# US 9,040,601 B2 · Crosslinked compositions, method of making them, and articles comprising them > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,040,601 B2 - Document ID: US9040601B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/532,276 - Filed: 2012-06-25 - Published: 2012-12-06 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2009-10-02 - Assignees: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. - Applicants: Sunny Jacob - Inventors: Sunny Jacob - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040601B2 ## CPC - C08L 23/145: {with monomers having two or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds} - C08L 23/10: Homopolymers or copolymers of propene - C08L 2205/02: containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group - C08L 2205/03: containing three or more polymers in a blend - C08L 2312/06: by radiation - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) ## Abstract The present invention relates to a composition comprising at least one propylene-based polymer comprising less than 0.1 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of the propylene-based polymer, an antioxidant, and a co-agent. The composition can be at least partially crosslinked by electron beam irradiation in a dose of less than 200 kGy, and may be further formed into articles including fibers, yarns, films, and nonwovens, among others. The propylene-based polymer of the present invention may be a polymer blend formed by forming a reactor blend from of two or more polymers produced in two or more reactors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for making a crosslinked composition comprising the step of crosslinking the composition using electron beam radiation having an electron beam dose of about 200 kGy or less, the composition comprising: i) one or more propylene-based polymers each comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, and from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units; wherein at least one of the one or more propylene-based polymers is a polymer blend formed by forming a reactor blend of a first polymer formed in a first reactor and a second polymer formed in a second reactor, the first polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.1 wt. % diene-derived units, based on the weight of the first polymer; and the second polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.1 wt. % diene-derived units, based on the weight of the second polymer; ii) at least one of a multifunctional acrylate, multifunctional methacrylate, functionalized polybutadiene resin, functionalized cyanurate, and allyl isocyanurate; and iii) at least one of a hindered phenol, phosphite, and hindered amine; wherein each propylene-based polymer in the composition comprises less than 0.1 wt. % diene derived units, based on the weight of that propylene-based polymer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the electron beam dose is about 100 kGy or less. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the electron beam dose is of from about 40 kGy to about 60 kGy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each propylene-based polymer comprises less than 0.01 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of that propylene-based polymer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each propylene-based polymer comprises 0 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of that propylene-based polymer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more propylene-based polymers comprises from about 5 wt. % to about 25 wt. % units derived from ethylene, butene, hexene, and/or octane based on the weight of that one of the propylene-based polymers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first polymer and the second polymer has a heat of fusion from about 0.5 J/g to about 80 J/g. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first polymer and the second polymer has a triad tacticity of three propylene units, as determined by 13C NMR, of 75% or greater. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first polymer comprises from about 12 wt. % to about 20 wt. % ethylene-derived units based on the weight of the first polymer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second polymer comprises from about 3 wt. % to about 10 wt. % ethylene-derived units based on the weight of the second polymer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer blend comprises from about 10 wt. % to about 18 wt. % ethylene-derived units based on the weight of the polymer blend. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of multifunctional acrylate, multifunctional methacrylate, functionalized polybutadiene resin, functionalized cyanurate, and allyl isocyanurate is present in an amount of from about 0.1 wt. % to 15 wt. % based on the weight of the composition. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of hindered phenol, phosphite, and hindered amine is present in an amount of from about 0.1 wt. % to 5 wt. % based on the weight of the composition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one of a secondary elastomer and a polyolefinic thermoplastic resin. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the polyolefinic thermoplastic resin comprises at least one of an isotactic polypropylene, a random copolymer, and an impact copolymer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) An article comprising a crosslinked composition made by the method of claim 1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The article of claim 16 comprising film or nonwoven fiber. ### Claim 18 A composition comprising: i) a polymer blend formed by forming a reactor blend of a first polymer formed in a first reactor and a second polymer differing in olefin content from the first polymer and formed in a second reactor, the first polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.05 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of the first polymer; and the second polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.05 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of the second polymer; ii) at least one of a multifunctional acrylate, multifunctional methacrylate, functionalized polybutadiene resin, functionalized cyanurate, and allyl isocyanurate; and iii) at least one of a hindered phenol, phosphite, and hindered amine. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The composition of claim 18, wherein the polymer blend comprises 0 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of the polymer blend. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The composition of claim 18, wherein the composition is subjected to electron beam radiation having an electron beam dose of about 100 kGy or less. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The composition of claim 20 having greater than 40% xylene insolubles as measured according to ASTM-D 5492. ### Claim 22 A crosslinked composition, comprising: i) one or more propylene-based polymers each comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units; wherein at least one of the one or more propylene-based polymers is a polymer blend formed by forming a reactor blend of a first polymer formed in a first reactor and a second polymer formed in a second reactor, the first polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.1 wt. % diene-derived units, based on the weight of the first polymer; and the second polymer comprising from about 75 wt. % to about 99 wt. % propylene-derived units, from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % ethylene and/or C4-C20 α-olefin-derived units, and less than 0.1 wt. % diene-derived units, based on the weight of the second polymer; ii) at least one of a multifunctional acrylate, multifunctional methacrylate, functionalized polybutadiene resin, functionalized cyanurate, and allyl isocyanurate; iii) at least one of a hindered phenol, phosphite, and hindered amine; and iv) a polyolefinic thermoplastic resin, wherein the crosslinked composition has greater than 40% xylene insolubles as measured according to ASTM-D 5492; and wherein each propylene-based polymer in the composition comprises less than 0.1 wt. % diene derived units, based on the weight of that propylene-based polymer. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The crosslinked composition of claim 22, wherein each propylene-based polymer comprises 0 wt. % diene-derived units based on the weight of the propylene-based polymer. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) An article comprising the crosslinked composition of claim 22.