Crystalline polyesters

#This development relates to crystalline polyesters. This development also relates to using these compositions for coatings for glass fibers or for molding compounds.

#Crystalline polyesters are finding increased use as coatings for glass fibers. Industry also uses them as sheet molding compound (SMC). Crystalline polyesters function as binders for glass strands to form a mat, wet process mat, continuous strand mat and the like. They also function as a matrix resin for automotive moldings. One advantage for thermosetting solid polyesters with reactive monomers is styrene emission reduction. Further, the solid styreneated polyester has an extremely fast cure for molding.

#We now have developed crystalline unsaturated polyesters with entrapped olefinically unsaturated monomer. This solid, meltable polyester thermoset has application as a glass fiber binder or matrix resin. Because styrene (or other monomers) are locked up in the crystal lattice, significantly reduced evolution of monomer relative to conventional liquid polyesters is possible. The solid nature of the material easily lends itself to being a powder coating. Carefully following the solid styreneated polyester synthesis is the key to producing the entrapped unsaturated monomer.

#The following formulations are provided to illustrate examples of the compositions of the present invention.

#We prepared a crystalline polyester with entrappeal styrene according to the following solid styreneated polyester synthesis.

#______________________________________ Ingredients Amount (g) ______________________________________ Propylene glycol (PG) 166.0 g Neopentyl glycol (NPG) 1,611.2 g Maleic anhydride (MAN) 1,725.0 g Toluhydroquinone, reactor 0.30 g inhibitor Piperidine, catalyst 2.0 mL ______________________________________