초록

The present invention relates to radiation resistant plasticized polyolefin compositions comprising a polyolefin and a non-functionalized hydrocarbon plasticizer.

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We claim: 1. A sterilized article comprising a plasticized polyolefin composition comprising one or more polyolefins and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a

We claim: 1. A sterilized article comprising a plasticized polyolefin composition comprising one or more polyolefins and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.860 and a viscosity index of 120 or more, wherein elastomers are substantially absent from the composition, and ethylene homopolymers and ethylene copolymers having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000, are not added deliberately to the plasticized polyolefin composition and if said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present, said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present at less than 1 weight %, and wherein the article has been subjected to an amount of radiation sufficient to sterilize the article. 2. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises oligomers of C5 to C14 olefins. 3. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has a pour point of-5° C. or less. 4. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises oligomers of C8 to C12 olefins. 5. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises oligomers of two or more different olefins. 6. The sterilized article of claim 1 wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises oligomers of C8, C10 and C12 olefins. 7. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has an Mn of 500 to 10,000. 8. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises an oligomer of decene having a carbon number of 40-200. 9. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises a mineral oil having a saturates levels of 90% or more, and sulfur content of 0.03% or less. 10. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises a mineral oil having a saturates levels of 98% or more, and sulfur content of 0.01% or less. 11. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has a viscosity index of 130 or more. 12. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises a linear or branched paraffinic hydrocarbon composition having a number average molecular weight of 500 to 20,000, having less than 10% sidechains having 4 or more carbons, and having at least 1 or 2 carbon branches present at 15 weight % or more, and where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises less than 2 weight % cyclic paraffins. 13. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer is present at 0.01 to 60 weight %, based upon the weight of the polyolefin and the non-functionalized plasticizer. 14. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer is present at 3 to 50 weight %, based upon the weight of the polyolefin and the non-functionalized plasticizer. 15. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer is present at 5 to 20 weight %, based upon the weight of the polyolefin and the non-functionalized plasticizer. 16. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene. 17. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises a random copolymer comprising propylene and at least one other alpha-olefin. 18. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises a random copolymer comprising propylene and at least one other alpha-olefin selected from the group consisting of ethylene, butene, hexene, and octene. 19. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises homopolypropylene. 20. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene having a weight average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 400,000 and a molecular weight distribution of from 1 to 9. 21. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene having a weight average molecular weight of from 40,000 to 300,000 and a molecular weight distribution of from 1 to 6. 22. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene having a weight average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 200,000 and a molecular weight distribution of from 1 to 4. 23. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the article further comprises from 0.01 to about 0.5 wt % hindered amine stabilizer. 24. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the article further comprises up to 1 wt % of a thiopropionate antioxidant and/or up to 0.5 wt % of a phosphite antioxidant and/or up to 0.5 wt % clarifying nucleator. 25. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has a kinematic viscosity of 50 cSt or more at 100° C. 26. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has an Mn of 500 to 21,000. 27. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has a dielectric constant at 20° C. of less than 3.0. 28. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the non-functionalized plasticizer has a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.850. 29. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is a film. 30. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is packaging material. 31. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is packaging material which is a self supporting multilayered structure. 32. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is packaging material which is a self supporting multilayered structure comprising plastic film. 33. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is packaging material which is a self supporting multilayered structure comprising metal foil. 34. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is packaging material which is a self supporting multilayered structure comprising cellulosic material. 35. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is selected from the group consisting of unit-dose packs, blister packs, bubble packs, wrapping material, and containers for food preserved by irradiation. 36. The sterilized article of claim 1, where the polyolefin is polypropylene and wherein said article is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of extrusion, blowing, blow-molding, and lamination, and wherein the increased radiation tolerance of the article is evidenced by at least 20% greater Gardner impact strength after treatment with up to 10 MRads of gamma or beta radiation than would be found for the same article made from the polypropylene alone which has been subjected to the same radiation dose. 37. The sterilized article of claim 1, where the polyolefin is polypropylene and wherein said article is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of extrusion, blowing, blow-molding, and lamination, and wherein increased radiation tolerance of the article is evidenced by a Gardner impact strength after treatment with up to 10 MRads of gamma or beta radiation that is at least 2000 greater for each percent of non-functionalized plasticizer than would be found for the same article made from the polypropylene alone which has been subjected to the same radiation dose. 38. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article is a medical device. 39. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the article is a medical device formed by a process selected from the group consisting of extrusion, blowing, lamination, blow molding, transfer molding, injection molding, pultrusion, protrusion, draw reduction, rotational molding, spinbonding, melt spinning, and melt blowing. 40. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein the article is a syringe or component of a syringe. 41. The sterilized article of claim 1, wherein said article has been subjected to radiation in an amount of 0.5 to 10 MRad. 42. The sterilized article of claim 1 wherein the plasticized polyolefin composition comprises a nucleating agent. 43. The sterilized article of claim 42 wherein the nucleating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium benzoate, sodium 2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate, aluminum 2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate, dibenzylidene sorbitol, di(p-tolylidene) sorbitol, di(p-ethylbenzylidene) sorbitol, bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol, and N',N'-dicyclohexyl-2,6-naphthalenedicarboxamide, bis-4-methylbenzylidene sorbitol, bis-3,4,-dimethylbenzylidene sorbitol and salts of disproportionated rosin esters. 44. The sterilized article of claim 42 wherein the nucleating agent is comprises bis-4-methylbenzylidene sorbitol or bis-3,4,-dimethylbenzylidene sorbitol. 45. The sterilized article of claim 1 wherein the plasticizer has a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.855. 46. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin comprises an impact copolymer that is a reactor blend. 47. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the plasticized polyolefin composition further comprises a plastomer. 48. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a polypropylene having a melting point (second melt) of 30 to 185° C. 49. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a polypropylene having a crystallinity of 10 to 70%. 50. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a polypropylene having a heat of fusion between 20 to 150 J/g. 51. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a polypropylene having a Gardner impact strength, tested on 0.125 inch disk at 23° C., of 20 in-lb to 1000 in-lb. 52. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is polypropylene having a 100 secant flexural modulus of from 100 MPa to 2300 MPa. 53. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin comprises a copolymer of propylene and from 0.5 to 30 weight % of one or more comonomers selected from the group consisting of ethylene, butene, pentene, hexene, heptene, octene, nonene, decene, dodecene, 4-methyl-pentene-1,3-methyl pentene-1,5-ethyl-1-nonene, and 3,5,5-trimethyl-hexene-1. 54. The sterilized article of claim 1 wherein the polyolefin is an in situ propylene impact copolymer having a 10% secant flexural modulus of from 300 MPa to 2300 MPa and comprising from 40% to 95% by weight of a Component A and from 5% to 60% by weight of a Component B based on the total weight of copolymer; wherein Component A comprises propylene homopolymer or copolymer, the copolymer comprising boo or less by weight ethylene, butene, hexene or octene comonomer; and wherein Component B comprises propylene copolymer, wherein the copolymer comprises from 5% to 70% by weight ethylene, butene, hexene and/or octene comonomer, and from 95% to 30% by weight propylene. 55. The sterilized article of claim 54 wherein the refractive index of Component A and the refractive index of Component B are within 10% of each other, and, optionally the refractive index of the non-functionalized plasticizer is within 20% of Component A, Component B or both. 56. The sterilized article of claim 54 wherein the plastomer has a 10% secant flexural modulus of from 10 MPa to 150 MPa. 57. The sterilized article of claim 47 where the plastomer is a copolymer of ethylene and from 2 to 35 weight % of C3 to C10 alpha-olefin derived units. 58. The sterilized article of claim 47 wherein the plastomer has a melting temperature of from 30 to 80° C. (first melt peak) and from 50 to 125 (second melt peak). 59. The sterilized article of claim 47 wherein the plastomer comprises a metallocene catalyzed copolymer of ethylene and propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, or 1-octene having a density of 0.86 to 0.900 g/cm3 and an Mw/Mn of 1.5 to 5. 60. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a propylene homopolymer or copolymer having an Mw of from 50,000 to 2,000,000 g/mol. 61. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the plasticized polyolefin composition excludes physical blends of polypropylene with other polyolefins. 62. A sterilized article comprising a plasticized polypropylene composition comprising polypropylene and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.860 and a viscosity index of 120 or more, wherein elastomers are substantially absent from the composition, and where ethylene homopolymers and copolymers having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000, are not added deliberately to the plasticized polypropylene composition and if said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present, said ethylene homopolymers and copolymers are present at less than 1 weight %, wherein the article is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of extrusion, blowing, blow-molding, and lamination and the article has been subjected to an amount of radiation sufficient to sterilize the article, wherein the increased radiation tolerance of the article is evidenced by at least 20% greater Gardner impact strength after treatment with up to 10 MRads of gamma or beta radiation than would be found for the same article made from the polypropylene alone which has been subjected to the same radiation dose. 63. The sterilized article of claim 1 where the polyolefin is a propylene homopolymer or copolymer having an Mw of from 50,000 to 2,000,000 g/mol and having a 100 Secant flexural modulus of 200 to 2300 MPa. 64. A sterilized nonwoven article comprising a plasticized polyolefin composition comprising one or more polyolefins and one of more non-functionalized plasticizers where the non-functionalized plasticizer comprises C6 to C1500 paraffins having a kinematic viscosity of 10 cSt or more at 100° C., a specific gravity of 0.700 to 0.860, and a viscosity index of 120 or more, wherein elastomers are substantially absent from the composition and where ethylene homopolymers and copolymers having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000 are substantially absent, and wherein the article has been subjected to an amount of radiation sufficient to sterilize the article.