Solid State Polymerized Polymer Alloy Coating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing thermoplastic coatings often struggle to achieve a balance of properties such as adhesion, coextrudability, oil-repellence, and chemical resistance, requiring costly and time-consuming measures to customize their attributes, and face challenges in coextrusion due to mismatched melt viscosities.

Innovation Solution

Melt-blending dissimilar polymers or a polymer with a filler and subjecting the blend to solid state polymerization to create a modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend with adjusted melt viscosity, enabling adherent coatings and coextrusion with other thermoplastic polymers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If dissimilar polymers or polymer-filler blends are used to achieve unique properties, then coating performance and adhesion are improved, but melt viscosity mismatch prevents successful coextrusion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating adhesion and performanceVSAvoidcoextrusion feasibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies solid state polymerization to change the molecular weight and melt viscosity parameters of the polymer blend. By controlling the degree of polymerization through solid state polymerization, the melt viscosity of the dissimilar polymer blend is adjusted to match the viscosity of the reference polymer, enabling successful coextrusion while maintaining the unique properties derived from the dissimilar polymer composition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates composite polymer materials by blending dissimilar polymers or polymer-filler combinations and then subjecting them to solid state polymerization. This composite approach allows the integration of multiple material properties (adhesion, lubricity, chemical resistance) while the solid state polymerization process harmonizes the rheological properties for coextrusion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If multilayer coatings are formed to achieve adequate adhesion and protection, then coating performance is improved, but production cost and process complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating adhesion and protectionVSAvoidcoating process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the functions of multiple coating layers into a single coextruded layer by using dissimilar polymer blends that simultaneously provide adhesion, protection, and other surface properties. The solid state polymerization process ensures that all layers have matched melt viscosities, allowing them to be applied simultaneously in a single coextrusion operation rather than requiring separate application processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of manufacture

If commercially available thermoplastics are used, then production cost is reduced, but customization of unique properties is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction costVSAvoidproperty customization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary blending of dissimilar polymers or polymer-filler combinations before the coating application process. This preliminary action allows custom property formulation to be established in advance, and the solid state polymerization is then applied to adjust the rheological properties for successful coextrusion, enabling customized properties at commercial production costs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The process allows for the creation of specialty coatings with improved properties and facilitates coextrusion by matching melt viscosities, enhancing adhesion and performance while reducing production costs and complexity.

Implementation Method 1

subjecting the blend to solid state polymerization to create a modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend with adjusted melt viscosity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSolid state polymerization: Photopolymerisation

Implementation Method 2

blending the thermoplastic polymer with: i) at least one dissimilar thermoplastic polymer, or ii) an organic or inorganic particulate filler

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMelt-blending:

Data Source

PatentEP2082001B1Coating process and article

Publication Date: 2014.08.27 VALSPAR SOURCING INC

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AI summary

A thermoplastic polymer advanceable by solid state polymerization is blended with at least one dissimilar thermoplastic polymer, or an organic or inorganic particulate filler. The blend is solid state polymerized to provide a modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend having at least one physical or chemical property different from that of the blend before solid state polymerization. A substrate is coated with an adherent layer of the modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend. The modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend may also be coextruded with a layer of thermoplastic extrusion polymer having a melt viscosity similar to that of the modified polymer alloy or filled polymer blend and applied to a substrate to form an adherent coating.