MASTERBAT COMPOSITIONS AND THEIR APPLICATION

Claims

1. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition containing: a nucleating agent in an amount ranging from 0.01 wt.% to 1 wt.%; hydrocarbon resin in an amount of from 0.1 wt.% to no more than 5 wt.%, optionally one or more additional components and polyethylene.

2. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to claim 1, which contains hydrocarbon resin in an amount of from 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.% or from 0.5 wt.% to 4 wt.%.

3. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polyethylene is high density polyethylene (HDPE).

4. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polyethylene is present in an amount of at least 90% by weight.

5. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the nucleating agent and the hydrocarbon resin are uniformly dispersed in the composition.

6. A masterbatch containing a nucleating agent, a hydrocarbon resin and polyethylene, and wherein: the nucleating agent is present in the masterbatch in an amount of from about 0.2 wt.% to about 15 wt.%; the hydrocarbon resin is present in the masterbatch in an amount of from about 2.5 wt.% to about 80 wt.%; and polyethylene is present in the masterbatch in an amount of more than approximately 5% by weight, wherein the masterbatch is used to produce a highly impermeable polyolefin composition containing: a nucleating agent in an amount of from about 0.01% by weight to about 1% by weight; and hydrocarbon resin in an amount of from about 0.1 wt.% to about 7 wt.%.

7. A masterbatch containing a nucleating agent, a hydrocarbon resin and polyethylene, and wherein: the nucleating agent is present in the masterbatch in an amount ranging from 0.2% to approximately 15% by weight; the hydrocarbon resin is present in the masterbatch in an amount of from about 25% to about 55% by weight; and polyethylene is present in the masterbatch in an amount of more than approximately 20% by weight.

8. A kit comprising a masterbatch of a nucleating agent and a masterbatch of a hydrocarbon resin, and wherein: the nucleating agent is present in the nucleating agent masterbatch in an amount of from about 0.1 wt.% to about 30 wt.%; and the hydrocarbon resin is present in the hydrocarbon resin masterbatch in an amount of from about 5 wt.% to about 80 wt.%, Moreover, this set is used for the production of a highly impermeable polyolefin composition, which contains: a nucleating agent in an amount of from 0.01 wt.% to 1 wt.%; and hydrocarbon resin in an amount of from 0.1 wt.% to no more than 5 wt.%, wherein the nucleating agent masterbatch and the hydrocarbon resin masterbatch are used in a ratio of from about 5:1 to about 1:

60.

9. A kit comprising a mixture of a nucleating agent and a hydrocarbon resin masterbatch, and which: the nucleating agent mixture comprises a nucleating agent and a polyolefin; and the hydrocarbon resin is present in the hydrocarbon resin masterbatch in an amount of from about 5 wt.% to about 80 wt.%, Moreover, this set is used for the production of a highly impermeable polyolefin composition, which contains: a nucleating agent in an amount of from 0.01 wt.% to 1 wt.%; and hydrocarbon resin in an amount ranging from 0.1 wt.% to no more than 5 wt.%.

10. The kit according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the highly impermeable polyolefin composition contains a hydrocarbon resin in an amount of from 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.% or from 0.5 wt.% to 4 wt.%.

11. The kit according to paragraphs 8-10, in which the highly impermeable polyolefin composition contains polyethylene in an amount of at least 90 wt.%.

12. The highly impermeable polyolefin composition of any one of claims 1 to 5, the masterbatch of claim 6 or 7, or the kit of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the nucleating agent and the hydrocarbon resin are present in a ratio of from about 1:4 to about 1:

200.

13. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a masterbatch according to claim 6 or 7, or a kit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the hydrocarbon resin is produced from a crude olefin feedstock selected from the group consisting of C5 olefin feedstock hydrocarbons, C9 olefin feedstock hydrocarbons, terpene olefins, norbornene, individual monomers, and combinations thereof.

14. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a masterbatch according to claim 6 or 7, or a kit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the nucleating agent comprises a metal salt.

15. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a masterbatch according to claim 6 or 7, or a kit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the nucleating agent comprises a metal salt of hydrophthalic acid, a metal salt of bicycloheptanedicarboxylic acid, or a combination thereof.

16. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a masterbatch according to claim 6 or 7, or a kit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the nucleating agent comprises a metal salt of hydrophthalic acid.

17. A highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a masterbatch according to claim 6 or 7, or a kit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the nucleating agent comprises a metal salt of hexahydrophthalic acid.

18. The masterbatch of any one of claims 6 or 7 or the kit of claim 11, wherein the polyethylene is HDPE.

19. The use of a masterbatch according to claim 7 for the production of a highly impermeable polyolefin composition, wherein the ratio of nucleating agent to hydrocarbon resin in the highly impermeable polyolefin composition is the same as the ratio of nucleating agent to hydrocarbon resin in the masterbatch.

20. The masterbatch according to claim 6, the kit according to any one of claims 8-10, or the use according to claim 19, wherein the nucleating agent and the hydrocarbon resin are uniformly dispersed in the composition.

21. An impermeable layer made as follows: obtaining a highly impermeable polyolefin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5; or mixing the masterbatch according to item 7 with HDPE obtained by bulk polymerization.

22. A film comprising an impermeable layer according to claim 21, wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate that, when measured in accordance with ASTM F 1249-20, is reduced by at least approximately 10% relative to an equivalent film that does not comprise the impermeable layer according to claim 21.

23. A method for reducing the water vapor transmission rate of a film, the method comprising introducing an impermeable layer according to claim 21 into the film, and wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate that, when measured in accordance with ASTM F 1249-20, is reduced by at least approximately 10% relative to an equivalent film that does not contain the impermeable layer according to claim 21.

24. An article manufactured by blow molding and containing a film according to claim 22.

25. An injection molded article comprising a film according to claim 22.