Process to prepare polymeric fibers with improved color and appearance

Abstract

The use of a sulfonated salt polyester ionomer resin in a colored, drawn polyamide or polyester fiber results in improved color strength and appearance. Sodium sulfo isophthalate polybutylene terephthalate copolymers when melt blended with colorants and subsequently used to make melt spun synthetic polyamides or polyesters fibers are shown to enhance color strength in drawn fibers.

We claim:  
     
         1 . An article having improved colored strength, formed by a process that comprises the steps of: 
 a) melt blending a colorant with a water insoluble alkylene aryl polyester sulfonate salt copolymer, forming a colorant polyester sulfonate mixture, said sulfonate salt copolymer having metal sulfonate units represented by the formula:                          or the formula:   (M +n O 3 S) d —A—(OR″OH) p     wherein p=1-3, d=1-3, p+d=2-6, n=1-5, M is a metal with valency n=1-5, and A is an aryl group containing one or more aromatic rings where the sulfonate substituent is directly attached to an aryl ring, R″ is a divalent alkyl group and the metal sulfonate group is bound to the polyester through ester linkages;    b) combining said colorant polyester sulfonate mixture with a polyamide or polyester resin in the melt;    c) forming said melt into an article.    
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the process for forming said polyamide (or polyester melt into an article comprises the step of forming filaments from said polyamide or polyester melt blend, and drawing said filaments into fiber.  
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , in the form of a cloth, fabric, filament, floor-cover, textile, fiber, rug, yarn, or carpet.  
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the metal sulfonate polyester copolymer of step (a) of the process to prepare said article has the following formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       where the ionomer units, x, are from 0.1-50 mole %, R is halogen, alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or hydrogen, R 1  is derived from a diol reactant comprising straight chain, branched, or cycloaliphatic alkane diols and containing from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, A 1  is a divalent aryl radical.  
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein R is hydrogen, x=0.5-15 mole percent, R 1  is C 2 -C 8  alkyl, and A 1  is derived from iso- or terephthalic acid or a mixture of the two.  
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein p=2, d=1, and M is an alkaline or alkaline earth metal or zinc.  
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 4 , wherein the metal sulfonate polyester is an alkylene polyester wherein A 1  is the residue from a diacid component of iso- or tere-phthalic acid and derivatives thereof and R 1  is the residue from a diol component selected from the group consisting essentially of ethylene glycol, propanediol, butanediol, or cyclohexanedimethanol, and derivatives thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 4 , wherein the metal sulfonate salt unit is a sulfo iso- or tere-phthalate.  
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the polyamide is selected from the group consisting of: polyamide 6, polyamide 6,6, polyamide 6,12, polyamide 6,10, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the polyester is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthanoate, polypropylene naphthanoate, polybutylene naphthanoate, polycyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, mixed metal oxides, metal sulfides, zinc ferrites, sodium alumino sulfo-silicate pigments, carbon blacks, phthalocyanines, quinacridones, nickel azo compounds, mono azo colorants, anthraquinones and perylenes.  
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is selected from the group consisting of: carbon black, titanium dioxide, zinc sulfide, zinc oxide, ultramarine blue, cobalt aluminate, iron oxides, Pigment Blue 15, Pigment Blue 60, Pigment Brown 24, Pigment Red 122, Pigment Red 147, Pigment Red 149, Pigment Red 177, Pigment Red 178, Pigment Red 179, Pigment Red 202, Pigment Red 272, Pigment Violet 19, Pigment Violet 29, Pigment Green 7, Pigment Yellow 119, Pigment Yellow 147 and Pigment Yellow 150.  
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is present from 0.1-8.0% by weight of the total composition.  
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein in step (a) of the process, said colorant is combined with said water insoluble alkylene aryl polyester sulfonate salt in a ratio of 10:90 to 70:30.  
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein in step (a) of the process, the polyester sulfonate resin is combined with a mixture of various colorants.  
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein in step (a) of the process, the polyester sulfonate resin is combined with a single colorant to make polyester sulfonate resin color concentrate and several of these resultant color concentrates, of different colors, are combined in step (b) of the process, with a polyamide or polyester resin.  
     
     
         17 . A process of  claim 1 , additionally containing at least one of an antioxidant, stabilizer, processing aid, antimicrobial, flame retardant, antiozonants, soilproofing agent, stainproofing agent, antistatic additive, lubricants, melt viscosity enhancer, or mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         18 . An article having improved colored strength, formed by a process that comprises the steps of: 
 a) melt blending a polyamide or polyester resin, a colorant, 0.5-30% water insoluble alkylene aryl polyester sulfonate salt copolymer, said sulfonate salt copolymer having metal sulfonate units represented by the formula:                          or the formula:   (M +n O 3 S) d —A—(OR″OH) p     wherein p=1-3, d=1-3, p+d=2-6, n=1-5, M is a metal with valency n=1-5, and A is an aryl group containing one or more aromatic rings where the sulfonate substituent is directly attached to an aryl ring, R″ is a divalent alkyl group and the metal sulfonate group is bound to the polyester through ester linkages;    b) forming said melt blend into an article having improved colored strength.    
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein step (b) of forming said article comprises forming said melt blend into filaments and drawing said filaments into fibers.  
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 19 , in the form of a cloth, fabric, filament, floor-cover, textile, fiber, rug, yarn or carpet.  
     
     
         21 . A process to prepare a colored article with improved color strength comprising the steps of: 
 a) melt blending a colorant with a water insoluble alkylene aryl polyester sulfonate salt copolymer having metal sulfonate units represented by the formulaL:                          or the formula:   (M +n O 3 S) d —A—(OR″OH) p     where p=1-3, d=1-3, p+d=2-6, n=1-5, M is a metal with valency n=1-5, and A is an aryl group containing one or more aromatic rings where the sulfonate substituent is directly attached to an aryl ring, R″ is a divalent alkyl group and the metal sulfonate group is bound to the polyester through ester linkages, to make a colorant polyester sulfonate mixture;    b) combining the colorant polyester sulfonate mixture with a polyamide or polyester resin in the melt;    c) forming said colored polyamide or polyester mixture into an article.    
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein said forming said colored polyamide or polyester mixture into an article comprises forming said mixture into filaments and drawing said filaments into fibers.  
     
     
         23 . An article formed by the process of  claim 22 .  
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 24 , in the form of a cloth, fabric, filament, floor-cover, textile, fiber, rug, yarn or carpet.