Soft polypropylene composition with soft touch feeling

Process for the manufacture of a propylene polymer composition comprising:

• providing a heterophasic mixture of a polypropylene copolymer
• and an elastomeric copolymer of ethylene and at least one α-olefin comonomer selected form the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene and 1-octene,
• providing an ethylene C2 to C8 alkyl acrylate copolymer, and further comprising the steps of:
• (a) mixing the heterophasic mixture of polypropylene copolymer and elastomeric copolymer and said ethylene C2 to C8 alkyl acrylate copolymer,
• (b) adding bifunctionally unsaturated and/or multifunctionally unsaturated compounds, and
• (c) extruding said mixture
• wherein the propylene polymer composition comprises:
• (α) at least 74.0 to 86.0 wt.-% of an heterophasic propylene copolymer based on the total amount of propylene polymer composition comprising
• (i) 50.0 to 70.0 wt.-% of a polypropylene copolymer based on the total amount of the heterophasic propylene copolymer, wherein the polypropylene copolymer is a copolymer of propylene and an amount of 1.0 to not more than 8.0 wt.-% of a comonomer selected from the group consisting of ethylene, C4 α-olefin, C5 α-olefin, C6 α-olefin, C7 α-olefin, C8 α-olefin, C9 α-olefin, C10 α-olefin, C11 α-olefin, C12 α-olefin, C13 α-olefin, C14 α-olefin, C15 α-olefin, C16 α-olefin, C17 α-olefin, C18 α-olefin, C19 α-olefin, C20 α-olefin and mixtures thereof, and
• (ii) 30.0 to 50.0 wt.-% of an elastomeric copolymer based on the total amount of the heterophasic propylene copolymer, said elastomeric copolymer being an elastomeric copolymer of ethylene and in an amount of 60-80 wt.-% of at least one α-olefin comonomer selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene and 1-octene, and wherein the heterophasic propylene copolymer has a melt flow rate of 0.4 to 1.0 g/10 min, and
• (β) 10 to 30 wt.-% based on the total amount of propylene polymer composition of an ethylene C2 to C8 alkyl acrylate copolymer, having 17-27 wt.-% C2-C8 acrylate and an MFR of 1.5 to 4.0 g/10 min, and
• (γ) 0.1 to 5.0 wt.-% of units derived from at least bifunctionally unsaturated monomer(s) and/or at least multifunctionally unsaturated low molecular weight polymer(s) based on the total amount of propylene polymer composition, said bifunctionally unsaturated monomer(s) being selected from the group consisting of divinylaniline, divinylpentane, divinylpropane, allyl acrylate, allyl methacrylate, allyl methyl maleate, allyl vinyl ether, 1,3-butadiene, chloroprene, cyclohexadiene, cyclopentadiene, 2,3-dimethylbutadiene, heptadiene, hexadiene, isoprene and 1,4-pentadiene, aliphatic bis(maleimide), aromatic and/or aliphatic bis(citraconimide) and mixtures of thaw unsaturated monomers, and said at least multifunctionally unsaturated low molecular weight polymer having Mn≦10,000 g/mol mol and being a polybutadiene having more than 50% of the butadiene in the 1,2 vinyl configuration,
• wherein the propylene polymer composition has a gel determined as the xylene hot insoluble fraction content of at least 0.25 wt.-% to equal or below 1.00 wt.-%,
• wherein the propylene polymer composition has a tensile modulus of 152 to below 200 MPa measured according to ISO 527-3 (cross head speed=50 mm/min);
• a strain hardening SH3.0/2.5 (at a Hencky strain rate of 3 s−1) of at least 0.5-1.03;
• and;
• high impact strength of at least 80-105.2 kJ/m2 at −20° C.

Films, injection molded parts of flexible pipes comprising a propylene composition comprising:

• (a) at least 74.0 to 88.0 wt.-% of an heterophasic propylene copolymer based on the tot amount of propylene polymer composition comprising
• (i) 50.0 to 70.0 wt.-% of a polypropylene copolymer based on the total amount of the heterophasic propylene copolymer, wherein the polypropylene copolymer is a copolymer of propylene and an amount of 1.0 to not more than 8.0 wt.-% of a comonomer selected from the group consisting of ethylene, C4 α-olefin, C5 α-olefin, C6 α-olefin, C7 α-olefin, C8 α-olefin, C9 α-olefin, C10 α-olefin, C11 α-olefin, C12 α-olefin, C13 α-olefin, C14 α-olefin, C15 α-olefin, C16 α-olefin, C17 α-olefin, C18 α-olefin, C19 α-olefin, C20 α-olefin and mixtures thereof, and
• (ii) 30.0 to 50.0 wt.-% of an elastomeric copolymer based on the total amount of the heterophasic propylene copolymer, said elastomeric copolymer being an elastomeric copolymer of ethylene and in an amount of 60-80 wt.-% of at least α-olefin comonomer selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene and 1-octene, and wherein the heterophasic propylene copolymer has a melt flow rate of 0.4-1.0 g/10, and
• (b) 10 to 30 wt.-% based on the total amount of propylene polymer composition of an ethylene C2 to C8 alkyl acrylate copolymer, having 17-27 wt.-% of C2-C8 acrylate and an MFR of 1.5 to 4.0 g/10 min, and
• (c) 0.1 to 5.0 wt.-% of units derived from at least bifunctionally unsaturated monomer(s) and/or at least multifunctionally unsaturated low molecular weight polymer(s) based on the total amount of propylene polymer composition, said bifunctionally unsaturated monomer(s) being selected from the group consisting of divinylaniline, divinylpentane, divinylpropane, allyl acrylate, allyl methacrylate, allyl methyl maleate, allyl vinyl ether, 1,3-butadiene, chloroprene, cyclohexadiene, cyclopentadiene, 2,3-dimethylbutadiene, heptadiene, hexadiene, isoprene and 1,4-pentadiene, aliphatic bis(maleimide), aromatic and/or aliphatic bis(citraconimide) and mixtures of these unsaturated monomers, and said at least multifunctionally unsaturated low molecular weight polymer having Mn≦10,000 g/mol and being a polybutadiene having more than 50% of the butadiene in the 1,2 vinyl configuration
• wherein the propylene polymer composition has a gel content of at least 0.25 wt.-% to equal or below 1.00 wt.-% determined as the xylene hot insoluble fraction,
• wherein the propylene polymer composition has a tensile modulus of 152 to below 200 MPa measured according to ISO 527-3 (cross head speed=50 mm/min);
• a strain hardening SH3.0/2.5 (at a Hencky strain rate of 3 s−1) of at least 0.5-1.03;
• and;
• high impact strength of at least 60-105.2 kJ/m2 at −20° C.