Transparent polymer blends containing polyesters comprising a cyclobutanediol and articles prepared therefrom

US7955674B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Eastman Chemical Company · US

Inventors

• Wesley Raymond Hale · Kingsport, US
• Thomas Joseph Pecorini · Kingsport, US
• Spencer Allen Gilliam · Big Stone Gap, US
• Emmett Dudley Crawford · Kingsport, US
• David Scott Porter · Middlebury, US
• Gary Wayne Connell · Church Hill, US
• Marcus David Shelby · Church Hill, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 28, 2006
• Grant date: Jun 7, 2011
• Expiry date: Sep 30, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/31739
• WIPO field: Macromolecular chemistry, polymers
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Disclosed are polymer compositions having high transparency and low haze comprising immiscible blends of at least one polyester comprising 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, and a copolyamide or a transamidized, homogeneous blend of a least two polyamides. The components of the immiscible blend have refractive indices which differ by about 0.006 to about −0.0006. The small difference in the refractive indices enable the incorporation of regrind into the polymer composition to produce transparent shaped articles. The blends of the present invention are useful in producing shaped articles such as, for example, sheeting, films, tubes, bottles, preforms and profiles. These articles may have one or more layers and can exhibit improved excellent barrier properties and good melt processability while retaining excellent mechanical properties. Metal catalysts can be incorporated into the compositions to produce oxygen-scavenging compositions.