Articles such as safety laminates and solar cell modules containing high melt flow acid copolymer compositions

Abstract

A polymeric film or sheet comprising an acid copolymer composition comprising acid copolymer of an alpha olefin and about 1 to about 30 wt % of alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbons, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer composition, wherein the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 75 to about 600 g/10 min. The acid copolymer composition preferably comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of silane coupling agent, organic peroxide, and combinations thereof. In addition, an article comprising an interlayer formed of the polymeric film or sheet and an additional layer selected from the group consisting of glass, other polymeric interlayer sheets, polymeric film layers, and metal films or sheets. Examples of articles include safety windows and solar cells.

1 . A polymeric film or sheet comprising an acid copolymer composition comprising acid copolymer of an alpha olefin and about 1 to about 30 wt % of alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbons, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer, wherein the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 75 to about 600 g/10 min. 
   
   
       2 . The polymeric film or sheet of  claim 1  wherein the acid copolymer composition further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of silane coupling agent, organic peroxide, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       3 . An article comprising an interlayer formed of the polymeric film or sheet of  claim 1  and an additional layer selected from the group consisting of glass, other polymeric interlayer sheets, polymeric film layers, and metal films or sheets. 
   
   
       4 . The article of  claim 3 , wherein the interlayer has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 250 mils (about 0.003 to about 6.35 mm). 
   
   
       5 . The article of  claim 3 , wherein (a) the alpha olefin is ethylene; (b) the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, monomethyl maleic acid, and mixtures thereof; (c) the acid copolymer comprises about 10 to about 25 wt % of repeat units from the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid; and (d) the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 100 to about 400 g/10 min. 
   
   
       6 . The article of  claim 3 , wherein the acid copolymer composition further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of silane coupling agent, organic peroxide, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       7 . The article of  claim 6 , wherein (A) the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 100 to about 400 g/10 min, (B) the alpha olefin is ethylene, (C) the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, monomethyl maleic acid, and mixtures thereof, and (D) the acid copolymer composition comprises about 10 to about 25 wt % of repeat units from the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer composition. 
   
   
       8 . The article of  claim 6 , wherein the acid copolymer composition contains about 0.01 to about 5 wt % of the silane coupling agent, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer composition, and the silane coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of gamma-chloropropylmethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris(beta-methoxyethoxy)silane,gamma-vinylbenzylpropyltrimethoxysilane, N-beta-(N-vinylbenzylaminoethyl)-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, beta-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, gamma-mercaptopropylmethoxysilane, gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-beta-(aminoethyl)-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, and mixtures thereof. 
   
   
       9 . The article of  claim 6 , wherein the acid copolymer 20 composition contains about 0.01 to about 10 wt % of the organic peroxide, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer composition, and the organic peroxide is selected from the group consisting of 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-betylperoxy)hexane-3, di-tert-butyl peroxide, tert-butylcumyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane, dicumyl peroxide, alpha, alpha′-bis(tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)benzene, n-butyl-4,4-bis(tert-butylperoxy)valerate, 2,2-bis(tert-butylperoxy)butane, 1,1-bis(tert-butyl-peroxy)cyclohexane, 1,1-bis(tert-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethyl-cyclohexane, tert-butyl peroxybenzoate, benzoyl peroxide and mixtures thereof. 
   
   
       10 . The article of  claim 3 , which is a safety glass laminate wherein the additional layer is a glass sheet and the interlayer is laminated to the glass sheet. 
   
   
       11 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the interlayer sheet has a thickness of about 10 to about 250 mils (about 0.25 to about 6.35 mm). 
   
   
       12 . The article of  claim 3 , which is a solar cell pre-laminate assembly and comprises a solar cell component comprising one or a plurality of solar cells. 
   
   
       13 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein the polymeric film or sheet has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 20 mils (about 0.003 to about 0.5 mm). 
   
   
       14 . The article of  claim 12 , further comprising a second polymeric layer that is positioned next to the solar cell component on the opposite side from the polymeric film or sheet, wherein the second polymeric layer comprises a polymeric composition selected from the group consisting of poly(vinyl acetal), ethylene vinyl acetate, polyurethane, polyvinylchloride, polyethylenes, polyolefin block elastomers, ethylene acrylate ester copolymers, copolymer of alpha olefin and alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and ionomers thereof, silicone elastomers and epoxy resins. 
   
   
       15 . The article of  claim 12 , further comprising an incident layer that is formed of a transparent material and serves as an outer layer at the light-receiving side of the assembly. 
   
   
       16 . The article of  claim 12 , further comprising a backing layer that is formed of glass, a plastic film or sheet, or a metal film or sheet and serves as an outer layer at the back side of the assembly. 
   
   
       17 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 100 to about 400 g/10 min. 
   
   
       18 . An article which is a solar cell module prepared by the steps comprising (a) providing interlayer formed of the polymeric film or sheet of  claim 1 , (b) providing a solar cell component comprising one or a plurality of solar cells; and (c) encapsulating the solar cell component in a matrix comprising the acid copolymer composition. 
   
   
       19 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein (a) the alpha olefin is ethylene; (b) the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, monomethyl maleic acid, and mixtures thereof; (c) the acid copolymer comprises about 10 to about 25 wt % of repeat units from the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid; (d) the interlayer sheet has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 20 mils (about 0.003 to about 0.5 mm); and (e) the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 100 to about 400 g/10 min. 
   
   
       20 . A process of manufacturing an article, wherein the article is a solar cell module, the process comprising: (i) providing a solar cell pre-laminate assembly as described in  claim 12 , and (ii) laminating the pre-laminate assembly to form the solar cell module. 
   
   
       21 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein the step (ii) of lamination is conducted by subjecting the assembly to heat and, optionally, vacuum. 
   
   
       22 . A polymeric composition comprising an acid copolymer composition and an additive, wherein (i) the acid copolymer composition comprises an acid copolymer of an alpha olefin and about 1 to about 30 wt % of an alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbons, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer, (ii) the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 75 to about 600 g/10 min and (iii) the additive is selected from the group consisting of silane coupling agent, organic peroxide and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       23 . The polymeric composition of  claim 22 , wherein (A) the acid copolymer has a Melt Index of about 100 to about 400 g/10 min, (B) the alpha olefin is ethylene, (C) the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, monomethyl maleic acid, and mixtures thereof, and (D) the acid copolymer comprises about 10 to about 25 wt % of repeat units from the alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, based on the total weight of the acid copolymer. 
   
   
       24 . The polymeric composition of  claim 22 , comprising about 0.01 to about 5 wt % of the silane coupling agent, based on the total weight of the polymeric composition, and wherein the silane coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of gamma-chloropropylmethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris(beta-methoxyethoxy)silane,gamma-vinylbenzylpropyltrimethoxysilane, N-beta-(N-vinylbenzylaminoethyl)-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, beta-(3,4-epoxycyclohexylethyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, gamma-mercaptopropylmethoxysilane, gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-beta-(aminoethyl)-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, and mixtures thereof. 
   
   
       25 . The polymeric composition of  claim 22 , comprising about 0.01 to about 10 wt % of the organic peroxide, based on the total weight of the polymeric composition, and wherein the organic peroxide is selected from the group consisting of 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-betylperoxy)hexane-3, di-tert-butyl peroxide, tert-butylcumyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane, dicumyl peroxide, alpha, alpha′-bis(tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)benzene, n-butyl-4,4-bis(tert-butylperoxy)valerate, 2,2-bis(tert-butylperoxy)butane, 1,1-bis(tert-butyl-peroxy)cyclohexane, 1,1-bis(tert-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethyl-cyclohexane, tert-butyl peroxybenzoate, benzoyl peroxide and mixtures thereof.