Dispersion and process for production of moldings by using the same

Abstract

A shaped article (e.g., a porous material, and a spherical particle) comprising (A) a resin component is produced by kneading the resin component (A) (e.g., a thermoplastic resin) and a water-soluble auxiliary component (B) to prepare a dispersed composition, and eluting the auxiliary component (B) from the dispersed composition. The auxiliary component (B) may comprise 100 parts by weight of an oligosaccharide (B 1 ) and 0.5 to 100 parts by weight of a water-soluble plasticizing component (B 2 ) for plasticizing the oligosaccharide. The oligosaccharide (B 1 ) may comprise a tetrasaccharide. The plasticizing component (B 2 ) may comprise a saccharide or a sugar alcohol. Use of the dispersed composition ensures to form a shaped article having a given shape industrially with advantage even in the case of using a wide variety of resin components.

1 . A dispersed composition comprising (A) a resin component and (B) a water-soluble auxiliary component, wherein the auxiliary component (B) comprises at least (B 1 ) an oligosaccharide.  
   
   
       2 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary component (B) forms a continuous phase in an islands-in-the-sea structure or in a bicontinuous phase.  
   
   
       3 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin component (A) comprises a thermoplastic resin.  
   
   
       4 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin component (A) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a polyester-series resin, a polyamide-series resin, a polyurethane-series resin, a poly(thio)ether-series resin, a polycarbonate-series resin, a polysulfone-series resin, a polyolefinic resin, a (meth)acrylic resin, a styrenic resin, a vinyl-series resin, a cellulose derivative, and a thermoplastic elastomer.  
   
   
       5 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) has a melting point or a softening point at a temperature higher than a heat distortion temperature of the resin component (A), or is decomposed at a temperature higher than the heat distortion temperature of the resin component (A).  
   
   
       6 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a disaccharide, a trisaccharide, a tetrasaccharide, a pentasaccharide, a hexasaccharide, a heptasaccharide, an octasaccharide, a nonasaccharide, and a decasaccharide.  
   
   
       7 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) comprises at least a tetrasaccharide.  
   
   
       8 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) comprises at least one tetrasaccharide selected from the group consisting of (1) maltotetraose, (2) isomaltotetraose, (3) stachyose, (4) cellotetraose, (5) scorodose, (6) lychnose, and (7) a tetraose having a sugar or sugar alcohol attached to a reducing end of panose.  
   
   
       9 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a starch sugar, a galactooligosaccharide, a coupling sugar, a fructooligosaccharide, a xylooligosaccharide, a soybean oligosaccharide, a chitin oligosaccharide and a chitosan oligosaccharide.  
   
   
       10 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 9 , wherein the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) contains a tetrasaccharide in a proportion of not less than 60% by weight.  
   
   
       11 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the 50% by weight aqueous solution of the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) is not less than 1 Pa·s as measured at a temperature of 25° C. by a B-type viscometer.  
   
   
       12 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary component (B) further comprises a water-soluble plasticizing component (B 2 ) for plasticizing the oligosaccharide (B 1 ).  
   
   
       13 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the melting point or softening point of the plasticizing component (B 2 ) is not higher than the heat distortion temperature of the resin component (A).  
   
   
       14 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the plasticizing component (B 2 ) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a saccharide and a sugar alcohol.  
   
   
       15 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 14 , wherein the saccharide comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide.  
   
   
       16 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 14 , wherein the saccharide comprises a reducing sugar.  
   
   
       17 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the monosaccharide comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a triose, a tetrose, apentose, a hexose, a heptose, a octose, a nonose, a decose and a dodecose, and the disaccharide comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a homodisaccharide of one of said monosaccharides and a heterodisaccharide of two of said monosaccharides.  
   
   
       18 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 14 , wherein the sugar alcohol comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a tetrytol, a pentitol, a hexitol, a heptitol, an octitol, a nonitol, a decitol and a dodecitol.  
   
   
       19 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 14 , wherein the sugar alcohol comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of erythritol, pentaerythritol, arabitol, ribitol, xylitol, sorbitol, dulcitol and mannitol.  
   
   
       20 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the resin component (A) has a Vicat softening point defined by JIS K 7206 of 60 to 300° C.; the viscosity of the 50% by weight aqueous solution of the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) is 3 to 100 Pa·s as measured at a temperature of 25° C. by a B-type viscometer; a melt flow rate defined by JIS K 7210 of the auxiliary component (B) comprising the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) and the plasticizing component (B 2 ) is not less than 1 as measured at a temperature 30° C. higher than said Vicat softening point.  
   
   
       21 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the ratio (weight ratio) of the resin component (A) relative to the auxiliary component (B) [the resin component (A)/the auxiliary component (B)] is 99/1 to 1/99.  
   
   
       22 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the ratio (weight ratio) of the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) relative to the plasticizing component (B 2 ) [the oligosaccharide (B 1 )/the plasticizing component (B 2 )] is 99/1 to 50/50.  
   
   
       23 . A dispersed composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the resin component (A) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a polyamide-series resin, a styrenic resin, a polyolefinic resin, a vinyl alcohol-series resin, a cellulose derivative, a halogen-containing resin, an aliphatic polyester-series resin and a thermoplastic elastomer; the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) constituting the auxiliary component (B) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a starch sugar, a galactooligosaccharide, a coupling sugar, a fructooligosaccharide, a xylooligosaccharide, a soybean oligosaccharide, a chitin oligosaccharide and a chitosan oligosaccharide; the plasticizing component (B 2 ) comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of erythritol, pentaerythritol, xylitol and sorbitol; the ratio (weight ratio) of the resin component (A) relative to the auxiliary component (B) [the resin component (A)/the auxiliary component (B)] is 90/10 to 5/95; and the ratio (weight ratio) of the oligosaccharide (B 1 ) relative to the plasticizing component (B 2 ) [the oligosaccharide (B 1 )/the plasticizing component (B 2 )] is 95/5 to 60/40.  
   
   
       24 . A water-soluble auxiliary agent used in combination with a resin to form a dispersed composition, wherein the water-soluble auxiliary agent comprises at least an oligosaccharide (B 1 ).  
   
   
       25 . A process for producing a shaped article comprising a resin component (A) comprising: 
 eluting an auxiliary component (B) from a dispersed composition recited in  claim 1 .    
   
   
       26 . A process according to  claim 25 , wherein the shaped article is a porous material or particles.  
   
   
       27 . A process according to  claim 26 , wherein the average pore size of the porous material is 0.1 to 100 μm, and the coefficient of variation of the pore size is not greater than 60.  
   
   
       28 . A process according to  claim 26 , wherein the average particle size of the particle is 0.1 to 100 μm, and the coefficient of variation of the particle size is not greater than 60.