Solid polymeric adhesive compositions having high use temperature, and articles and methods thereof

Abstract

The teachings herein are directed at solid polymeric adhesive compositions for adhering metal components, methods for compounding the polymeric adhesive compositions, articles including a component having the polymeric adhesive composition, methods for producing articles including curing a solid adhesive, and articles including the cured adhesive. Preferred solid polymeric adhesive compositions include a plurality of one or more epoxy resins and one or more polysulfones. In one preferred aspect, the teachings are directed at a stator ring (e.g., for a hybrid motor) including the polymeric adhesive composition for adhering components to a ring.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polymeric adhesive composition for molding or extruding an article comprising:
 i) about 25 to about 85 weight percent of one or more epoxy resins, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition;   ii) about 7 to about 45 weight percent of one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition, having a glass transition temperature of about 175° C. or more;   iii) about 0.5 to 15 weight percent of one or more impact modifiers, wherein the impact modifiers including an elastomeric polymer core of a core/shell polymer;   iv) one or more curatives for curing the epoxy resin(s); and   v) optionally up to 40 weight percent of one or more fillers; and   vi) optionally up to about 7 weight percent of one or more blowing agents;   wherein the one or more epoxy resins includes one or more solid epoxy resins and one or more liquid epoxy resins, wherein the concentration of the solid epoxy resin is sufficiently high so that the polymeric adhesive composition is a solid at room temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers includes a polymer having a repeat unit with a sulfone group along the backbone with two aryl sulfone linkages. 
     
     
         3 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 2 , wherein the repeat unit includes one or more ether linkages. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 3 , through wherein the concentration of the repeat unit is about 90 weight percent or more, based on the total weight of the high temperature thermoplastic polymer; and
 wherein the polymeric adhesive composition includes one or more polymeric fibers, wherein the length of any fibers in the polymeric adhesive composition is about 50 mm or less.   
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The polymeric adhesive composition of any of claim  56 , wherein the elastomeric polymer includes a polybutadiene, a polybutadiene copolymer, a random copolymer including two or more α-olefins, a polyisoprene, or any combination thereof, or a block copolymer including a block thereof; wherein the elastomer polymer is provided as discrete particles of a core/shell polymer. 
     
     
         8 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric adhesive composition is a solid at a temperature of about 50° C., and the polymeric adhesive composition has a tensile modulus of about 50 MPa or more, as measured according to ISO 527, at about 23° C.; and
 the one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymer has a melt flow rate from about 0.2 to about 100 g/10 min, as measured according to ASTMD D1238 at 343° C./2.16 kg. 
 
     
     
         9 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 8 , wherein the concentration of the high temperature thermoplastic polymer is sufficiently high so that the polymeric adhesive composition is characterized by a heat distortion temperature of about 60° C. or more as measured according to ASTM D648 under a load of 1.8 MPa. 
     
     
         10 . The polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition includes about 0.5 to 9 weight percent of the one or more impact modifiers; and
 wherein the polysulfone is free of functional groups for reacting with epoxy.   
     
     
         11 . A pre-cure article including the polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pre-cure article is an extruded article or a molded article. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A post-cure article including a polymeric component formed from curing the polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric component includes a first surface attached to a first metal component and a second surface attached to a second metal component. 
     
     
         16 . The post-cure article of  claim 15 , wherein
 the post-cure article has a thickness of about 0.3 mm to about 10 mm;   the polymeric component has a glass transition temperature of about 150° C. or more; and   the polymeric component is characterized by a heat distortion temperature of about 120° C. or more as measured according to ASTM D648 under a load of 1.8 MPa.   
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A method of preparing a polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
 mixing a polysulfone with one or more liquid epoxy resins to form a polysulfone/epoxy mixture;   mixing at least the polysulfone/epoxy mixture, the core/shell polymer including the elastomeric polymer, the one or more solid epoxy resins, a masterbatch including a polymeric fiber and a liquid epoxy resin, and the curatives at a temperature sufficiently low so that curing of the epoxy resin is substantially avoided and at a shear rate sufficiently low so that the particle size of the core/shell polymer is substantially maintained;   forming a pre-cure article;   heating the pre-cure article so that the polymeric adhesive composition cures into a cured polymeric component having a first surface adhered to a first metal component and a second surface adhered to a second metal component.   
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A polymeric adhesive composition for molding or extruding an article comprising:
 i) about 35 to about 65 weight percent of one or more epoxy resins, including a solid unmodified bisphenol-A based epoxy resin having an epoxide equivalent weight of about 800 g/equivalent or more as measured according to ISO 3001, an epoxy cresol novolac resin having a functionality of about 3.5 or more, and a liquid epoxy phenol novolac resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 150 to about 300 g/equivalent as measured according to ISO 3001;   ii) about 12 to about 30 weight percent or more of one or more thermoplastic polysulfones having a glass transition temperature of about 175° C. or more;   iii) about 1 to 9 weight percent of one or more impact modifiers including an elastomeric polymer core of a core/shell polymer;   iv) about 2 to about 9 weight percent of one or more curatives for curing the epoxy resin(s), wherein the one or more curatives includes a substituted urea;   v) about 5 to about 25 weight percent of one or more fillers selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, clay, silica, talc, glass, carbon or ceramic fibers, polymeric fibers, and any combination thereof;   vi) about 0.1 to about 3 weight percent polyaramid fibers having an average length of about 35 mm or less; and   vii) about 0.1 to about 3 weight percent of one or more blowing agents;   wherein the one or more epoxy resins includes one or more solid epoxy resins and one or more liquid epoxy resins, wherein the concentration of the solid epoxy resin is sufficiently high so that the polymeric adhesive composition is a solid at room temperature having a tensile modulus at room temperature of about 20 MPa or more, as measured according to ISO 527.   
     
     
         22 . A device comprising:
 i) a first substrate;   ii) one or more second substrates attached to the first substrate by:   iii) a polymeric adhesive component formed from the polymeric adhesive composition of  claim 1 , wherein the high temperature thermoplastic polymer has a glass transition thermoplastic polymers of about 175° C. or more.   
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the polymeric adhesive composition comprises:
 i) about 25 to about 85 weight percent of one or more epoxy resins, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition;   ii) about 7 to about 45 weight percent of one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers (based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition) having a glass transition temperature of about 175° C. or more;   iii) about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent of one or more impact modifiers, wherein the impact modifiers including an elastomeric polymer core of a core/shell polymer;   iv) one or more curatives for curing the epoxy resin(s) (e.g., in an amount from about 0.4 to about 15 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition); and   v) optionally up to 40 weight percent of one or more fillers; and   vi) optionally up to about 7 weight percent (e.g., from about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent) of one or more blowing agents;   wherein the one or more epoxy resins includes the one or more solid epoxy resins and one or more liquid epoxy resins, wherein the concentration of the solid epoxy resin is sufficiently high so that the polymeric adhesive composition is a solid at room temperature (e.g., the polymeric adhesive composition has a tensile modulus of about 20 MPa or more, as measured according to ISO 527 at about 23° C.).   
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the first substrate is a cylindrical ring, and the second substrate is attached to an inside surface of the cylindrical ring. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the first substrate is a stator ring, and the one or more second substrates are teeth each having a length aligned with an axis of the stator ring, and arranged for substantially or entirely covering an inner circumference of the stator ring. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein
 i) the polymeric adhesive component is in an expanded state including open cells and/or closed cells; and   ii) the polymeric adhesive component has a thickness from about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm.   
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A method of forming a device comprising the steps of:
 positioning a first substrate relative to a second substrate so that a polymeric adhesive composition is interposed between the first and second substrates;   heating the polymeric adhesive composition to a temperature of about 150° C. or more for a sufficient time to cure the polymeric adhesive composition and form a cured polymeric adhesive component that adheres the first substrate and the second substrate;   wherein the polymeric adhesive composition includes one or more solid epoxy resins and one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers having a glass transition temperature of about 175° C. or more.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  32 , wherein the polymeric adhesive composition comprises:
 i) about 25 to about 85 weight percent of one or more epoxy resins, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition;   ii) about 7 to about 45 weight percent of one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers (based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition) having a glass transition temperature of about 175° C. or more;   iii) about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent of one or more impact modifiers, wherein the impact modifiers including an elastomeric polymer core of a core/shell polymer;   iv) one or more curatives for curing the epoxy resin(s) (e.g., in an amount from about 0.4 to about 15 weight percent, based on the total weight of the polymeric adhesive composition); and   v) optionally up to 40 weight percent of one or more fillers; and   vi) optionally up to about 7 weight percent (e.g., from about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent) of one or more blowing agents;   wherein the one or more epoxy resins includes the one or more solid epoxy resins and one or more liquid epoxy resins, wherein the concentration of the solid epoxy resin is sufficiently high so that the polymeric adhesive composition is a solid at room temperature;   wherein the one or more high temperature thermoplastic polymers includes a polymer having a repeat unit with one or more sulfone groups along the backbone.   
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . (canceled)