular weight formed at this time can also be examined by polymerizing a mixture of monomers used each time under the same conditions, and measuring the molecular weight of the resulting polymer.

The particle diameter of the acrylic particles (C) preferably used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, and more preferably 20 nm or more and 500 nm or less. In particular, the thickness is most preferably from 50 nm to 400 nm.

In the acrylic granular composite that is a multilayer structure polymer preferably used in the present invention, the mass ratio of the core and the shell is not particularly limited, but when the entire multilayer structure polymer is 100 parts by mass, The core layer is preferably 50 parts by mass or more and 90 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 60 parts by mass or more and 80 parts by mass or less. In addition, the core layer here is an innermost hard layer.

Examples of such commercially available multilayered acrylic granular composites include, for example, “Metablene” manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., “Kane Ace” manufactured by Kaneka Chemical Co., Ltd., “Paraloid” manufactured by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd., Rohm and Haas “Acryloid” manufactured by KK, “Staffyroid” manufactured by Ganz Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd., “Parapet SA” manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., and the like can be used alone or in combination of two or more. As particularly preferred acrylic particles (C), for example, Methbrene W-341 (C2) (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.), Chemisnow MR-2G (C3), MS-300X (C4) (Soken Chemical Co., Ltd.) And the like.

Moreover, when adding an acrylic particle (C) to the optical film of this invention, the refractive index of the mixture of an acrylic resin (A) and a cellulose-ester resin (B) and the refractive index of an acrylic particle (C) must be near. From the viewpoint of obtaining a film with high transparency. Specifically, the refractive index difference between the acrylic particles (C) and the acrylic resin (A) is preferably 0.05 or less, more preferably 0.02 or less, and particularly preferably 0.01 or less.

In order to satisfy such a refractive index condition, a method of adjusting the monomer unit composition ratio of the acrylic resin (A) and / or a rubbery polymer or monomer used for the acrylic particles (C) By adjusting the composition ratio, the refractive index difference can be reduced, and an optical film excellent in transparency can be obtained.

The refractive index difference referred to here is a solution in which the optical film of the present invention is sufficiently dissolved in a solvent in which the acrylic resin (A) is soluble to obtain a cloudy solution, which is subjected to an operation such as centrifugation. After separating the solvent-soluble part and the insoluble part and purifying the soluble part (acrylic resin (A)) and insoluble part (acrylic particles (C)), the measured refractive index (23 ° C., measuring wavelength: 550 nm). ) Difference.

In the present invention, the method of blending the acrylic particles (C) with the acrylic resin (A) is not particularly limited. After the acrylic resin (A) and other optional components are previously blended, usually at 200 to 350 ° C. A method of uniformly melt-kneading with a single-screw or twin-screw extruder while adding acrylic particles (C) is preferably used.

The optical film of the present invention preferably contains 0.5 to 30% by mass of acrylic particles (C) with respect to the total mass of the resin constituting the film, and is in the range of 1.0 to 15% by mass. It is more preferable to contain.

<Ester waxes, polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters>
By adding ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters to the optical film of the present invention, transparency and surface quality can be improved. This is because ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters act like a lubricant to improve retention in an extruder, casting die, etc., and acrylic resin (A) and cellulose ester resin (B This is considered to improve the kneadability by lowering the melt viscosity.

The fatty acids constituting the ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters used in the present invention include lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, 12-hydroxystearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and erucin The main component is one or a mixture of two or more selected from aliphatic fatty acids having 12 to 22 carbon atoms, such as acids and 12-hydroxyoleic acid. Of these, stearic acid is particularly preferred.

Examples of the alcohol constituting the ester wax and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester used in the present invention include adonitol, arabitol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3- Propanediol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, dibutylene glycol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,5-pentane Diol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,2,3-hexanetriol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, glycerin, diglycerin, galactitol, inositol, mannitol, 3-methylpentane-1,3,5- G Ol, pinacol, sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, can be cited as a main component one or two or more thereof selected from xylitol.

Of these, the ester waxes are preferably pentaerythritol tetrafatty acid ester, dipentaerythritol hexafatty acid ester, and glycerin trifatty acid ester. In the present application, “ester waxes” refer to those obtained by esterifying all hydroxyl groups of the alcohols as described above with the fatty acids as described above.

As the polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters, it is preferable that one of glycerin or diglycerin fatty acid monoester or diester, or sorbitol fatty acid monoester, diester and triester as a main component. Moreover, the hydroxyl group which is not esterified with a fatty acid may remain as a hydroxyl group or may be esterified with acetic acid.

Ester waxes are excellent in the effect of reducing friction between metal and molten resin in the extruder and suppressing shearing heat generation, but bleed out due to poor compatibility with acrylic resin (A) and cellulose ester resin (B). It is easy and the effect of lowering the melt viscosity is small. Polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters are not as effective in reducing the friction between the metal and the molten resin as ester waxes, but have a great effect of lowering the melt viscosity, so that shear heat generation can be suppressed. Moreover, since the compatibility with the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B) is good, the bleed-out is also good. From these things, it is preferable to use polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters in the present invention. Of the polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters, glycerol fatty acid ester, diglycerol fatty acid ester, and sorbitan fatty acid ester are more preferable, and glycerol fatty acid monoester is particularly preferable.

In addition, from the viewpoint of contamination of the manufacturing processing apparatus due to volatility at the time of heating or environmental pollution, compatibility with cellulose ester, etc., the carbon number of the fatty acid used in the ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters is 12 It is preferably ˜22. In addition, from the viewpoints of deodorization during storage, prevention of discoloration, and the like, esters of saturated fatty acids are preferred over unsaturated fatty acids.

The amount of ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters added is 0.05% to 2.0% by mass, more preferably 0.1% to 1.0% by mass. If the addition amount is too small, the necessary effect cannot be obtained, and if the addition amount is too large, the high temperature and high humidity resistance deteriorates and the haze after the high temperature and high humidity treatment deteriorates.

The esterification reaction of ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters is beef tallow, pork tallow, chicken tallow, fish oil, soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, castor oil or their hydrogen. Reactants obtained by transesterification of one or a mixture of two or more added oils with glycerin, diglycerin, and sorbitol are subjected to methods such as molecular distillation, solvent fractionation, recrystallization, column chromatography, and supercritical gas extraction. Although it can be obtained by fractionation, molecular distillation is generally appropriate from the viewpoint of ease of production, quality, and price.

<Plasticizer>
In the production of the optical film according to the present invention, a plasticizer may be contained in the film forming material.

The plasticizer that can be used is not particularly limited. For example, a polyhydric alcohol ester plasticizer, a polyester plasticizer, a trivalent or higher aromatic polycarboxylic acid ester plasticizer, a glycolate plasticizer, Phosphate ester plasticizers, phthalate ester plasticizers, fatty acid ester plasticizers, sugar ester compounds, acrylic polymers, and the like can be used. Particularly preferred are polyhydric alcohol plasticizers. Moreover, it is preferable that the addition amount of a phosphoric ester plasticizer shall be 6 mass% or less from a durable viewpoint of a polarization degree.

The plasticizer preferably has a 1% weight loss temperature (Td1) of 250 ° C. or higher, more preferably 280 ° C. or higher, and particularly preferably 300 ° C. or higher.

The polyhydric alcohol ester is composed of an ester of a dihydric or higher aliphatic polyhydric alcohol and a monocarboxylic acid, and preferably has an aromatic ring or a cycloalkyl ring in the molecule.

The polyhydric alcohol used in the polyhydric alcohol ester is represented by the following general formula (1).

General formula (1): R _1- (OH) _n
In the formula, R ₁ represents an n-valent organic group, n represents a positive integer of 2 or more, and the OH group represents an alcoholic hydroxyl group or a phenolic hydroxyl group.

Examples of preferable polyhydric alcohols include the following, but the present invention is not limited to these.

Adonitol, arabitol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,3- Butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, dibutylene glycol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,2,3-hexanetriol, 1,2, 6-hexanetriol, glycerin, diglycerin, galactitol, inositol, mannitol, 3-methylpentane-1,3,5-triol, pinacol, sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, pentaerythritol It can be mentioned Lumpur, dipentaerythritol, xylitol and the like. Of these, glycerin, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, and pentaerythritol are preferable.

The monocarboxylic acid used in the polyhydric alcohol ester according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and known aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, alicyclic monocarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and the like can be used. Use of an alicyclic monocarboxylic acid or aromatic monocarboxylic acid is preferable in terms of improving moisture permeability and retention. Examples of preferred monocarboxylic acids include the following, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As the aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, a fatty acid having a straight chain or a side chain having 1 to 32 carbon atoms can be preferably used. More preferably, it has 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and particularly preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms. The use of acetic acid is preferred because the compatibility with the cellulose ester is increased, and it is also preferred to use a mixture of acetic acid and another monocarboxylic acid.

Preferred aliphatic monocarboxylic acids include acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, 2-ethyl-hexanecarboxylic acid, undecylic acid, lauric acid, tridecylic acid , Saturated fatty acids such as myristic acid, pentadecylic acid, palmitic acid, heptadecylic acid, stearic acid, nonadecanoic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, serotic acid, heptacosanoic acid, montanic acid, melicic acid, laccelic acid, undecylenic acid, Examples thereof include unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, sorbic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid.

Preferred alicyclic monocarboxylic acids are preferably cycloalkyl groups having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, and specific examples include cyclopentanecarboxylic acid, cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, and cyclooctanecarboxylic acid.

Examples of preferred aromatic monocarboxylic acids include those in which an alkyl group is introduced into the benzene ring of benzoic acid such as benzoic acid and toluic acid, and two or more benzene rings such as biphenyl carboxylic acid, naphthalene carboxylic acid, and tetralin carboxylic acid. An aromatic monocarboxylic acid possessed can be mentioned. In particular, benzoic acid is preferred.

These alicyclic monocarboxylic acids and aromatic monocarboxylic acids may be substituted, and preferred substituents include halogen atoms such as chlorine atom, bromine atom, fluorine atom, hydroxyl group, alkyl group, alkoxy group. Group, cycloalkoxy group, aralkyl group (this phenyl group may be further substituted with an alkyl group or a halogen atom), alkenyl groups such as vinyl group, allyl group, phenyl group (this phenyl group has an alkyl group) Or a phenoxy group (this phenyl group may be further substituted with an alkyl group or a halogen atom), an acetyl group, a propionyl group, or the like. Carbon number such as ˜8 acyl group, acetyloxy group, propionyloxy group Etc. unsubstituted carbonyl group having 1-8 thereof.

The molecular weight of the polyhydric alcohol ester is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of volatility, compatibility and the like, the molecular weight is preferably in the range of 300 to 1500, and more preferably in the range of 400 to 1000.

The monocarboxylic acid used in the polyhydric alcohol ester may be one kind or a mixture of two or more kinds. Moreover, all the OH groups in the polyhydric alcohol may be esterified, or a part of the OH groups may be left as they are.

The polyhydric alcohol ester can be synthesized by a known method. For example, a method of condensing and esterifying the monocarboxylic acid and the polyhydric alcohol in the presence of an acid, a method of previously reacting an organic acid with an acid chloride or acid anhydride and reacting with the polyhydric alcohol, There is a method of reacting a phenyl ester and a polyhydric alcohol, and it is preferable to select a method with a good yield appropriately depending on the target ester compound.

As the polyester plasticizer, it is preferable to use a polyester plasticizer having an aromatic ring or a cycloalkyl ring in the molecule. Although it does not specifically limit as a preferable polyester plasticizer, For example, it represents with the following general formula (i).

Formula (i): B- (GA) _n1 -GB
(Wherein B is a benzene monocarboxylic acid residue, G is an alkylene glycol residue having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, an aryl glycol residue having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, or an oxyalkylene glycol residue having 4 to 12 carbon atoms, A represents an alkylene dicarboxylic acid residue having 2 to 12 carbon atoms or an aryl dicarboxylic acid residue having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and n1 represents an integer of 1 or more.)
In the general formula (i), a benzene monocarboxylic acid residue represented by B and an alkylene glycol residue, oxyalkylene glycol residue or aryl glycol residue represented by G, an alkylene dicarboxylic acid residue or aryl dicarboxylic group represented by A It is composed of an acid residue and can be obtained by a reaction similar to that of a normal polyester plasticizer.

Examples of the benzene monocarboxylic acid component of the polyester plasticizer used in the present invention include benzoic acid, para-tert-butylbenzoic acid, orthotoluic acid, metatoluic acid, p-toluic acid, dimethylbenzoic acid, ethylbenzoic acid, and normalpropyl. There are benzoic acid, aminobenzoic acid, acetoxybenzoic acid and the like, and these can be used as one kind or a mixture of two or more kinds, respectively.

Examples of the alkylene glycol component having 2 to 12 carbon atoms of the polyester plasticizer include ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 2- Methyl 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol (neopentyl glycol), 2,2-diethyl-1,3- Propanediol (3,3-dimethylolpentane), 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3propanediol (3,3-dimethylolheptane), 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol 1,6 -Hexanediol, 2,2,4-trimethyl 1,3-pentanediol, 2-ethyl 1,3-hexanediol, 2 Methyl 1,8-octanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, 1,10-decanediol, there are 1,12-octadecane diol, these glycols may be used as alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the oxyalkylene glycol component having 4 to 12 carbon atoms of the aromatic terminal ester include diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, and the like. Or it can be used as a mixture of two or more.

Examples of the alkylene dicarboxylic acid component having 4 to 12 carbon atoms of the aromatic terminal ester include succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, and dodecanedicarboxylic acid. Are used as one or a mixture of two or more. Examples of the arylene dicarboxylic acid component having 6 to 12 carbon atoms include phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, 1,5-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, and the like.

The polyester plasticizer used in the present invention preferably has a number average molecular weight of 400 to 2000, more preferably 500 to 1500. The acid value is preferably 0.5 mgKOH / g or less, and the hydroxyl value is preferably 25 mgKOH / g or less, more preferably the acid value is 0.3 mgKOH / g or less, and the hydroxyl value is 15 mgKOH / g or less. Is preferred.

The trivalent or higher aromatic polyvalent carboxylic acid ester plasticizer is preferably trimesic acid ester, trimellitic acid ester or pyromellitic acid ester. The alcohol that forms an ester with an aromatic polycarboxylic acid is preferably an alcohol having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

Examples of particularly preferred trivalent or higher aromatic polycarboxylic acid ester plasticizers include tributyl trimesate, trihexyl trimesate, tri-2-ethyl-hexyl trimesate, tricyclohexyl trimesate, tributyl trimellitic acid, trimellitate Trihexyl acid, tri-2-ethyl-hexyl trimellitic acid, tricyclohexyl trimellitic acid, tetrabutyl pyromellitic acid, tetrahexyl pyromellitic acid, tetra-2-ethylhexyl pyromellitic acid, tetracyclohexyl pyromellitic acid, etc. The invention is not limited to these examples.

As glycolate plasticizers, ethyl phthalyl ethyl glycolate, butyl phthalyl butyl glycolate, and phosphate ester plasticizers are triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, cresyl diphenyl phosphate, octyl diphenyl phosphate, diphenyl biphenyl. For phthalate plasticizers such as phosphate, trioctyl phosphate, tributyl phosphate, 1,3-phenylene bis (dixylenyl phosphate), 1,3-phenylene bis (diphenyl phosphate), diethyl phthalate, dimethoxyethyl phthalate, dimethyl Phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and the like can be used. In addition, citrate plasticizers such as acetyltributyl citrate, epoxidized oil plasticizers, and the like can also be used.

<< Antioxidant, Heat degradation inhibitor >>
In the present invention, as an antioxidant and a thermal degradation inhibitor, generally known degradation inhibitors (antioxidants, peroxide decomposition agents, radical inhibitors, metal deactivators, acid scavengers, amines, etc.) ) Can be used. In particular, lactone, sulfur, phenol, double bond, hindered amine, and phosphorus compounds can be preferably used. The deterioration preventing agents are described in JP-A-3-199201, JP-A-5-194789, JP-A-5-271471, and JP-A-6-107854.

As the phenolic compound, those having a 2,6-dialkylphenol structure are preferable, for example, those commercially available from Ciba Japan Co., Ltd. under the trade names Irganox 1076 and Irganox 1010.

Examples of the phosphorus compounds include Sumitizer Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumilizer-GP, ADEKA Co., Ltd., ADK STAB PEP-24G, ADK STAB PEP-36 and ADK STAB 3010, and Ciba Japan Co., Ltd. IRGAFOS P- EPQ, commercially available from Sakai Chemical Co., Ltd. under the trade name GSY-P101 is preferred.

The hindered amine compound is preferably commercially available from Ciba Japan Co., Ltd. under the trade name of Tinuvin 144 and Tinuvin 770, and from ADEKA Co., Ltd. under the name of ADK STAB LA-52.

The above sulfur compounds are preferably those commercially available from Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. under the trade names Sumilizer TPL-R and Sumilizer TP-D.

The above-mentioned double bond compounds are preferably those commercially available from Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. under the trade names Sumilizer-GM and Sumilizer-GS.

Furthermore, it is possible to contain a compound having an epoxy group as described in US Pat. No. 4,137,201 as an acid scavenger.

The amount of these antioxidants and the like to be added is appropriately determined in accordance with the process at the time of recycling. Generally, the range of 0.05 to 5% by mass with respect to the resin as the main raw material of the film. Is added.

These antioxidants and thermal degradation inhibitors can obtain a synergistic effect by using several different types of compounds in combination rather than using only one kind. For example, the combined use of lactone, phosphorus, phenol and double bond compounds is preferred.

《Colorant》
In the present invention, a colorant may be used. Usually, the colorant means a dye or a pigment, but in the present invention, it means an agent having the effect of making the color tone of the liquid crystal screen blue, adjusting the yellow index (yellowness), and reducing haze.

Various dyes and pigments can be used as the colorant, but anthraquinone dyes, azo dyes, phthalocyanine pigments and the like are effective.

<Ultraviolet absorber>
Although the ultraviolet absorber used in the present invention is not particularly limited, for example, oxybenzophenone compounds, benzotriazole compounds, salicylic acid ester compounds, benzophenone compounds, cyanoacrylate compounds, triazine compounds, nickel complex compounds, inorganic powders Examples include the body. It is good also as a polymer type ultraviolet absorber. The UV absorber preferably used in the present invention is preferably a benzotriazole-based UV absorber or a benzophenone-based UV absorber that has high transparency and is excellent in the effect of preventing the deterioration of the polarizing plate and the liquid crystal element, and has less unnecessary coloring. Benzotriazole ultraviolet absorbers are particularly preferred. As specific examples of the ultraviolet absorber used in the present invention, for example, TINUVIN109, TINUVIN171, TINUVIN326, TINUVIN327, TINUVIN328, TINUVIN900, TINUVIN928 manufactured by Ciba Japan Co., Ltd., LA-31 manufactured by ADEKA Corporation, etc. are preferably used. However, the present invention is not limited to these. As the UV absorber, a polymer UV absorber can also be preferably used, and in particular, a polymer type UV absorber described in JP-A-6-148430 is preferably used. An ultraviolet absorber may be used independently and 2 or more types of mixtures may be sufficient as it.

The amount of the UV absorber used is not uniform depending on the type of compound and the use conditions, but when the dry film thickness of the cellulose ester film is 30 to 200 μm, 0.5 to 4.0 mass with respect to the cellulose ester film. % Is preferable, and 0.6 to 3.5% by mass is more preferable.

《Matting agent》
In the present invention, inorganic fine particles may be added as a matting agent as necessary. Examples of inorganic compounds include silicon dioxide (silica), titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate, talc, clay, calcined kaolin, calcined calcium silicate, hydrated calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, silica Mention may be made of magnesium and calcium phosphates. Among these, silicon dioxide is preferable in terms of reducing haze.

Further, it is preferable that the matting agent fine particles are surface-treated with an organic substance because the haze of the film can be reduced. Preferred organic materials for the surface treatment include halosilanes, alkoxysilanes, silazanes, siloxanes, and the like.

The larger the average diameter of the fine particles, the greater the mat effect, but the smaller the average diameter, the better the transparency. Therefore, in the present invention, the average primary particle diameter of the fine particles is preferably 5 to 50 nm, and more preferably 7-20 nm. These are preferably contained mainly as secondary aggregates having a particle size of 0.05 to 0.3 μm.

The content of these fine particles in the cellulose ester film is preferably 0.05 to 1% by mass, particularly preferably 0.1 to 0.8% by mass. In the case of a cellulose ester film having a multilayer structure by a co-casting method, it is preferable that the surface layer contains fine particles of this addition amount.

The fine particles of silicon dioxide are, for example, trade names Aerosil R972, R972V, R974, R812, 200, 200V, 300, R202, OX50, TT600, NAX50 (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.), Seahoster KE-P10, KE- P30, KE-P50, KE-P100 (manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) and the like can be used.

Zirconium oxide fine particles are commercially available under the trade names of Aerosil R976 and R811 (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) and can be used.

Examples of the polymer include silicone resin, fluororesin and acrylic resin. Silicone resins are preferable, and those having a three-dimensional network structure are particularly preferable. For example, Tospearl 103, 105, 108, 120, 145, 3120, and 240 (manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd.) It is marketed by name and can be used.

Among these, Aerosil R972V, NAX50, and Seahoster KE-P30 are particularly preferably used because they have a large effect of reducing the friction coefficient while keeping the turbidity of the cellulose ester film low.

<Melt film forming method>
The optical film of the present invention is formed by melt casting. In the present application, melt film formation is defined as heating and melting a composition containing an acrylic resin, a cellulose ester resin and other additives to a temperature showing fluidity, and casting the melt to form a film.

The molding method of the optical film by the melt film forming method can be classified into a melt extrusion molding method, a press molding method, an inflation method, an injection molding method, a blow molding method, a stretch molding method, and the like. Among these, in order to obtain an optical film having excellent mechanical strength and surface accuracy, the melt extrusion molding method is excellent.

Hereinafter, the method for producing the optical film of the present invention will be described by taking the melt extrusion molding method as an example. In the method for producing an optical film, the conditions for melt extrusion can be performed in the same manner as those used for general thermoplastic resins.

<< Pellet manufacturing process >>
A plurality of raw materials used for melt extrusion are preferably kneaded and pelletized in advance.

Pelletization may be a known method, for example, dry acrylic resin, cellulose ester resin and additives are fed to an extruder with a feeder and kneaded using a uniaxial or biaxial extruder, extruded from a die into a strand, It can be done by water cooling or air cooling and cutting.

For UV absorbers and matting agents, high concentration master pellets may be prepared and mixed with main pellets in an extruder during film formation.

It is important to dry the raw material before extruding it to prevent the raw material from being decomposed. In particular, since the cellulose ester resin easily absorbs moisture, it is preferable to dry it at 70 to 140 ° C. for 3 hours or more with a dehumidifying hot air dryer or a vacuum dryer so that the moisture content is 200 ppm or less, and further 100 ppm or less.

Additives may be mixed before being supplied to the extruder, or may be supplied by individual feeders. A small amount of an additive such as an antioxidant is preferably mixed in advance in order to mix uniformly.

A vacuum nauter mixer is preferable because it can dry and mix simultaneously. In addition, it is preferable that a portion that comes into contact with air such as an outlet from a feeder part or a die is in an atmosphere of dehumidified air or dehumidified nitrogen gas.

In addition, it is preferable to keep the supply hopper to the extruder warm so as to prevent moisture absorption.

The extruder is preferably processed at a low temperature so as to suppress shearing force and prevent the resin from deteriorating (molecular weight reduction, coloring, gel formation, etc.). For example, in the case of a twin screw extruder, a deep groove type screw is used. Are preferably rotated in the same direction. From the uniformity of kneading, the meshing type is preferable. Kneader discs can improve kneadability, but care must be taken against shearing heat generation.

¡Suction from the vent hole may be performed as necessary. Since there is almost no volatile component at low temperatures, there may be no vent hole.

As for the color of the pellet, the b ^* value, which is an index of yellowness, is preferably in the range of -5 to 10, more preferably in the range of -1 to 8, and preferably in the range of -1 to 5. More preferred. The b ^* value can be measured at a viewing angle of 10 ° using a spectrocolorimeter CM-3700d (manufactured by Konica Minolta Sensing Co., Ltd.) and a light source of D65 (color temperature 6504K).

It is preferable to form a film using the pellets obtained as described above, but it is also possible to form a film by feeding raw material powder directly to an extruder with a feeder without pelletization. .

<Melten extrusion process>
It is preferable to dry materials such as pellets in advance. It is desirable to dry the moisture to 200 ppm or less, preferably 100 ppm or less using a vacuum or reduced pressure drier or a dehumidifying hot air drier.

The polymer dried under dehumidified hot air, vacuum or reduced pressure is melted using a single or twin screw type extruder and filtered with a leaf disk type filter etc. to remove foreign matter, and then flowed in a film form from a casting die. And solidify on a cooling roll.

As the extruder, a commercially available extruder can be used, but a melt-kneading extruder is preferable, and a single-screw extruder or a twin-screw extruder may be used.

It is preferable to replace the part introduced from the supply hopper into the extruder and the inside of the extruder with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, or to reduce the pressure, since the oxidative decomposition can be suppressed by lowering the oxygen concentration.

The temperature at which the optical film constituting material in the extruder is melted varies depending on the viscosity and discharge amount of the optical film constituting material, the thickness of the sheet to be produced, etc., but is preferably 150 to 300 ° C, more preferably 180 to 270 ° C. 200 to 260 ° C. is more preferable. If the temperature is too low, poor dissolution and an increase in melt viscosity occur, and if the temperature is too high, thermal degradation of the material occurs.

The melt viscosity at the time of extrusion is 1 to 10000 Pa · s, preferably 10 to 1000 Pa · s. If the melt viscosity is too high, the residence time in the extruder becomes longer due to an increase in pressure. The residence time of the optical film constituting material in the extruder is preferably shorter, and is within 5 minutes, preferably within 3 minutes, more preferably within 2 minutes.

The residence time depends on the type of extruder and the extrusion conditions, but it can be shortened by adjusting the material supply amount, L / D, screw rotation speed, screw groove depth, etc. is there.

The shape of the screw and the number of revolutions of the extruder are appropriately selected depending on the viscosity and the discharge amount of the optical film constituting material. In the present invention, the shear rate in the extruder is from 1 / second to 10,000 / second, preferably from 5 / second to 1000 / second, and more preferably from 10 / second to 100 / second.

The molten resin extruded from the extruder is sent to a casting die and extruded into an optical film from the slit of the casting die. The casting die is not particularly limited as long as it is used for producing a sheet or an optical film.

As the material of the casting die, hard chromium, chromium carbide, chromium nitride, titanium carbide, titanium carbonitride, titanium nitride, super steel, ceramic (tungsten carbide, aluminum oxide, chromium oxide), etc. are sprayed or plated and surface processed Buffing, lapping using a # 1000 or higher whetstone, surface cutting using a diamond whetstone of # 1000 or higher (the cutting direction is perpendicular to the resin flow direction), electrolytic polishing, electrolytic composite polishing, etc. And the like. The preferred material of the lip portion of the casting die is the same as that of the casting die. The surface accuracy of the lip is preferably 0.5S or less, and more preferably 0.2S or less.

The slit of this casting die is configured so that the gap can be adjusted.

Of the pair of lips forming the slit of the casting die, one is a flexible lip having low rigidity and easily deformed, and the other is preferably a fixed lip from the viewpoint of easy gap adjustment.

) A large number of heat bolts are arranged at a constant pitch in the width direction of the casting die for gap adjustment. Each heat bolt is provided with a block having an embedded electric heater and a cooling medium passage, and each heat bolt vertically penetrates each block.

The base of the heat bolt is fixed to the die body, and the tip is in contact with the outer surface of the flexible lip. Then, while constantly cooling the block, the input of the embedded electric heater is increased or decreased to raise or lower the temperature of the block, thereby thermally expanding and contracting the heat bolt, and displacing the flexible lip to adjust the thickness of the optical film.

Thickness gauges are installed at the required locations in the wake of the die, and the web thickness information detected thereby is fed back to the control device. The thickness information is compared with the set thickness information by the control device, and correction control comes from the same device. It is also possible to control the power or the ON rate of the heat bolt heating element by the amount signal.

The heat bolt preferably has a length of 20 to 40 cm and a diameter of 7 to 14 mm, and a plurality of (for example, several tens) heat bolts are preferably arranged at a pitch of 20 to 40 mm.

Instead of the heat bolt, a gap adjusting member mainly composed of a bolt for adjusting the slit gap by manually moving back and forth in the axial direction may be provided.

The slit gap adjusted by the gap adjusting member is usually 200 to 2000 μm, preferably 300 to 1000 μm, more preferably 400 to 800 μm.

The extrusion flow rate is preferably carried out stably by introducing a gear pump. Further, a stainless fiber sintered filter is preferably used as a filter used for removing foreign substances.

A stainless steel fiber sintered filter is a united stainless steel fiber body that is intricately entangled and then compressed and sintered at the contact location. The density is changed according to the thickness of the fiber and the amount of compression, and the filtration accuracy is improved. Can be adjusted.

It is preferable that the filter is a multilayer body combining filter media having different filtration accuracy. Further, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the filtration accuracy is sequentially increased or a method in which coarse and dense filtration accuracy is repeated, so that the filtration life of the filter is extended and the accuracy of supplementing foreign matters and gels can be improved.

∙ If flaws or foreign matter adhere to the die, streaky defects may occur. Such a defect is called a die line, but in order to reduce surface defects such as the die line, use one that has as little scratches as possible in the inside of the die and lip, and piping from the extruder to the die. It is preferable to have a structure in which the resin retention portion is minimized.

It is preferable that the inner surface that comes into contact with the molten resin, such as an extruder or a die, is subjected to surface treatment that makes it difficult for the molten resin to adhere to the surface by reducing the surface roughness or using a material with low surface energy. Specifically, a hard chrome plated or ceramic sprayed material is polished so that the surface roughness is 0.2 S or less.

Additives such as plasticizers may be mixed with the resin in advance, or may be kneaded in the middle of the extruder. In order to add uniformly, it is preferable to use a mixing apparatus such as a static mixer.

《Cooling roll》
In the present invention, the cooling roll is not particularly limited, but it is a roll having a structure in which a heat medium or a coolant that can be controlled in temperature flows through a highly rigid metal roll, the size of which is a melt-extruded film The diameter of the cooling roll is usually about 100 mm to 1 m.

The surface material of the cooling roll includes carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium and the like. Further, in order to increase the surface hardness or improve the releasability from the resin, it is preferable to perform a surface treatment such as hard chrome plating, nickel plating, amorphous chrome plating, or ceramic spraying.

The cooling roll is made of seamless steel pipe with a wall thickness of about 20-30mm, and the surface is mirror finished.

The surface roughness of the surface of the cooling roll is preferably 0.1 μm or less in terms of Ra, and more preferably 0.05 μm or less. The smoother the roll surface, the smoother the surface of the resulting film.

The cooling roll is at least one and preferably has two or more. When there is only one, the surface temperature Tr of the cooling roll is set to Tg−50 ≦ Tr ≦ Tg. In the case of two or more, the surface temperature Tr1 of the first cooling roll and the surface temperature Tr2 of the second cooling roll are set to Tg-50 ≦ Tr1 ≦ Tg and Tg-50 ≦ Tr2 ≦ Tg.

Preferably, Tr2> Tr1, and 0 <Tr2-Tr1 <50.

This controls the amount of the additive to condense on the cooling roll and further remelts the cellulose film.

Although re-dissolution can be promoted also by the contact time between the cellulose ester film and the first and second cooling rolls, in the present invention, 1.0 second or more and 3.0 seconds or less are preferable.

The contact time was expressed by the number of seconds calculated from the circumferential distance between the contact point at which the film and the roller began to contact and the contact point at which the film began to peel off, and the film conveyance speed.

The peripheral speed R2 of the second cooling roll is preferably larger than the peripheral speed R1 of the first cooling roll. That is, tension acts on the film between the two rolls, and the adhesion between the film and the first roll is increased. The ratio of the peripheral speeds is preferably in the range of 1.00 to 1.05, and if it exceeds 1.05, there is a risk that the film breaks. Similarly, it is preferable that the third and subsequent roll peripheral speeds are greater than the peripheral speed of the cooling roll immediately before.

《Elastic touch roll》
The touch roll that abuts on the cooling roll has an elastic surface, and can be deformed along the surface of the cooling roll by a pressing force to the cooling roll to form a nip with the cooling roll. It is preferable that

Examples of the elastic touch roll include Japanese Patent No. 3194904, Japanese Patent No. 3422798, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-124425, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-224772, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-1000096, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-272676, and pamphlet of WO 97/028950. Use elastic touch rolls as described in JP-A-11-235747, JP-A-2002-36332, JP-A-2002-36333, JP-A-2005-172940 and JP-A-2005-280217. Can do.

The elastic touch roll used in the present invention has a double structure of a metal outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, and has a space so that a cooling fluid can flow between them.

Furthermore, because the metal outer cylinder has elasticity, the temperature of the surface of the touch roll can be controlled with high accuracy, and the distance to press the film in the longitudinal direction can be increased by utilizing the property of elastically deforming appropriately. With this effect, the effect of the present invention can be obtained that there are no bright and dark stripes and uneven spots when an image is displayed on a liquid crystal display device.

If the range of the thickness of the metal outer cylinder is 0.003 ≦ (thickness of the metal outer cylinder) / (touch roll radius) ≦ 0.03, it is preferable because the elasticity is appropriate. If the radius of the touch roll is large, the metal outer cylinder can be appropriately bent even if the thickness of the metal outer cylinder is large. If the thickness of the metal outer cylinder is too thin, the strength is insufficient and there is a concern of breakage. On the other hand, if it is too thick, the roll mass becomes too heavy and there is a concern about uneven rotation. Therefore, the thickness of the metal outer cylinder is preferably 0.1 to 5 mm.

The diameter of the elastic touch roll is preferably 100 mm to 600 mm, the effective roll width L = 500 to 1600 mm, and a horizontally long shape with r / L <1 is preferable.

The surface roughness of the metal outer cylinder surface is preferably 0.1 μm or less, more preferably 0.05 μm or less, in terms of arithmetic average roughness Ra. The smoother the roll surface, the smoother the surface of the resulting film.

The material of the metal outer cylinder is required to be smooth and have moderate elasticity and durability. For this reason, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, nickel produced by electroforming, etc. can be preferably used. Further, in order to increase the hardness of the surface or improve the releasability from the resin, it is preferable to carry out a surface treatment such as hard chrome plating, nickel plating, amorphous chrome plating, or ceramic spraying. It is preferable that the surface processed is further polished to have the surface roughness described above.

The inner cylinder is preferably a lightweight and rigid metallic inner cylinder such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium or the like. By giving rigidity to the inner cylinder, it is possible to suppress the rotational shake of the roll. A sufficient rigidity can be obtained by setting the thickness of the inner cylinder to 2 to 10 times that of the outer cylinder.

The inner cylinder may be further covered with a resin elastic material such as silicone or fluororubber.

The structure of the space through which the cooling fluid flows can be any structure as long as the temperature of the roll surface can be controlled uniformly. For example, the flow and the return flow alternately in the width direction or spirally. Temperature control with a small temperature distribution on the roll surface is possible.

The cooling fluid is not particularly limited, and water or oil can be used according to the temperature range to be used.

The surface temperature (Tr0) of the elastic touch roll is preferably lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the film. If it is higher than Tg, the peelability between the film and the roll may be inferior. More preferably, it is Tg−50 ° C. to Tg.

The elastic touch roll used in the present invention preferably has a crown roll shape in which the central portion in the width direction has a larger diameter than the end portion.

The touch roll is generally pressed against the film by pressing means at both ends, but in this case, since the touch roll is bent, there is a phenomenon that the touch roll is strongly pressed toward the end. Highly uniform pressing is possible by making the roll into a crown shape.

The width of the elastic touch roll used in the present invention is preferably larger than the film width because the entire film can be closely attached to the cooling roll. However, when the draw ratio is increased, both end portions of the film become ear height (end portion) due to a neck-in phenomenon. In this case, the width of the metal outer cylinder may be made narrower than the film width so as to escape from the high ear portion. Alternatively, the outer diameter of the metal outer cylinder may be reduced to escape the ear height.

In order to prevent bending of the elastic touch roll, a support roll may be arranged on the opposite side of the touch roll with respect to the cooling roll.

¡A device for cleaning dirt on the elastic touch roll may be provided. As the cleaning device, for example, a method of pressing the roll surface with a member such as a nonwoven fabric infiltrated with a solvent if necessary, a method of bringing the roll into contact with a liquid, a plasma discharge such as corona discharge or glow discharge, A method for volatilizing dirt can be preferably used.

In order to make the surface temperature of the elastic touch roll uniform, the temperature control roll may be brought into contact with the touch roll, temperature-controlled air may be sprayed, or a heat medium such as a liquid may be brought into contact.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the touch roll linear pressure when pressing the elastic touch roll is 9.8 N / cm or more and 147 N / cm or less. If the linear pressure is smaller than this range, the die line cannot be sufficiently eliminated.

The linear pressure is a value obtained by dividing the force with which the elastic touch roll presses the film by the film width at the time of pressing. The method for setting the linear pressure within the above range is not particularly limited, and for example, both ends of the roll can be pressed with an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

The film may be pressed indirectly by pressing the elastic touch roll with the support roll.

In order to satisfactorily eliminate the die line by the touch roll, it is important that the viscosity of the optical film when the touch roll sandwiches the optical film is in an appropriate range.

In addition, it is known that cellulose ester has a relatively large change in viscosity with temperature.

When the glass transition temperature of the optical film is Tg, the touch roll side film surface temperature Tt immediately before the extruded film is pressed between the touch rolls is preferably Tg <Tt <Tg + 110 ° C.

That is, when the film temperature Tt immediately before being sandwiched between the touch rolls is within the above range, the viscosity of the film when sandwiching the film can be set to an appropriate range, and the die line can be corrected. The film surface and the roll are bonded uniformly, and the die line can be corrected.

Preferably, Tg + 10 ° C. <Tt <Tg + 90 ° C., and more preferably Tg + 20 ° C. <Tt <Tg + 70 ° C.

The method of setting the film temperature at the time of pressing in the above range is not particularly limited. For example, the distance between the die and the cooling roll is made closer, and the cooling between the die and the cooling roll is suppressed, or between the die and the cooling roll. Examples of the method include heat insulation by surrounding with a heat insulating material, or heating by hot air, an infrared heater, microwave heating, or the like.

Film surface temperature and roll surface temperature can be measured with a non-contact infrared thermometer. Specifically, using a non-contact handy thermometer (IT2-80, manufactured by Keyence Co., Ltd.), 10 points in the width direction of the film are measured at a distance of 0.5 m from the object to be measured.

Elastic touch roll side film surface temperature Tt refers to the film surface temperature measured with a non-contact infrared thermometer from the touch roll side with the touch roll removed from the film being transported.

《Casting process》
In the present invention, the die line correction effect is more greatly manifested by reducing the pressure from the opening (lip) of the casting die to the cooling roll to 70 kPa or less.

Preferably, the reduced pressure is 50 to 70 kPa. There is no particular limitation on the method for maintaining the pressure of the portion from the opening (lip) of the casting die to the cooling roll to 70 kPa or less, but there is a method of reducing the pressure by covering the periphery of the casting die with a pressure-resistant member. .

At this time, the suction device is preferably subjected to a treatment such as heating with a heater so that the device itself does not become a place where the sublimate adheres. In the present invention, if the suction pressure is too small, the sublimate cannot be sucked effectively, so it is necessary to set the suction pressure to an appropriate value.

In the present invention, a melt containing cellulose ester is extruded from a die into a film, and a film obtained with a draw ratio of 5 or more and 30 or less is conveyed while being pressed against a cooling roll by an elastic touch roll. The draw ratio is a value obtained by dividing the lip clearance of the die by the average film thickness of the film solidified on the cooling roll. By setting the draw ratio within this range, a polarizing plate protective film having good productivity without bright and dark stripes and uneven spots when an image is displayed on a liquid crystal display device can be obtained.

The draw ratio can be adjusted by the die lip clearance and the cooling roll take-up speed. The die lip clearance is preferably 900 μm or more, and more preferably 1 mm or more and 2 mm or less. Even if it is too large or too small, spotted unevenness may not be improved.

It is preferable to adjust the film temperature on the touch roll side when the film is nipped between the cooling roll and the elastic touch roll to Tg of the film or more and Tg + 110 ° C. or less in order to adjust the image clarity of the film surface. A well-known roll can be used for the roll which has the elastic body surface used for such a purpose.

When peeling the film from the cooling roll, it is preferable to control the tension to prevent deformation of the film.

《Roll cleaning equipment》
In the present invention, it is preferable to add an apparatus for cleaning the drum and roll to the manufacturing apparatus. There is no particular limitation on the cleaning device, but for example, a method of niping a brush roll, a water absorbing roll, an adhesive roll, a wiping roll, etc., an air blow method of blowing clean air, a laser incinerator, or a combination thereof is there.

¡In the case of a system in which a cleaning roll is nipped, the cleaning effect is great if the belt linear velocity and roller linear velocity are changed.

<< Extension process >>
In the present invention, it is preferable that the film obtained as described above is stretched by 1.01 to 3.0 times in at least one direction after passing through the step of contacting the cooling roll. Stretching can improve surface quality, such as streaking, and adjust retardation.

As a stretching method, a known roll stretching machine or tenter can be used.

Usually, the stretching ratio is 1.01 to 3.0 times, preferably 1.1 to 2.0 times in both the longitudinal (film transport direction) and lateral (width direction) directions, and the stretching temperature is usually It is carried out in the temperature range of Tg to Tg + 50 ° C., preferably Tg to Tg + 40 ° C. of the constituent resin.

If the draw ratio is too small, the streak is not improved sufficiently, and if it is too large, it may break. If the stretching temperature is too low, it may break, and if it is too high, the streak may not be sufficiently improved.

The stretching is preferably performed under a uniform temperature distribution controlled in the width direction. The temperature is preferably within ± 2 ° C, more preferably within ± 1 ° C, and particularly preferably within ± 0.5 ° C.

In the stretching step, known heat setting conditions, cooling, and relaxation treatment may be performed, and adjustment can be made as appropriate so as to have characteristics required for the target film.

The film may be contracted in the longitudinal direction or the width direction for the purpose of adjusting the retardation of the optical film produced by the above method and reducing the dimensional change rate.

In order to shrink in the longitudinal direction, for example, there is a method in which the film is shrunk by temporarily clipping out the width stretching and relaxing in the longitudinal direction, or by gradually narrowing the interval between adjacent clips of the transverse stretching machine.

The latter method can be performed by using a general simultaneous biaxial stretching machine and driving the clip portions in the longitudinal direction by, for example, a pantograph method or a linear drive method to smoothly and gradually narrow the clip portion. I can do it. You may combine with extending | stretching of arbitrary directions (diagonal direction) as needed. The dimensional change rate of the optical film can be reduced by shrinking 0.5% to 10% in both the longitudinal direction and the width direction.

Also, since the elastic modulus of the film can be increased by stretching, the stretching is effective as a means for compensating for the low elastic modulus of the melt-formed optical film.

Stretching can be performed sequentially or simultaneously, for example, in the longitudinal direction of the optical film and in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the optical film, that is, in the width direction.

The film thickness variation of the obtained optical film can be reduced by stretching in the biaxial directions perpendicular to each other. If the variation in the film thickness of the optical film is too large, the retardation will be uneven, and unevenness such as coloring may be a problem when used in a liquid crystal display.

The film thickness variation of the optical film is preferably ± 3%, and more preferably ± 1%.

After stretching, the edge of the optical film is slit to a product width with a slitter and cut off, and then subjected to knurling (embossing) on both ends of the optical film by a knurling device comprising an embossing ring and a back roll. By taking up with a take-up machine, sticking in an optical film (original winding) and generation of scratches are prevented. The knurling method can process a metal ring having an uneven pattern on its side surface by heating or pressing.

In addition, you may reuse the both ends of the optical film cut out with the slitter as a raw material.

Next, the winding process of the optical film is performed by keeping the shortest distance between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrically wound optical film and the outer peripheral surface of the mobile transport roll immediately before the optical film as a winding roll. It is to be wound up. In addition, a means such as a static elimination blower for removing or reducing the surface potential of the optical film is provided in front of the winding roll.

The winder related to the production of the optical film of the present invention may be generally used, and it may be a winding method such as a constant tension method, a constant torque method, a taper tension method, or a program tension control method with a constant internal stress. Can be wound up. The initial winding tension at the time of winding the optical film is preferably 90.2 to 300.8 N / m.

In the step of winding the optical film in the method according to the present invention, the optical film is preferably wound under environmental conditions of a temperature of 20 to 30 ° C. and a humidity of 20 to 60% RH. If the temperature in the winding process is in the range of 20 to 30 ° C., there will be no wrinkle generation and optical film winding quality will not deteriorate. Further, when the humidity in the optical film winding process is 20 to 60% RH, the optical film winding quality deterioration due to moisture absorption is reduced, the winding quality is excellent, there is no sticking failure, and the transportability is not deteriorated.

The winding core for winding the optical film into a roll may be any material as long as it is a cylindrical core, but is preferably a hollow plastic core. The plastic material may be any heat-resistant plastic that can withstand the heat treatment temperature, and examples thereof include phenol resins, xylene resins, melamine resins, polyester resins, and epoxy resins.

Further, a thermosetting resin reinforced with a filler such as glass fiber is preferable. For example, a hollow plastic core: a wound core made of FRP having an outer diameter of 6 inches (hereinafter, 1 inch is 2.54 cm) and an inner diameter of 5 inches is used.

In the production of the optical film of the present invention, the length of the roll is preferably 10 to 5000 m, more preferably 50 to 4500 m in consideration of productivity and transportability.

The width of the optical film at this time can be selected from the width of the polarizer and the width suitable for the production line, but the width of the optical film is 0.5 to 4.0 m, preferably 1.0 to 3.0 m. Is preferably wound up into a roll.

Haze value (turbidity) is used as an index for judging the transparency of the optical film in the present invention. In particular, liquid crystal display devices used outdoors are required to have sufficient brightness and high contrast even in a bright place. Therefore, the haze value is required to be 0.5% or less, and 0.35% or less. More preferably.

The optical film of the present invention preferably has a total light transmittance of 90% or more, more preferably 92% or more. In order to achieve excellent transparency expressed by such total light transmittance, it is necessary not to introduce additives and copolymerization components that absorb visible light, or to remove foreign substances in the polymer by high-precision filtration. It is effective to reduce the diffusion and absorption of light inside the film.

Also, reduce the surface roughness of the film surface by reducing the surface roughness of the film contact part (cooling roll, calender roll, drum, belt, coating substrate in solution casting, transport roll, etc.) during film formation. It is also effective to reduce the diffusion and reflection of light on the film surface by reducing the refractive index of the acrylic resin.

Further, the optical film of the present invention has an elongation at break in at least one direction of 30% or more, more preferably 50% or more in the measurement based on JIS-K7127-1999. In the present invention, the elongation at break is used as a measure of brittleness. Other measures of brittleness are known, such as tear strength and ease of cracking by bending, but the higher the tear strength, the better the thickness of the film, and the easier it is to crack, the thinner the film, the better. Since the influence of the film thickness is great, the elongation at break which is not affected by the film thickness is used as an index in the present invention. The upper limit of the elongation at break is not particularly limited, but is practically about 250%. In order to increase the elongation at break, it is effective to suppress defects in the film caused by foreign matter and foaming.

In the cellulose ester film according to the present invention, it is preferable that the height from the top of the adjacent mountain to the bottom of the valley is 300 nm or more and there is no streak continuous in the longitudinal direction with an inclination of 300 nm / mm or more.

The shape of the streak was measured using a surface roughness meter. Specifically, using a Mitutoyo SV-3100S4, a stylus (diamond needle) having a tip shape of a cone of 60 ° and a tip curvature radius of 2 μm was used. The film is scanned in the width direction of the film at a measurement speed of 1.0 mm / sec while applying a load of 0.75 mN, and a cross-sectional curve is measured with a Z-axis (thickness direction) resolution of 0.001 μm.

From this curve, the height of the streak reads the vertical distance (H) from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the valley. The slope of the streak is obtained by reading the horizontal distance (L) from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the valley and dividing the vertical distance (H) by the horizontal distance (L).

The film thickness of the optical film of the present invention is not particularly limited, but when used for a polarizing plate protective film described later, it is preferably 20 to 200 μm, more preferably 25 to 100 μm, and 30 to 80 μm. It is particularly preferred.

Since the optical film of the present invention is produced by the melt casting film forming method, the amount of the solvent contained is 0.01% by mass or less when wound up as a roll film. The amount of the solvent can be measured by the following method.

Each sample was placed in a 20 ml sealed glass container, treated under the following headspace heating conditions, and then a calibration curve was prepared and measured for the solvent used in advance by the following gas chromatography. The amount of solvent contained was expressed in parts by mass relative to the total mass of the optical film.
Equipment: HP 5890SERIES II
Column: J-W DB-WAX (inner diameter 0.32 mm, length 30 m)
Detection: FID
GC temperature rising condition: held at 40 ° C. for 5 minutes, then heated to 80 ° C./min to 100 ° C. Headspace heating condition: 120 ° C. for 20 min
The optical film of the present invention can be particularly preferably used as a polarizing plate protective film for a large-sized liquid crystal display device or a liquid crystal display device for outdoor use as long as the above physical properties are satisfied.

〔Polarizer〕
When using the optical film of this invention as a protective film for polarizing plates, a polarizing plate can be produced by a general method. It is preferable that an adhesive layer is provided on the back side of the optical film of the present invention, and is bonded to at least one surface of a polarizer produced by immersion and stretching in an iodine solution.

On the other surface, the optical film of the present invention may be used, or another polarizing plate protective film may be used. For example, a commercially available cellulose ester film (for example, Konica Minoltack KC8UX, KC4UX, KC5UX, KC8UY, KC4UY, KC12UR, KC8UCR-3, KC8UCR-4, KC8UCR-5, KC8UE, KC4FR-4, KC4FR-3, KC4FR-3, KC4FR-4 -1, KC8UY-HA, KC8UX-RHA, manufactured by Konica Minolta Opto Co., Ltd.) and the like are preferably used.

A polarizer, which is a main component of a polarizing plate, is an element that transmits only light having a plane of polarization in a certain direction. A typical polarizing film known at present is a polyvinyl alcohol polarizing film, which is a polyvinyl alcohol. There are one in which iodine is dyed on a system film and one in which dichroic dye is dyed.

For the polarizer, a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution is formed into a film and dyed by uniaxial stretching or dyed or uniaxially stretched and then subjected to a durability treatment with a boron compound or the like.

As the pressure-sensitive adhesive used in the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a pressure-sensitive adhesive having a storage elastic modulus at 25 ° C. in the range of 1.0 × 10 ⁴ to 1.0 × 10 ⁹ Pa in at least a part of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is used. Preferably, a curable pressure-sensitive adhesive that forms a high molecular weight body or a crosslinked structure by various chemical reactions after the pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied and bonded is suitably used.

Specific examples include, for example, urethane adhesives, epoxy adhesives, aqueous polymer-isocyanate adhesives, curable adhesives such as thermosetting acrylic adhesives, moisture-curing urethane adhesives, polyether methacrylate types, Examples include anaerobic pressure-sensitive adhesives such as ester-based methacrylate type and oxidized polyether methacrylate, cyanoacrylate-based instantaneous pressure-sensitive adhesives, and acrylate-peroxide-based two-component instantaneous pressure-sensitive adhesives.

The above-mentioned pressure-sensitive adhesive may be a one-component type or a type in which two or more components are mixed before use.

The above-mentioned pressure-sensitive adhesive may be a solvent system using an organic solvent as a medium, or an aqueous system such as an emulsion type, a colloidal dispersion type, or an aqueous solution type that is a medium containing water as a main component. It may be a solvent type. The concentration of the pressure-sensitive adhesive liquid may be appropriately determined depending on the film thickness after adhesion, the coating method, the coating conditions, and the like, and is usually 0.1 to 50% by mass.

[Liquid Crystal Display]
By incorporating the polarizing plate bonded with the optical film of the present invention into a liquid crystal display device, it is possible to produce various liquid crystal display devices with excellent visibility, but particularly outdoors such as large liquid crystal display devices and digital signage. It is preferably used for a liquid crystal display device for use. The polarizing plate according to the present invention is bonded to a liquid crystal cell via the adhesive layer or the like.

The polarizing plate according to the present invention includes a reflective type, a transmissive type, a transflective type LCD or a TN type, an STN type, an OCB type, a HAN type, a VA type (PVA type, MVA type), an IPS type (including an FFS type), and the like. It is preferably used in various drive LCDs. In particular, in a large-screen display device having a screen of 30 or more, especially 30 to 54, there is no white spot at the periphery of the screen and the effect is maintained for a long time.

In addition, there was little color unevenness, glare and wavy unevenness, and the eyes were not tired even after long hours of viewing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1
[Production of optical film]
(Preparation of Sample 1-1)
Sample 1-1 was produced by the melt casting method using the following composition 1.

Composition 1
Acrylic resin (Dianar BR85 (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.) Mw = 280,000) 70 parts by weight Cellulose ester (cellulose acetate propionate (total substitution degree 2.75, propionyl group substitution degree 2.56, molecular weight Mn = 86) , 000, Mw / Mn = 2.5)) 30 parts by weight IRGANOX-1010 (manufactured by Ciba Japan) 0.5 parts by weight PEP-36 (manufactured by ADEKA) 0.1 parts by weight Sumizer-GS (Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.3 parts by mass Glycerin monostearate 0.5 parts by mass LA-31 (manufactured by ADEKA Co., Ltd.) 1.5 parts by mass Seahoster KEP-30 (manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.) 0 .1 part by weight Metablen W-341 (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part by weight The above composition was dried at 80 ° C. for 6 hours to a moisture content of 200 ppm or less, and further dried at 80 ° C. and 1 Torr (about 133 Pa) for 3 hours with a vacuum nauter mixer to a moisture content of 50 ppm.

The obtained mixture was melt-mixed at 235 ° C. using a twin-screw extruder and pelletized. At this time, an all screw type screw was used instead of a kneading disk in order to suppress heat generation due to shear during kneading.

Also, evacuation was performed from the vent hole, and volatile components generated during kneading were removed by suction. In addition, between the feeder, hopper, and extruder die supplied to the extruder and the cooling tank, a dry nitrogen gas atmosphere was used to prevent moisture from being absorbed into the resin and to remove oxygen.

The first cooling roll and the second cooling roll were made of stainless steel having a diameter of 40 cm, and the surface was subjected to hard chrome plating. Further, oil for temperature adjustment (cooling fluid) was circulated inside to control the roll surface temperature to 130 ° C.

The elastic touch roll had a diameter of 20 cm, the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder were made of stainless steel, and the outer cylinder surface was hard chrome plated. The wall thickness of the outer cylinder was 2 mm, and the surface temperature of the elastic touch roll was controlled at 130 ° C. by circulating temperature adjusting oil (cooling fluid) in the space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.

Using the above pellets, melted at 250 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere, extruded from the casting die onto the first cooling roll, and sandwiched the extruded product between the first cooling roll and the elastic touch roll to obtain a film thickness An 80 μm film was formed, and then stretched 1.3 times in the transport direction at 155 ° C. by a stretching machine utilizing a difference in roll peripheral speed. Next, it is introduced into a tenter having a preheating zone, a stretching zone, a holding zone, and a cooling zone (there is also a neutral zone for ensuring thermal insulation between the zones), and is 1. After stretching 5 times, the sample was cooled to 30 ° C. while relaxing 2% in the width direction, and then released from the clip. The film thickness was controlled by adjusting the extrusion amount and the take-up speed.

At this time, a T die having a lip clearance of 1.5 mm and an average surface roughness Ra of 0.01 μm was used. Further, an elastic touch roll having a 2 mm thick metal surface was pressed on the first cooling roll at a linear pressure of 10 kg / cm.

The film temperature on the touch roll side at the time of pressing was 180 ° C. ± 1 ° C. (The film temperature on the touch roll side at the time of pressing here is the film at the position where the touch roll on the first roll (cooling roll) contacts) Is the average value of the film surface temperature measured at 10 points in the width direction from a position separated by 50 cm in a state where there is no touch roll using a non-contact thermometer.)

Samples 1-2 to 1-9 were obtained in the same manner as Sample 1-1 except that the addition ratio of acrylic resin and cellulose ester was changed as shown in Table 1.

The obtained samples 1-1 to 1-9 were evaluated for haze and elongation at break after the heat resistance test. The results are shown in Table 1.

"Evaluation methods"
《Haze after high temperature and humidity》
Samples 1-1 to 1-9 were subjected to high temperature and high humidity treatment at 80 ° C. and 90% RH for 120 hours, and then the haze after high temperature and high humidity was measured according to the method described in JIS K 7136. The measurement used Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd. turbidimeter NDH2000.

The haze after high temperature and high humidity is preferably small, and if it is 0.5% or less, there is no practical problem, but it is particularly preferably 0.35% or less.

<< Elongation at break >>
Samples 1-1 to 1-9 were measured for elongation at break (also called tensile elongation at break) according to the method described in JIS K 7127. The measurement was performed using a Tensilon tester (ORIENTEC, RTC-1225A).

Table 1 shows that the sample of the present invention has low haze after high temperature and high humidity and high elongation at break.

Example 2
Samples 2-1 to 2-26 were produced in the same manner as Sample 1-1 except that the glycerin monostearate of Sample 1-1 was changed as shown in Table 2.

Using the obtained samples 2-1 to 2-26, haze and surface quality (streak) after the heat resistance test were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

(Aspect quality: streaks)
Regarding the produced optical film, the surface quality of the film was irradiated with light from a three-wavelength fluorescent lamp and a green lamp (surface inspection lamp FY-100R manufactured by Funatec Co., Ltd.), and the appearance was observed using the reflected light. Moreover, the light of the point light source was applied to the film, the transmitted image was projected on a screen, the appearance was visually evaluated, and the evaluation was performed according to the following criteria. If it is C rank or higher, the level is practically acceptable, but it is preferably B rank or higher.

A: No streak is observed in any of the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp, the green lamp, and the point light source. B: No streak is observed in the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp, and a weak streak is observed in either the green lamp or the point light source. No streaks are observed with the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp, and streaks can be confirmed with both the green lamp and the point light source. D: The streaks can be clearly confirmed with the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp.

(Bleed out)
The sample was subjected to high temperature and high humidity treatment at 80 ° C. and 90% RH for 120 hours, and then bleed-out of the film (exudation of additive) was performed using a three-wavelength fluorescent lamp, a green lamp (Funatech Co., Ltd. surface inspection lamp FY) The light of −100R) was applied to the film, the appearance was observed using the reflected light, and the film was evaluated according to the following criteria. If it is C rank or higher, the level is practically acceptable, but it is preferably B rank or higher.

A: Bleed-out is not observed in any of the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp and the green lamp B: No bleed-out is observed in the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp, and weak bleed-out is partially observed in the green lamp C: Three wavelengths No bleed out is observed with the fluorescent lamp, and weak bleed out can be confirmed with the green lamp. D: The bleed out can be clearly confirmed with the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp.

Table 2 shows that the surface quality is improved by adding ester waxes and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters.

Example 3
Samples 3-1 to 3-22 were produced in the same manner as Sample 1-1 except that the acrylic resin (A) and cellulose ester resin (B) of Sample 1-1 were changed as shown in Table 3.

The obtained samples 3-1 to 3-22 were evaluated for haze and elongation at break after the heat resistance test. The results are shown in Table 3.

From Table 3, the haze after the endurance test and the elongation at break can be made more preferable ranges by appropriately selecting the types of the acrylic resin (A) and the cellulose ester resin (B).

Example 4
Samples 4-1 to 4-7 were prepared in the same manner as Sample 1-1 except that the type and amount of the acrylic particles (C) were changed as shown in Table 4.

The obtained samples 4-1 to 4-7 were evaluated for haze and elongation at break after the heat test. The results are shown in Table 4.

From Table 4, by adding the acrylic fine particles (C), the haze after the endurance test and the elongation at break can be made more preferable ranges.

Example 5
(Characteristic evaluation as a liquid crystal display device)
Cutting properties of Samples 1-1 to 1-9 produced in Example 1 were examined. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Cutting property)
Each sample was torn using a light load tear tester (manufactured by Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.) and evaluated as follows.

○: The tear surface is very smooth and is torn straight. Δ: The tear surface has some burrs, but is torn straight. ×: There are considerable burrs on the tear surface, and it is not torn straight.

The cutting performance represents the ease of processing of the optical film and is related to the ease of breaking and slitting in the process. Moreover, although it may peel off again when a polarizing plate cannot be bonded well to a liquid crystal cell, it is related also to the ease of peeling (rework property) at this time. The cutting property is preferably a ◯ level, but there is no practical problem as long as the Δ level or more.

<Preparation of polarizing plate>
Furthermore, the polarizing plate which used each optical film as the polarizing plate protective film was produced as follows.

A 120-μm-thick long roll polyvinyl alcohol film was immersed in 100 parts by mass of an aqueous solution containing 1 part by mass of iodine and 4 parts by mass of boric acid, and stretched in the transport direction 5 times at 50 ° C. to produce a polarizing film.

Next, a corona treatment was applied to the sample 1-1 produced in Example 1 using an acrylic adhesive on one side of the polarizing film, and then bonded.

Further, KC4FR-3 manufactured by Konica Minolta Opto Co., Ltd., which is a retardation film, was subjected to alkali saponification treatment and bonded to the other surface of the polarizing film, followed by drying to produce polarizing plate P1. Similarly, polarizing plates P2 to P9 were produced using Samples 1-2 to 1-9.

<Production of liquid crystal display device>
Display characteristics evaluation was performed using each produced said polarizing plate.

Remove the pre-bonded polarizing plates of the 32-inch TV AQ-32AD5 manufactured by Sharp Corporation, and apply the prepared polarizing plates in advance so that KC4FR is on the glass surface side of the liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal display devices were each fabricated by bonding so that the absorption axis was directed in the same direction as the combined polarizing plates.

The viewing angle fluctuation was evaluated using the liquid crystal display devices 1 to 9 produced as described above. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Viewing angle fluctuation)
The viewing angle of the liquid crystal display device was measured using EZ-Contrast 160D manufactured by ELDIM in an environment of 23 ° C. and 55% RH. Subsequently, a sample obtained by treating the polarizing plate at 60 ° C. and 90% RH for 1000 hours was measured in the same manner, and evaluated according to the following criteria. The viewing angle variation represents heat resistance and moisture resistance as a polarizing plate protective film, and is preferably a ◯ level.

○: No change in viewing angle △: A slight change in viewing angle is observed ×: Large fluctuation in viewing angle

Table 5 shows that when the optical film of the present invention is used, the cutting property is excellent, and the viewing angle fluctuation of the liquid crystal display device is also good.

Claims

An optical film containing an acrylic resin (A) and a cellulose ester resin (B) in a mass ratio of 95: 5 to 30:70, and produced by a melt film-forming method, which is 120 hours at 80 ° C. and 90% RH. An optical film characterized by having a haze after a high temperature and high humidity treatment of 0.5% or less and an elongation at break of 30% or more and 250% or less.
2. The optical film according to claim 1, comprising 0.05 to 2.0% by mass of at least one of ester waxes or polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters.
The optical film according to claim 2, wherein the ester wax or polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester is at least one selected from glycerin fatty acid ester, diglycerin fatty acid ester, and sorbitan fatty acid ester.
The acrylic resin (A) has a weight average molecular weight Mw of 110,000 to 1,000,000, a total acyl substitution degree (T) of the cellulose ester resin (B) of 2.0 to 3.0, and a carbon number. The optical film according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substitution degree of the acyl group of 3 to 7 is 1.2 to 3.0.
The optical film according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising 0.1 to 2.0% by mass of acrylic particles (C).
A polarizing plate using the optical film according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A liquid crystal display device using the polarizing plate according to claim 6.