Golf ball compositions

Abstract

A golf ball is disclosed which includes a central core; one or more mantle layers and an outer cover layer and where one or more of the core and one or more mantle layers is coated with a coating composition which includes one or more of the following components; a polysulfide silane; a waterborne polyurethane resin composition; a waterborne urethane modified acrylic resin composition; or an epoxy resin composition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf ball comprising;
 A) a central core;   B) one or more mantle layers; and   C) an outer cover layer   
       wherein one or more of said core and said one or more mantle layers is coated with a coating composition selected from the group consisting of;
 a) a polysulfide silane; 
 b) a waterborne polyurethane resin composition; 
 c) a waterborne urethane modified acrylic resin composition; 
 d) an epoxy resin composition; and 
 e) any and all combinations of a-d. 
 
     
     
         2 . The golf ball of  claim 1  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers, thermoset polyurethanes, thermoset polyureas, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyureas, metallocene catalyzed polymers, maleic anhydride grafted metallocene polymers, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, polyamides, copolyamides, polyesters, copolyesters, polycarbonates, polyolefins, halogenated polyolefins, halogenated polyalkylenes, polyalkenamer, polyphenylene oxides, polyphenylene sulfides, diallyl phthalate polymers, polyimides, polyvinyl chlorides, polyamide-ionomers, polyurethane-ionomers, polyvinyl alcohols, polyarylates, polyacrylates, polyphenylene ethers, impact-modified polyphenylene ethers, polystyrenes, high impact polystyrenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitriles (SAN), acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylonitriles, styrene-maleic anhydride (S/MA) polymers, styrenic block copolymers, functionalized styrenic block copolymers cellulosic polymers, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), ethylene-propylene copolymers, propylene elastomers, ethylene vinyl acetates, polysiloxanes, and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The golf ball of  claim 1  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises greater than 85% by weight of a polyalkenamer rubber selected from the group consisting of polybutenamer rubber, polypentenamer rubber, polyhexenamer rubber, polyheptenamer rubber, polyoctenamer rubber, polynonenamer rubber, polydecenamer rubber polyundecenamer rubber, polydodecenamer rubber, polytridecenamer rubber and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball of  claim 1  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises greater than 90% by weight of a polyalkenamer rubber selected from the group consisting of polypentenamer rubber, polyoctenamer rubber, polydodecenamer rubber and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The golf ball of  claim 1  wherein the outer cover layer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer, a polyalkenamer composition, a thermoset polyurethane, a thermoplastic polyurethane, a thermoset polyurea, a thermoplastic polyurea, a polyamide, a unimodal ionomer, a bimodal ionomer, a modified unimodal ionomer, or a modified bimodal ionomer. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein said outer cover layer comprises a blend composition comprising one or more ionomers blended with;
 A) one or more triblock copolymers; or   B) one or more hydrogenation products of the triblock copolymers; or   C) one or more hydrogenated diene block copolymers; and   
       wherein each triblock copolymer has
 (i) a first polymer block comprising an aromatic vinyl compound, 
 (ii) a second polymer block comprising a conjugated diene compound, and wherein each hydrogenated diene block copolymer has a polystyrene-reduced number-average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 600,000, and is a hydrogenation product of;
 (a) an A-B block copolymer, in which A is an alkenyl aromatic compound polymer block, and B is either
 (1) a conjugated diene homopolymer block, wherein the vinyl content of the conjugated diene portion is more than 60%, or 
 (2) an alkenyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene random copolymer block wherein the vinyl content of the conjugated diene portion is 15-60%, or 
 
 (b) an A-B-C block copolymer, in which A and B are as defined above and C is an alkenyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene copolymer tapered block, wherein the proportion of the alkenyl aromatic compound increases gradually, or 
 (c) an A-B-A block copolymer, in which A and B are as defined above, and wherein in each of the hydrogenated diene block copolymers, the weight proportion of the alkenyl aromatic compound to conjugated diene is from 5/95 to 60/40, the content of the bound alkenyl aromatic compound in at least one block A is at least 3% by weight, the total of the bound alkenyl aromatic compound contents in the two block A's or the block A and the block C is 5% to 25% by weight based on the total monomers, and at least 80% of the double bond unsaturations of the conjugated diene portion is saturated by the hydrogenation. 
 
 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the outer cover layer comprises the reaction product of:
 A) at least one component A comprising a monomer, oligomer, or prepolymer, or polymer comprising at least 5% by weight of at least one type of functional group;   B) at least one component B comprising a monomer, oligomer, prepolymer, or polymer comprising less by weight of anionic functional groups than the weight percentage of anionic functional groups of the at least one component A; and   C) at least one component C comprising a metal cation, wherein the reaction product comprises a pseudo-crosslinked network of the at least one component A in the presence of the at least one component B.   
     
     
         8 . A golf ball comprising;
 A) a central core;   B) one or more mantle layers; and   C) an outer cover layer   
       wherein one or more of said core or said one or more mantle layers is coated with successive coats of different coating compositions, the first applied coat comprising an epoxy resin coating composition and the second applied coat comprising a polyurethane resin coating composition. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball of  claim 8  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers, thermoset polyurethanes, thermoset polyureas, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyureas, metallocene catalyzed polymers, maleic anhydride grafted metallocene polymers, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, polyamides, copolyamides, polyesters, copolyesters, polycarbonates, polyolefins, halogenated polyolefins, halogenated polyalkylenes, polyalkenamer, polyphenylene oxides, polyphenylene sulfides, diallyl phthalate polymers, polyimides, polyvinyl chlorides, polyamide-ionomers, polyurethane-ionomers, polyvinyl alcohols, polyarylates, polyacrylates, polyphenylene ethers, impact-modified polyphenylene ethers, polystyrenes, high impact polystyrenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitriles (SAN), acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylonitriles, styrene-maleic anhydride (S/MA) polymers, styrenic block copolymers, functionalized styrenic block copolymers cellulosic polymers, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), ethylene-propylene copolymers, propylene elastomers, ethylene vinyl acetates, polysiloxanes, and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball of  claim 8  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises greater than 85% by weight of a polyalkenamer rubber selected from the group consisting of polybutenamer rubber, polypentenamer rubber, polyhexenamer rubber, polyheptenamer rubber, polyoctenamer rubber, polynonenamer rubber, polydecenamer rubber polyundecenamer rubber, polydodecenamer rubber, polytridecenamer rubber and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The golf ball of  claim 10  wherein one or more of said mantle layers comprises greater than 90% by weight of a polyalkenamer rubber selected from the group consisting of polypentenamer rubber, polyoctenamer rubber, polydodecenamer rubber and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The golf ball of  claim 8  wherein the outer cover layer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer, a polyalkenamer composition, a thermoset polyurethane, a thermoplastic polyurethane, a thermoset polyurea, a thermoplastic polyurea, a polyamide, a unimodal ionomer, a bimodal ionomer, a modified unimodal ionomer, or a modified bimodal ionomer. 
     
     
         13 . The golf ball of  claim 8 , wherein said outer cover layer comprises a blend composition comprising one or more ionomers blended with;
 A) one or more triblock copolymers; or   B) one or more hydrogenation products of the triblock copolymers; or   C) one or more hydrogenated diene block copolymers; and   
       wherein each triblock copolymer has
 (i) a first polymer block comprising an aromatic vinyl compound, 
 (ii) a second polymer block comprising a conjugated diene compound, and wherein each hydrogenated diene block copolymer has a polystyrene-reduced number-average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 600,000, and is a hydrogenation product of;
 (a) an A-B block copolymer, in which A is an alkenyl aromatic compound polymer block, and B is either
 (1) a conjugated diene homopolymer block, wherein the vinyl content of the conjugated diene portion is more than 60%, or 
 (2) an alkenyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene random copolymer block wherein the vinyl content of the conjugated diene portion is 15-60%, or 
 
 (b) an A-B-C block copolymer, in which A and B are as defined above and C is an alkenyl aromatic compound-conjugated diene copolymer tapered block, wherein the proportion of the alkenyl aromatic compound increases gradually, or 
 (c) an A-B-A block copolymer, in which A and B are as defined above, and wherein in each of the hydrogenated diene block copolymers, the weight proportion of the alkenyl aromatic compound to conjugated diene is from 5/95 to 60/40, the content of the bound alkenyl aromatic compound in at least one block A is at least 3% by weight, the total of the bound alkenyl aromatic compound contents in the two block A's or the block A and the block C is 5% to 25% by weight based on the total monomers, and at least 80% of the double bond unsaturations of the conjugated diene portion is saturated by the hydrogenation. 
 
 
     
     
         14 . The golf ball of  claim 8 , wherein the outer cover layer comprises the reaction product of:
 A) at least one component A comprising a monomer, oligomer, or prepolymer, or polymer comprising at least 5% by weight of at least one type of functional group;   B) at least one component B comprising a monomer, oligomer, prepolymer, or polymer comprising less by weight of anionic functional groups than the weight percentage of anionic functional groups of the at least one component A; and   C) at least one component C comprising a metal cation,   
       wherein the reaction product comprises a pseudo-crosslinked network of the at least one component A in the presence of the at least one component B. 
     
     
         15 . A method for making a golf ball comprising:
 coating onto at least one of a golf ball core or one or more golf ball mantle layers a coating composition wherein the coating composition includes a polysulfide silane; a waterborne polyurethane resin composition; a waterborne urethane modified acrylic resin composition; an epoxy resin composition; or a combination or mixture thereof.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the coating composition is coated onto the golf ball core. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the coating composition is coated onto a golf ball mantle layer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the coating composition is coated onto the golf ball core and onto a golf ball mantle layer. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the coating composition coated onto the golf ball core is different compared to the coating composition coated onto the golf ball mantle layer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the core or the mantle layer is coated with successive coats of different coating compositions, the first applied coat comprising an epoxy resin coating composition and the second applied coat comprising a polyurethane resin coating composition.