THI N LAYERS Description Technical Field

The present invention relates to a thermally expandable composition , comprising at least one acrylate, at least one free-radical initiator and at least one surfactant, whereby the surfactant is a su lfonate salt, as well as a baff le and/or reinforcement element for hollow structures comprising such a thermally expandable composition , a process for manufacturing such a baff le and/or reinforcement element, its use to seal, baff le, or reinforce a hollow structure, and a method for sealing, baff ling, or reinforci ng a hollow structure.

Background of the Invention Manufactured products often contain orifices and cavities or other hollow parts that resu lt from the manufacturing process and/or that are designed into the product for various purposes, such as weight reduction . Automotive vehicles, for example, include several such orifices and cavities throughout the vehicle, including in the vehicle's structural pi llars and in the sheet metal of the vehicle doors. It is often desirable to seal such orifices and cavities so as to minimise noise, vibrations, fumes, dirt, water, humidity, and the like from passing from one area to another within the vehicle by means of sealing members or baffle elements bui lt into the orifice or cavity. Likewise, such members or elements often fu lfi l an additional task of reinforcing the hollow structure of the manufactured product, e.g.

automotive part, so much that it becomes more resistant to mechanical stress but sti ll maintains the low weight advantage of the hollow structure.

Such elements used for sealing, baff ling or reinforcing often consist of a carrier, made of plastic, metal, or another rigid material, and one or more layers of a thermoplastic material attached to it which is able to expand its volume when heat or another physical or chemical form of energy is applied, but they can also be entirely made of expandable material. Using an adequate design , it is possible to insert the baffle or reinforcement element into the hollow part of the structure during the manufacturing process but also to leave the inner walls of the structure sti ll accessible (or the cavities passable) by e. g. a liquid. For example, during the manufacture process of a vehicle, the hollow parts of a metal frame can sti ll be largely covered by an electro-coating liqu id whi le the baffle or reinforcement elements are already inserted, and afterwards during a heat treatment step, the expandable thermoplastic material of the baffle or reinforcement element expands to fi ll the cavities as intended.

The development of such baff les or reinforcement elements has led to high ly advanced systems, where the expandable material is able to increase its volume by up to 1 500% or more, forming a foam-like structure that fi lls the cavities and adhering to the walls of the structure intended to be sealed, baffled, or reinforced. Especially in automotive manufacturing, this has led to considerable weight reduction and excellent dampening of noise or vibrations in the car body.

Currently employed thermally expandable compositions often consist of polymers that can be cross-linked by peroxides, such as ethylene-vinyl acetate polymers, in combination with comparably small, high ly functional acrylates which are i ncorporated into the cross-linked network upon curing. These compositions furthermore contain blowing agents. Under activation conditions, such as elevated temperature, curing of the cross-linkable network takes place, wh i le simu ltaneously the blowing agent decomposes and releases gases. This leads to the above mentioned volume expansion and the formation of a stable foam which in ideal cases fi lls the cavity as intended and adheres to its walls. Such a system is for example disclosed in D E 1 0 201 1 080 223 A1 .

The thermally expandable compositions on such baffles or reinforcement elements usually have a thickness of 4 - 1 0 mm or more. However, if a thickness of 1 mm or less is chosen , the thermally expandable

compositions of the state of the art suffer from insufficient expansion rates, leading to poor performance of the sealing, baff le or reinforcement element. It is thus desirable to obtain a thermally expandable composition that does not suffer from this limitation and exhibits superior expansion behaviour if thermally expandable compositions are used in the form of thin layers.

Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermally expandable composition that is able to provide sufficient expansion behaviour and that creates stable foam when thermally expandable compositions in the form of thin layers are used.

Surprisingly, the present invention provides a solution to that problem by providing a thermally expandable composition, comprising

(a) at least one polymer P, cross-linkable by a free-radical initiator, and

(b) at least one acrylate A, and

(c) at least one free-radical initiator, and

(d) at least one blowing agent,

(e) at least one surfactant, whereby the surfactant is a sulfonate salt.

The composition according to the present invention is particularly suitable to be used in a sealing, baffle or reinforcement element, for example in automotive applications. Further aspects of the present invention are subject of other independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject of dependent claims.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The unit term "wt.-%" means percentage by weight, based on the weight of the respective total composition, if not otherwise specified. The terms "weight" and "mass" are used interchangeably throughout this document. The term "functionality" in connection with a molecule describes in this document the number of chemical functional groups per molecule. The term "polyfunctional" describes a molecule with more than 1 functional groups of a given type. For example, a polyfunctional acrylate with a functionality of 3 describes a molecu le with 3 acrylate groups. The term "average

functionality" is used if a mixture of molecu les is present that differ slightly in individual functionality, but in average exhibit a given functionality, as it is sometimes the case with technical grade chemicals.

The term "equivalent" in connection with chemical functional groups describes in this document the mass amount of a substance that equals its equivalent weight. Normally, the equivalent weight is defined as the amount of substance that contains 1 mole of a defined functional group, such as an acrylate group or a peroxide function . The ordinari ly ski lled artisan in the field of polymer composition formu lation uses such numbers to calcu late appropriate ratios for active components, and such values are common ly provided by producers of functional chemicals, especially polymers.

Accordingly, the "equivalent ratio" (EQ) of two substances is understood herein as the ratio of the equivalents of a first substance to the equivalents of the second substance in a given composition .

The term "radical" used in this document describes, as known to a person with ordinary ski ll in the art of chemistry, a chemical species with an unpaired valence electron . The cross-linking reactions involved in the curing or hardening of the polymer system of the present invention follow a radical mechanism . Melt flow index (M FI) is determined by the ASTM D 1 238 standard method, using a capi llary rheometer at 1 90°C and a weight of 2.1 6 kg. M FI values describe the amount of polymer coming out of the capi llary under pressure of the defined weight and at the defined temperature during a given time. Volume changes on the thermally expandable material are determined using the D I N EN ISO 1 1 83 method of density measurement (Archimedes principle) in deionised water in combination with sample mass determined by a precision balance. The present invention comprises as a first necessary component at least one polymer P that is cross-linkable by a free-radical initiator. Principally all thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers capable of cross- linking reactions with a free-radical initiator are suitable. The artisan ski lled in the field describes polymers as "cross-linkable by a free-radical initiator" if these polymers contain functional groups, e.g. C-C double bonds, which release hydrogen atoms under influence of a radical starter, e.g. a peroxide, from their backbone or side chain , such that a radical remains that is able to radically attack other polymer chains in a subsequent step, leading to a radical chain reaction cross-linking process and u ltimately to a polymer network. Suitable polymers P include, for example, styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene copolymers, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene- methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene butyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-2-ethylhexyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic ester

copolymers, polyolefinc block copolymers, and polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

The copolymers, meaning polymers made from more than one type of monomer, can be block type copolymers or random copolymers.

Polymers P can also be further functionalised, meaning they can contain further functional groups such as hydroxyl, carboxy, an hydride, acrylate, and/or glycidylmethacrylate groups.

Preferred for the present invention is one or more polymer P with an average melt f low index (M FI) of between 1 and 200 g/1 0 min, preferably between 1 0 and 1 00 g/1 0 min , more preferably between 25 and 75 g/1 0 min , most preferably between 35 and 55 g/1 0 min .

Polymer P preferably comprises or essentially consists of ethylene-vinyl acetate ( EVA) . I n this case, the content of vinyl acetate monomers in EVA shou ld be between 8 and 45 wt.-%, preferably between 1 5 and 30 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the EVA polymer.

I n cases where more than one type of polymer is used, the individual M FI combine to an average M FI of the used polymer mixture, which has to be determined according to ASTM D 1 238. The thermally expandable composition according to the present invention preferably contains said at least one polymer P with an amount of between 50 and 80 wt.-%, preferably between 60 and 75 wt.-%, more preferably between 62 and 70 wt.-%, based on the weight of the total composition .

I n a preferred embodiment, more than one type of polymer is used as polymer P . It was found to be beneficial for the properties of the inventive composition to use at least two types of polymer (herein named P 1 and P2) with different melt flow index (M FI ), one much higher than the other. For example, an especially preferred embodiment uses a first polymer P 1 with an M FI of between 1 00 and 200 g/1 0 min and a second polymer P2 with an M FI of between 0.1 and 60 g/1 0 min , preferably between 0.1 and 1 0 g/1 0 min , preferably with a weight ratio of the two polymers P 1 : P2 in the composition of 0.7 to 1 .3, preferably 0.8 to 1 .2.

Preferred EVA polymers include, e.g. , Elvax® 1 50, Elvax® 240A, Elvax® 260A, Elvax® 420A (all by Du Pont), or the corresponding Evatane® copolymers (by Arkema). A second necessary component of the thermally expandable composition according to the present invention is at least one acrylate A, with an amount of between 0.25 and 3 wt.-%, preferably between 0.5 and 2 wt.-%, more preferably between 0.7 and 1 .7 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

Acrylate A preferably has a molecu lar weight of less than 2'500 g/mol, more preferably less than 1 Ό00 g/mol, and preferably exhibits an acrylate functionality of at least 2, of at least 3, more preferably between 3 and 5. Although polymer P (described above) can comprise acrylate functions, it is beneficial for the inventive composition that these two components are not the same chemical compound. I n comparison , acrylate A is generally smaller than polymer P in terms of molecu lar weight and acts as cross- linker for polymer P. On ly using one of the two components wou ld either lead to poor mechanical properties in the final product or wou ld in hibit the formation of a stable foam structure during and after expansion . Preferred acrylates A with a functionality of 2 include ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol

dimethacrylate, 1 ,3-butanediol dimethacrylate, 1 ,4-butanediol

dimethacrylate, 1 , 1 0-dodecanediol dimethacrylate, 1 ,6-hexandieol dimethacrylate, neopentylglycol dimethacrylate, and polybutylene glycol dimethacrylate.

Preferred acrylates A with a functionality of 3 or higher include glycerol triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol trimethacrylate, trimethylo lpropane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate,

tetramethylolmethane tetraacrylate, Di-(trimethylolpropane) tetraacrylate, pentraerythritol tetraacrylate, dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate,

dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, tri (2-methacryloxyethyl) trimellitate, tri (2- acryloxyethyl) isocyanurate, as well as their ethoxylated or propoxylated derivates.

Further preferred acrylates include high ly functional, hyperbranched acrylates with functionalities of between 6 and 1 6, or higher. Examples of such preferred acrylates include hyperbranched polyester-polyacrylates, for example Sartomer® CN2303 and Sartomer® CN2305, both by Arkema.

A third necessary component of the thermally expandable composition according to the present invention is at least one free-radical i nitiator, preferably with an amount of between 0.5 and 8 wt.-%, preferably between 1 and 8 wt.-%, more preferably between 2 and 8 wt.-%, even more preferably between 2 and 6 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition . Preferably, the free-radical initiator is a peroxide or a perester, more preferably a peroxide. It is advantageous for the inventive composition to use a peroxide that is inert at room temperature (23°C) and exhibits an activation temperature suitable for the intended purpose. For example, if the composition is used for a baffle and/or reinforcement element in automotive manufacturing, an activation temperature of between 1 30 and 250°C is preferred. Furthermore, it is advisable to select a peroxide with an activation temperature compatible with the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent. If those two temperatures differ too much , it may be more difficu lt to obtain a thermally expandable composition with optimal performance and stabi lity. Apart from that, other, at room temperature solid components (such as in some cases polymer P) have to be compatible with these components as well, for example in terms of softening or melting point.

Preferred peroxides for the inventive composition are organic peroxides, such as keton peroxides, diacyl peroxides, peresters, perketals, and hydroperoxides. Examples of such preferred peroxides include cumene hydroperoxide, t-butyl peroxide, bis(t-butylperoxy)-diisopropyl benzene, di (t-butylperoxy isopropyl) benzene, dicumyl peroxide, t-butylperoxy benzoate, di-alkylperoxy dicarbonate, diperoxyketals (such as 1 , 1 -di-t- butylperoxy-3,3,5-tri methyl cyclohexane) , keton peroxides (such as methyl ethyl keton peroxide) , and 4,4-di-t-butylperoxy-n-butyl valerate.

Especially preferred are 3,3,5,7,7-pentamethyl-1 ,2,4-trioxepane, 2,5- dimethyl-2,5-di (t-butylperoxy)-3-hexyne, di-t-butyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl- 2,5-di (t-butylperoxy) hexane, t-butyl cumyl peroxide, di (t-butylperoxy isopropyl) benzene, dicumyl peroxide, butyl-4,4-di (t-butylperoxy) valerate, t-butylperoxy-2-ethyl hexyl carbonate, 1 , 1 -di (t-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexane, t-butylperoxy benzoate, di (4-methylbenzoyl) peroxide, and dibenzoyl peroxide. Most preferred peroxides for the present inventive composition include dicumyl peroxide, avai lable for example under the trade names Perkadox® BC-40B-P D by Akzo Nobel or Peroxan® DC-40 PK by Pergan and/or di (t- butylperoxyisopropyl) benzene, avai lable for example under the trade names Perkadox® 1 4-40B- P D by Akzo Nobel or Peroxan® BI B-40 P by Pergan , wherein di (t-butylperoxyisopropyl) benzene is especially preferred.

It may be advantageous for the present invention to use peroxide that is immobi lised on a support material, such as si lica, kaolin , and/or calcium carbonate, or other suitable materials. This approach may faci litate handling, dosage, and even ly distribution of the peroxide in the

composition . Examples for such immobi lised peroxide include Perkadox® BC-40B-P D by Akzo Nobel (40 wt.-% dicu myl peroxide on calcium carbonate) or Perkadox® 1 4-40K-P D by Akzo Nobel (40 wt.-% di (t- butylperoxyisopropyl) benzene on clay and si lica). However, care has to be taken in such cases to correctly calcu late the wt.-% and especially the equivalents of active substance in the composition , as in this document these values always refer to active compound, and do not include possibly present support material.

It may be advantages for the present inventive composition that the equivalent ratio ( EQ) of free-radical initiator, preferably peroxide, to acrylate A, i .e. the ratio of free-radical initiator, preferably peroxide, equivalents to acrylate equivalents, is within a range of between 0.1 and 1 0, preferably between 0.2 and 6, 0.5 and 3, most preferably between 0.5 and 2.

Within this range the composition exhibits its superior performance in terms of the rate of thermal expansion .

The fourth essential component of the present inventive composition is at least one blowing agent. A suitable blowing agent may be a chemical or physical blowing agent. Chemical blowing agents are organic or i norganic compounds that decompose under influence of , e.g. , temperature or humidity, whi le at least one of the formed decomposition products is a gas. Physical blowing agents include, but are not limited to, compounds that become gaseous at a certain temperature. Thus, both chemical and physical blowi ng agents are suitable to cause an expansion in the thermally expandable composition .

Preferred chemical blowing agents include but are not limited to azo compounds, hydrazides, nitroso compounds, carbamates, and carbazides.

Chemical blowing agents are preferred for the present inventive

composition .

Suitable chemical blowing agents are, e.g. , azodicarbonamide,

azoisobutytronitri le, azocyclohexyl nitri le, dinitrosopentamethylene tetramine, azodiamino benzene, benzene- 1 ,3-su lfonyl hydrazide, calcium azide, 4,4 ^' -diphenyldisu lphonyl azide, p-toluenesu lphonyl hydrazide, p- toluenesu lphonyl semicarbazide, 4,4'-oxybis(benzenesu lphonylhydrazide), tri hydrazino triazine, and N , N '-dimethyl-N , N '-dinitrosoterephthalamide, and combinations thereof and the like.

Also suitable are dual chemical systems, such as acid/base systems that generate gases upon reaction . One preferred example is sodiu m hydrogen carbonate and citric acid, a system that generates carbon dioxide when combined in a suitable medium .

Suitable physical blowing agents include expandable microspheres, consisting of a thermoplastic shell fi lled with thermally expandable f luids or gases. An example for such suitable microspheres are Expancel®

microspheres (by AkzoNobel).

I n a preferred embodiment, the blowing agent comprises or essentially consists of one or several selected from the list of azodicarbonamide, Expancel® microspheres, and 4,4 ^' -oxybis(benzenesu lphonylhydrazide), most preferably azodicarbonamide.

Preferably, the blowing agent is included in the present inventive

composition with an amount of between 2 and 1 5 wt.-%, preferably between 4 and 1 2 wt.-%, more preferably between 5 and 1 0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

The heat required for the decomposition reaction that causes the foaming (expansion) can be applied externally or internally, the latter e.g. from an exothermic reaction . Preferably, the blowing agent is activated (i .e.

decomposes under gas release) at a temperature of less than 1 60°C, especially between 80°C to 1 50°C, more preferably between 90°C and 1 40°C.

If the present inventive thermally expandable composition finds a use in a baff le and/or reinforcement element, e.g. in automotive manufacturing, it is preferable that the activation temperature of the blowing agent is adjusted to the manufacturing conditions of the automotive part to be baffled or reinforced. As an example, the baffle and/or reinforcement element can be inserted into a cavity of a structure that needs to be treated by an

electrocoating liquid, in its unexpanded state sti ll leaving the surface of the structure accessible, and subsequently, during the heat treatment of the automotive part (i .e. the curing procedure for the electrocoating liquid) , the baff le and/or reinforcement element simu ltaneously (or shortly thereafter) expands to its intended final shape and at least partially closes or fi lls the cavity. I n such a case, the expansion temperature shou ld correspond to the temperature conditions of said heat treatment, i .e. to between 90°C and 200°C.

Accordingly, it is advisable to select the free-radical initiator, preferably the peroxide, used in the inventive composition in such a way that its activation temperature is in the same range, or slightly below the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent. This ensures that the radical

mechanisms leading to polymer cross-linking take place at a point which enables the formation of a stable, foam-like structure.

The fifth essential component of the present inventive composition is at least one surfactant, whereby the surfactant is a su lfonate salt.

The su lfonate salt comprises any cation or a cationic group capable of forming a salt with the su lfonate. Preferably, the su lfonate salt is a su lfonate alkali metal salt, most preferably a su lfonate sodium salt.

Preferably, the su lfonate salt is selected from su lfonates from the group consisting of :

-su lfosuccinates, preferably su lfosuccinates of the formu la ( I)

whereby FT = C8-C1 8, R" = H or C8-C1 8, preferably R' and R" = C8-C1 8, most preferably the su lfonate is Di-2-ethylhexyl su lphosuccinate. Di-2- ethylhexyl su lphosuccinate sodium salt is for example commercially avai lable as Disponi l SUS I C 875 from BASF,

-alkyl benzene su lfonates,

-alkanesu lfonates, preferably primary and secondary alkanesu lfonates, more preferably secondary C1 3-C1 8-alkanesu lfonates, most preferably secondary C1 3-C1 7-alkanesu lfonates,

-ether su lfonates,

-methyl ester su lfonates, and

-alpha-olefin su lfonates, preferably C1 4-C1 6-olefin su lfonates.

Most preferably, the su lfonate salt is selected from su lfonates from the group consisting of

whereby Ft' = C8-C1 8, R" = H or C8-C1 8, preferably R' and R" = C8-C1 8, most preferably the su lfonate is Di-2-ethylhexyl su lphosuccinate,

-alkanesu lfonates, preferably primary and secondary alkanesu lfonates, more preferably secondary C1 3-C1 8-alkanesu lfonates, most preferably secondary C1 3-C1 7-alkanesu lfonates.

It is preferred if the present inventive composition comprises said su lfonate salt with an amount of between 0.1 wt.-% and 5 wt.-%, 0.2 wt.-% and 4 wt.- %, 0.2 wt.-% and 3.5 wt.-%, preferably 0.25 wt.-% and 2 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

It may be further preferred if the present inventive composition comprises said su lfonate salt with an amount of between 1 wt.-% and 2 wt.-%, if the composition comprises the free-radical in itiator with an amount of between 3 and 6 wt.-% and if the composition comprises the acrylate A with an amount of between 1 and 2 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the

composition . This is advantageous for high expansion rates.

It may be further preferred if the present inventive composition comprises said su lfonate salt with an amount of between 0.2 wt.-% and 1 .2 wt.-%, if the composition comprises the free-radical initiator with an amount of between 1 .5 and 3 wt.-% and if the composition comprises the acrylate A with an amount of between 0.5 and 1 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition . This is advantageous for high expansion rates.

It is further preferred that the inventive composition contains less than 2 wt.-%, less than 1 wt.-%, preferably less than 0.5 wt.-%, more preferably less than 0.2 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition , of :

-su lfate salts, preferably of

-alkyl su lfates, and

-fatty alcohol polyglycol ether su lfates.

It is advantageous for the present invention to use an activator, accelerator, or catalyst in combination with the blowing agent. Examples of compounds suitable for this purpose include zinc compounds, such as zinc oxide, zinc stearate, zinc bis(p-toluenesu lphinate) , or zinc bis(benzenesu lphinate), or magnesium oxide, and/or (modified) urea compounds. Most preferred are zinc compounds, especially zinc oxide. The inventive thermally expandable composition preferably comprises such an activator for said blowing agent with an amount of between 2 and 1 0 wt.- %, preferably between 4 and 8 wt.-%, more preferably between 5 and 7 wt.- %, based on the total weight of the composition . Apart from the essential ingredients, the present inventive thermally expandable composition may contain other components common ly used in such compositions and known to the ordinari ly ski lled artisan in the field. These include, for example, fi llers, colorants, dispersion aids or

homogenizers, adhesion promoters, antioxidants, stabi lizers, and the like.

Suitable as fi llers are, e.g. , ground or precipitated calcium carbonate, calcium-magnesium carbonate, talcum , gypsum , graphite, barite, si lica, si licates, mica, wol lastonite, carbon black, or the mixtures thereof, or the like.

Fi llers are, if at all, preferably incorporated in the inventive compositions with an amount of between 1 and 1 5 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

Colorants or dyes, such as pigments, e.g. on the basis of carbon black, may be included in the present inventive compositions. Their amount is preferably between 0 and 1 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

Dispersion aids or homogenizers may be beneficial for the present inventive composition in order to faci litate a homogeneously mixed composition . Preferably used such compounds include hydrocarbon resins, for example Novares® TL 90 avai lable from Rutgers, Germany, Wingtack® resins (by Cray Valley) , Escorez® tackifying resins (e.g. , Escorez® 1 304, by Exxon Mobi l) , and Piccotac® hydrocarbon resins (e.g. , Piccotac® 1 1 00 or Piccotac® 1 1 00 E, by Eastman). Such compounds are preferably included in the inventive compositions with an amount of between 2 and 1 0 wt.-%, preferably between 4 and 8 wt.-%, more preferably between 5 and 7 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

I n preferred embodiments, the inventive composition also includes adhesion promoters. Preferably these substances are incorporated into the polymer network during the cross-linking reactions via functional groups simi lar to those present in polymer P . Suitable adhesion promoters include, for example, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymers, such as Lotader® ADX 1 200S, Lotader® AX8840, Lotader® 321 0, Lotader® 341 0 (by Arkema) or Lotryl® copolymers (by Arkema) .

Adhesion promoters are preferably used in compositions according to the present invention with an amount of between 2 and 1 5 wt.-%, preferably between between 4 and 1 0 wt.-%, more preferably between 5 and 7 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition . Further potentially usefu l additives include antioxidants and stabi lizers, common ly used in polymer-based compositions and known to the person ski lled in the art of polymer-based composition formu lation . Examples of suitable antioxidants and stabi lizers include sterically hindered thioethers, sterically hindered aromatic amines, and/or sterical ly hindered phenols, such as bis(3,3-bis(4 ^' -hydroxy-3-t-butylphenyl)butanoic acid) glycol ester. Such substances are preferably included with an amount of between 0 and 0.5 wt.-%, preferably between 0.1 and 0.3 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the composition .

The compositions according to the present inventions can be manufactured by mixing the components in any suitable mixing apparatus, e.g. in a dispersion mixer, planetary mixer, double screw mixer, continuous mixer, extruder, or dual screw extruder.

It may be advantageous to heat the components before or during mixing, either by applying external heat sources or by friction generated by the mixing process itself, in order to faci litate processing of the components into a homogeneous mixture by decreasing viscosities and/or melting of individual components. However, care has to be taken , e.g. by temperature monitoring and use of cooling devices where appropriate, not to exceed the activation temperatures of the blowing agent and/or peroxide. The final composition is preferably essentially solid at room temperature (23°C), meaning that it does not visibly deform at this temperature just by means of gravity during at least 24 h .

After mixing, the resu lting composition may be shaped into its desired form by, e.g. , extruding, blow-mou lding, pelleting, injection mou lding,

compression mou lding, punching or stamping or any other suitable process.

The thermally expandable compositions may be produced in a substantially one-step process, involving the addition of all components in a series and/or simu ltaneously. However, it may also be advantageous to formu late the composition as a two-part system , or even mu ltipart system , and mix these parts into the final composition at a later stage. Such an approach may, for example, increase shelf life of the composition in places with demanding conditions (such as extraordinari ly high temperatures), optimise storage room demand and transport weight, and allow for tai lor-made, modu lar compositions regarding different applications.

The expansion of the thermally expandable composition according to the present invention is triggered by heat. This means, both the blowing agent and the a free-radical initiator component are activated by a thermal process that exceeds their respective activation temperature and exhibits a duration long enough for both processes (free-radical initiator-initiated radical polymerisation and decomposition of the blowing agent including gas formation) to proceed unti l the expandable material has expanded and cured into its intended final (sufficiently expanded and stable) state. The optimal temperature and duration (dwell ti me) depends on the blowing agent and peroxide used in the inventive composition . These values are provided by the manufacturers of such components and/or are known to the ordinari ly ski lled artisan .

Another aspect of the present invention is the use of such thermally expandable compositions for the manufacturing of baffle and/or

reinforcement elements. Such elements are used to seal, baff le, and/or reinforce open or hollow structures, e.g. a cavity in an open or hollow structural part of an automobi le. Hollow parts in cars may include body components (e.g. , panels), frame components (e.g. , hydroformed tubes) , pi llar structures (e.g. , A, B, C, or D-pi l lars), bumpers or the like. Open parts in cars may include roofs or doors.

If such elements are used to seal or baff le then the structures are

preferably hollow structures. If such elements are used to reinforce then the structures can be open or hollow, preferably they are open structures, especially when the thermally expandable composition has a sheet-like structure.

Another aspect of the present invention is a baff le and/or reinforcement element for open and hollow structures, wherein said element comprises a thermally expandable composition as described before. I n one preferred embodiment, such a baffle and/or reinforcement element for open and hollow structures consists essentially, preferably exclusively, of a thermally expandable composition . I n this case, it is advantageous to design the shape of the element in a way that it can be easi ly fitted into and attached to the walls of the open or hollow structure to be baffled and/or reinforced. Preferably, the thermally expandable composition has a sheet-like structure with a thickness of 0.1 to 1 mm , 0.2 to 0.8 mm , preferably 0.3 to 0.7 mm .

It may be further advantageous if the thermally expandable composition has a sheet-like structure with a length of 5 to 300 cm , preferably 1 00 to 250 cm and a width of 5 to 300 cm , preferably 50 to 1 50 cm . With such a form the element is especially suited to seal, baffle, or reinforce, preferably reinforce, larger areas, e.g. as patches. I n case the element has a width of 1 to 20 cm , preferably 2 to 1 0 cm , the element is especially su ited to be used as stripes to seal, baffle, or reinforce.

Manufacturing is in this case preferably done by injection mou lding, punching or stamping, or extrusion through a shape template.

I n another preferred embodiment, such a baffle and/or reinforcement element for open or hollow structures comprises, apart from the thermally expandable composition , a carrier element on which the inventive thermally expandable composition is deposited or attached. Such a design may be more cost-efficient and it may faci litate fixation of the baffle and/or reinforcement element on the walls of the structure to be baffled and/or reinforced, e.g. by incorporation of pins, bolts, or hooks on the carrier element. Furthermore, with a suitable design of the carrier element, the mechanical performance and stabi lity of the baff le and/or reinforcement element according to the present invention can be increased.

Preferably, the thermally expandable composition has a sheet-like structure with the preferred thickness, length and/or width as described above.

Said carrier element may consist of any material that can be processed into a shape useable for an embodiment of the present invention . Preferred materials are polymeric materials, such as a plastic, elastomers, thermoplastics, thermosettable polymers, a blend or other combination thereof, or the like. Preferred thermoplastic materials include, without limitation , polymers such as polyurethanes, polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins, polysu lfones, poly(ethylene terephthalates), polyvinylch lorides, ch lorinated polyolefins, or the like. Especially preferred are high- temperature stable polymers such as poly(phenyl ethers) , polysu lfones, polyethersu lfones, polyamides, preferably polyamide 6, polyamide 6,6, polyamide 1 1 , polyamide 1 2, or a mixture thereof . Other suitable materials include metals, especially aluminium or steel, or naturally grown , organic materials, such as wood or other (pressed) fibrous materials. Also glassy or ceramic materials can be used. It is possible to use any combination of such materials. It is also contemplated that such materials can be fi lled (e.g. with fibres, minerals, clays, si licates, carbonates, combinations thereof or the like) or foamed.

Preferably the carrier is made of polymeric materials and metals, more preferably metals, especially aluminium or steel.

The carrier element can further exhibit any shape or geometry. It can also consist of several, not directly connected parts. For example, it can be massive, hollow, or foamed, or it can exhi bit a grid-like structure. The surface of the carrier element can typically be smooth , rough , or structured, according to the intended use of the baff le and/or reinforcement element.

Preferably, the carrier has a sheet-like structure with a thickness of 0.1 to 5 mm , 0.2 to 3 mm , 0.5 to 2 mm , preferably 0.75 to 1 .5 mm.

It may be further preferred if the carrier has a sheet-like structure with a width and/or length that corresponds to +/- more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, preferably more than 80%, most preferably more than 90%, of the width and/or length of the sheet-like structure of the thermally expandable composition . Most preferred the carrier and the thermally expandable composition have a sheet-like structure with a thickness that is described above as a preferred thickness for the carrier, respectively the sheet-like structure. Further, it is preferred if the carrier has a width and length that is more than 80%, most preferably more than 90%, of the width and length of the sheetlike structure of the thermally expandable composition . Such an element is especially suited as a reinforcement element for open or hollow structures, preferably open structures.

The manufacturing process of a baffle and/or reinforcement element in accordance with the present invention depends largely on the material of the carrier element. If the material of the carrier element can be (injection-) mou lded or extruded, the whole baffle and/or reinforcement element can be produced in a two-step injection-mou lding process or a co-extrusion process of the carrier element and the thermally expandable composition . If using a two-step injection mou lding process, in a first step, material for the carrier element is injected into the mou ld. After solidification , the cavity of the injection mou lding tool is en larged or adjusted, or the injection-mou lded piece is transferred into another tool and the second component, in this case the material for the thermally expandable composition , is injected.

If the carrier element is not shaped by injection-mou lding or extrusion , e.g. , because it consist of a metal or alloy, it may be first manufactured by a suitable process and then introduced into the injection-mou lding tool, and the thermally expandable composition may be injection-mou lded into the tool where the carrier element was placed. Another possibi lity is to extrude the thermally expandable composition onto the pre-fabricated carrier element. Of course there is also the possibi lity of manufacturing the carrier element and the expandable composition element individually by a suitable process, and then attaching the expandable composition element to the carrier element by any suitable means, such as chemically or physically, e.g. by gluing or the like, or mechanically, e.g. by bolting, screwing, or the like.

Another aspect of the present invention is the use of the baffle and/or reinforcement element as described above to seal, baff le, or reinforce, especially reinforce, a cavity or hollow or open structure of a land-, water-, or air-vehicle, preferably an automotive vehicle, and/or a cavity of a bui lding such that the transmission of noise, vibrations, humidity, and/or heat is reduced, and/or the object surrounding said cavity is mechanically strengthened.

A further aspect of the present invention is a method for sealing, baff ling and/or reinforcing, preferably reinforcing, a cavity or hollow structure, characterised in that an element comprising a thermally expandable composition according as described above is introduced into said cavity or hollow structure and subsequently thermally expanded such that said cavity or hollow structure is at least partially fi lled by the expanded composition . Preferred temperature for the thermal expansion process is between 1 1 0°C and 220°C, 1 20 and 21 0°C, preferably 1 40 and 200°C. Preferred baking time for the compositions is between 5 min and 90 min , preferably 1 0 and 60 min , more preferably 1 5 and 30 min .

A further aspect of the present invention is the use of a surfactant as mentioned before to increase the thermal expansion of a thermally expandable composition , comprising

(a) at least one polymer P , cross-linkable by a free-radical initiator, and

(b) at least one acrylate A, and

(c) at least one free-radical initiator, and

(d) at least one blowing agent,

compared to such a thermally expandable composition not comprising said surfactant.

Preferably the expandable composition has a sheet-like structure with a thickness of 0.1 to 1 mm , 0.2 to 0.8 mm , preferably 0.3 to 0.7 mm . Further preferred, the expandable composition has a sheet-like structure with the preferred thickness, length and/or width as described above. It may be further advantageous if the expandable composition is attached to a carrier as described above.

Preferably the thermal expansion is performed at a temperature of between 1 1 0°C and 220°C, 1 20 and 21 0°C, preferably 1 40 and 200°C, for between 5 min and 90 min , preferably 1 0 and 60 min, more preferably 1 5 and 30 min . Preferably the thermal expansion is measured in volume changes on the thermally expandable material are determined using the D I N EN ISO 1 1 83 method of density measurement (Archimedes principle) in deionised water in combination with sample mass determined by a precision balance.

The invention is further explained in the following experimental part which , however, shal l not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention .

Examples

1 . Formu lation of example compositions

1 .1 Compositions

1 9 examples of inventive compositions ( E 1 to E1 9) and 7 non-inventive reference compositions ( R1 to R7) were prepared according to the procedure shown below. The exact individual compositions in wt. -%, based on the total weight of the individual respective composition , are listed in Table 2 - Table 4. Detai ls on the ingredients used in the inventive example compositions E 1 to E 1 9 and non-inventive reference compositions R1 to R7 described herein are listed in Table 1 . Ingredient Description

Polymer P1 Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) with 1 8 wt.-% vinyl acetate monomer and a melt flow index (MFI) of 1 50 g/1 0 min (ATSM D1 238)

Polymer P2 EVA with 28 wt.-% vinyl acetate monomer and MFI of 6 g/1 0 min (ATSM D1 238)

Peroxide Di-(2-tert.-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)-benzene (40 wt.-%) on mineral carrier.

Blowing agent Azodicarbonamide

Activator Zinc oxide

Processing Polyethylene wax (melting point 1 1 8 °C (ASTM D3954)) agent

Adhesion Ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer

promoter

Tackifier Hydrocarbon resin

Aery late Trimethylolpropane triacrylate

Non-ionic 1 Glycerinalkoxylate, Degressal SD 23, BASF

Non-ionic 2 Stearyl erucamide, Kemamide E 1 80, PMC Biogenix

Non-ionic 3 Polyether-modified siloxane, Dynol 960, Evonik

Sulfate 1 C1 2-1 4-fatty alcohol sulfate sodium salt, Sulfopon 1 21 4G,

BASF

Sulfonate salt 1 Sodium sec-alkanesulfonates, Armostat 3002, AkzoNobel

Sulfonate salt 2 Sodium di-2-ethylhexyl sulphosuccinate, Disponil SUS IC

875, BASF

Sulfonate salt 3 Sodium C1 3-1 7 alkyl sec sulfonate, Hostastat HS1 ,

Clariant

Sulfonate salt 4 Sodium C1 4-1 7 alkyl sec sulfonate, Hostapur SAS 93,

Clariant Table 1 : Detai ls on the ingredients and their trade names used in the inventive and non-inventive example compositions in this document.

1 .2 Mixing and mou lding procedure

All inventive and non-inventive example compositions in this document were prepared according to the following procedure :

I n a first step, polymer P 1 and P2, the adhesion promoter, the tackifier, the processing aid and if applicable a surfactant (non-ionic, su lfate or su lfonate salt) were mixed and melted at 95°C with a mixing rate of 50 rpm (rounds per minute) during 1 0 min (minutes). After this, half of the activator amount was added during 1 min and mixing was continued during 4 min at 50 rpm . Mixing was continued at 20 rpm during 5 min unti l the mixture cooled down to 95°C.

After this, the blowing agent, acrylate A, and the second half of the activator amount were added during 1 min , followed by mixing at 50 rpm for 1 min .

Finally the peroxide was added during 1 min and mixing was continued for 2 min at 50 rpm .

The mixtures were mou lded with a temperature of 95°C and a pressure of 60 bar with the same temperature during 1 5 s (seconds) into sheets with a thickness of 4 mm (mi llimetres). These sheets were cooled down to room temperature (23°C) and used for the subsequently described expansion experiments (sheets) .

Some of these sheets were further processed into foi ls by further applying pressure of 60 bar with a temperature of 95°C into foi ls with a thickness of 0.5 mm . These foi ls were cooled down to room temperature (23°C) and used for the subsequently described expansion experiments (foi ls) .

Both the sheets as well as the foi ls were subsequently cut to 25 x 25 mm coupons (samples) and expanded. 2 Testing of example compositions

2.1 Expansion stabi lity Expansion and expansion stabi lity was tested in all samples by heat treatment (baking) of the individual samples at various temperatures during 20 min in an oven . The heating ramp from room temperature (23°C) to the respective baking temperature was always 1 0 min . The temperatures and magnitude of expansion (in % based on the original volume prior to expansion) at the corresponding baking temperatures are shown in the figures 1 to 6 for the inventive compositions and for the non-inventive reference compositions. Expansions were quantified for each sample by measuring the density before and after expansion . The densities were determined according to D I N EN ISO 1 1 83 using the water immersion method (Archimedes principle) in deionised water and a precision balance to measure the mass. Tables 2 to 4 furthermore show the ratio of peroxide equivalents to acrylate equivalents (equivalent ratio, EQ) for each sample composition . Equivalent herein means the number of functional groups (peroxide oxygen or acrylate function) of a given sample mass in mol, or in other words the weight of the used ingredient divided by its equivalent weight. Equivalent and equivalent weight are terms known to the ordinari ly ski lled artisan in polymer chemistry and formu lation .

The data in the figures 1 and 2 show that on ly compositions containing su lfonate salts exhibit significant expansion behaviour when used in thin foi ls. Various non-ionic surfactants as well as su lfate surfactants do not exhibit significant expansion behaviour when used in the form of thin foi ls.

Ingredient (wt.-%) R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 E1 E2

Polymer P1 35.9 35.9 35.9 35.9 35.9 35.9 35.9

Polymer P2 32.7 32.2 32.2 32.2 32.2 32.2 32.2

Adhesion promoter 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Tackifier 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Dispersion aid 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9

Activator 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Blowing agent 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0

Peroxide 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1

Aery late 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

Non-ionic 1 0.5

Non-ionic 2 0.5

Non-ionic 3 0.5

Sulfate 1 0.5

Sulfonate salt 1 0.5

Sulfonate salt 2 0.5

Total (wt.-%) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

EQ(peroxide/acrylate) 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71 0.71

Table 2: Detailed compositions in wt.-% of ingredients based on the total weight of the compositions.

Ingredient (wt.-%) R6 E3 E4 E5 E6 R7 E7 E8

Polymer P1 34.4 34.3 33.9 32.4 30.4 38.25 38 37.25

Polymer P2 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0

Adhesion promoter 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Tackifier 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Dispersion aid 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95

Activator 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Blowing agent 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0

Peroxide 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 2.1 2.1 2.1

Acrylate 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 0.7 0.7 0.7

Sulfonate salt 1 - 0.1 0.5 2 4 - 0.25 1

Total (wt.-%) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

EQ (peroxide /acrylate) 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41

Table 3: Detailed compositions in wt.-% of ingredients based on the total weight of the compositions.

Ingredient (wt.-%) R6 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 R7 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19

Polymer P1

34.4 34.15 33.4 34.15 33.9 33.4 38.25 38 37.75 37.25 38 37.75 37.25

Polymer P2 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0 31.0

Adhesion promoter 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Tackifier 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Dispersion aid 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95 3.95

Activator 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Blowing agent 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0

Peroxide 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1

Acrylate 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

Sulfonate salt 3 0.25 1 0.25 0.5 1

Sulfonate salt 4 0.25 0.5 1 0.25 0.5 1

Total (wt.-%) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

EQ (peroxide /acrylate)

1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41

Table 4: Detailed compositions in wt.-% of ingredients based on the total weight of the compositions.