Method of preparing rubber comprising polymeric compositions and isoprene comprising interpolymers

Abstract

A process for preparing a rubber comprising polymeric composition, and the resulting compositions, and certain isoprene comprising interpolymers.

1 . A method for forming a rubber-comprising polymeric composition, comprising:
 polymerizing vinyl aromatic monomer within a mixture comprising the vinyl aromatic monomer and an interpolymer comprising one or more mer units deriving from isoprene.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , where the isoprene comprises a polyisoprene block. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , where the interpolymer comprises a triblock interpolymer comprising a polyisoprene block, a polystyrene block, and a polybutadiene block. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , where the interpolymer comprises a coupled block interpolymer. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , where the coupled block interpolymer comprises terminal polyisoprene blocks. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , where the coupled block interpolymer comprises an internal polyisoprene block. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , where the interpolymer comprises two polyisoprene blocks, where each polyisoprene block is located at separate termini of the interpolymer. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , where the total isoprene content of the interpolymer ranges from about 3 to about 20 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the isoprene interpolymer and monomer. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , where the total isoprene content of the interpolymer ranges from about 5 to about 15 weight percent. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , where the monomer comprises styrene. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one other monomer copolymerizable with the vinyl aromatic monomer. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , where the at least one other monomer copolymerizable with the vinyl aromatic monomer comprises acrylonitrile. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , where said step of polymerizing comprises a free-radical polymerization method. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , where the isoprene interpolymer comprises at least 2 weight percent mer units deriving from the polymerization of isoprene. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , where the isoprene copolymer includes less than 30 weight percent mer units deriving from the polymerization of isoprene. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , where the interpolymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(polystyrene-b-polybutadiene-polyisoprene), poly(polybutadiene-polystyrene-polyisoprene), and a mixture thereof. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , where the interpolymer comprises a polystyrene block, a polybutadiene block, and two distinct polyisoprene blocks, where a first polyisoprene block is located at a first terminus of the interpolymer and a second polyisoprene block is located at a second terminus of the interpolymer. 
   
   
       18 . A rubber comprising thermoplastic composition comprising:
 a thermoplastic polymer phase comprising one or more polymers having mer units deriving from the polymerization of vinyl aromatic monomer; and   an interpolymer comprising one or more mer units deriving from the polymerization of isoprene.   
   
   
       19 . A composition comprising:
 a polystyrene or interpolymer comprising mer units deriving from the polymerization of styrene; and   an interpolymer comprising one or more mer units deriving from the polymerization of isoprene.   
   
   
       20 . An acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene composition comprising:
 an interpolymer comprising mer units deriving from the polymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile; and   an interpolymer comprising units deriving from the polymerization of butadiene and isoprene.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 1  where the interpolymer further comprises butadiene. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1  where the mixture is formed prior to polymerization of the mixture. 
   
   
       23 . An interpolymer comprising blocks of butadiene and blocks of isoprene, wherein the isoprene blocks are located in at least one of the termini positions of the interpolymer. 
   
   
       24 . The interpolymer of  claim 23  wherein the isoprene is present in an amount of at least 2 to less than 30 weight percent based on the interpolymer.