TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a polycarbonate resin, a method of preparing the same, and a molded article including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a polycarbonate resin having excellent properties in terms of scratch resistance, transparency and tensile elongation, a method of preparing the same, and a molded article including the same.

BACKGROUND ART

Polycarbonate resins are a representative thermoplastic resin that has a heat deflection temperature of 135Â° C. or higher and exhibits superior mechanical properties including impact resistance and excellent properties in terms of self-extinguishing properties, dimensional stability, heat resistance, and transparency.

Polycarbonate resins are widely used in various applications such as exterior materials of electronic and electric products, office machines, automobile components, optical materials for various lenses, prisms, optical fibers, and the like.

However, polycarbonate resins have limitations in use for optical films due to poor scratch resistance. A polycarbonate film can be coated with a scratch-resistant film in order to improve scratch resistance of polycarbonate resins. In this case, an expensive scratch-resistant film and an additional coating process can cause an increase in manufacturing costs.

Therefore, studies on various methods have been conducted to improve scratch resistance of polycarbonate resins. Blending polycarbonate resins with a scratch-resistant resin is generally used as a method for improving scratch resistance of polycarbonate resins.

However, this method can only slightly improve scratch resistance and thus fundamental measures are necessary. In particular, when polycarbonate resins are blended with acrylic resins to improve scratch resistance, impact resistance of the polycarbonate resins can be drastically reduced, and compatibility between the blended resins can considerably increase haze, thereby damaging transparency of the polycarbonate resins.

Therefore, there is needed for a polycarbonate resin having excellent scratch resistance without deterioration in inherent physical properties, such as impact resistance and transparency.

DISCLOSURETechnical Problem

It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a polycarbonate resin having excellent scratch resistance, transparency and tensile elongation and a method of preparing the same.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a molded article including the polycarbonate resin.

The above and other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by the present invention described below.

Technical Solution

One aspect of the present invention relates to a polycarbonate resin. The polycarbonate resin includes a repeat unit represented by Formula 1; and a repeat unit represented by Formula 2:

[Image Omitted]

in Formula 2, Q is a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₁₀cyclic alkylene group, and a and b are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

In one embodiment, the repeat unit represented by Formula 1 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %, and the repeat unit represented by Formula 2 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %.

In one embodiment, the polycarbonate resin may further include a repeat unit represented by Formula 3:

[Image Omitted]

in Formula 3, A is a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, an O or S-containing C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, a halogen acid ester group, a carbonic acid ester group, CO, S or SO₂; R₁and R₂are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₆alkyl group; and m and n are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

The repeat unit represented by Formula 3 may be present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 250 parts by mole based on 100 parts by mole of the repeat units represented by Formulae 1 and 2.

In one embodiment, the polycarbonate resin may have a scratch width of about 310 Î¼m or less, as measured by a ball-type scratch profile (BSP) test.

In one embodiment, the polycarbonate resin may have a tensile elongation of about 40% to about 100% at 25Â° C.

In one embodiment, the polycarbonate resin may have a pencil hardness of F or higher.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of preparing the polycarbonate resin. The method includes reacting a carbonate precursor with a diol mixture containing a diol(3,3â€²-dimethyl bisphenol A (DMBPA)) represented by Formula 4 and a diol represented by Formula 5:

[Image Omitted]

in Formula 5, Q is a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₁₀cyclic alkylene group, and a and b are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

In one embodiment, the diol represented by Formula 4 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol % in the entire diol mixture, and the diol represented by Formula 5 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol % in the entire diol mixture.

In one embodiment, the diol mixture may further include an aromatic dihydroxy compound represented by Formula 6:

[Image Omitted]

in Formula 6, A is a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, an O or S-containing C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, a halogen acid ester group, a carbonic acid ester group, CO, S or SO₂; R₁and R₂are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₆alkyl group; and m and n are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

The aromatic dihydroxy compound represented by Formula 6 may be present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 250 parts by mole based on 100 parts by mole of the diols represented by Formulae 4 and 5.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a molded article including the polycarbonate resin.

Advantageous Effects

The present invention provides a polycarbonate resin having excellent scratch resistance, transparency and tensile elongation, a method of preparing the same, and a molded article including the same. The polycarbonate resin may be used without a protective film due to excellent scratch resistance, be formed into a roll-shaped film due to excellent tensile elongation, and be useful as an optical material, particularly for an optical film, due to excellent transparency.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail as follows.

A polycarbonate resin according to the present invention includes a repeat unit represented by Formula 1 and a repeat unit represented by Formula 2 in a main chain thereof

[Image Omitted]

In Formula 2, Q is a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₁₀cyclic alkylene group, and a and b are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

As used herein, the term â€œsubstitutedâ€ means that a hydrogen atom is substituted with a substituent, such as a halogen atom, a C₁to C₁₀alkyl group, a C₁to C₁₀haloalkyl group, a C₆to C₁₀aryl group, a C₁to C₁₀alkoxy group, or combinations thereof.

The repeat unit represented by Formula 1 may be present in the polycarbonate resin in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %, preferably about 10 mol % to about 90 mol %, more preferably about 30 mol % to about 85 mol %. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent scratch resistance without deterioration in transparency.

Further, the repeat unit represented by Formula 2 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %, preferably about 10 mol % to about 50 mol %, more preferably about 20 mol % to about 40 mol %. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent tensile elongation without deterioration in transparency.

The polycarbonate resin may be a terpolymer which further includes a repeat unit represented by Formula 3.

[Image Omitted]

In Formula 3, A is a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, an O or S-containing C₁to C₃₀hydrocarbon group, a halogen acid ester group, a carbonic acid ester group, CO, S or SO₂; R₁and R₂are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₆, preferably C₁to C₃alkyl group; and m and n are each independently an integer from 0 to 4. Here, the same repeat unit as the repeat unit represented by Formula 1 (where A is a propylene group, R₁and R₂are a methyl group, m and n are 1, and substitution is performed at the 3,3â€² position) is excluded.

As used herein, unless specified otherwise, the term â€œhydrocarbon groupâ€ may refer to a linear, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon group, wherein a â€œbranchedâ€ type may include two or more carbon atoms and a â€œcyclicâ€ type may include four or more carbon atoms. In addition, unless specified otherwise, the term â€œalkyl groupâ€ refers to a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group.

In one embodiment, A may be a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₃₀alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂to C₅alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂to C₅alkylidene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₆cycloalkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₆cycloalkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₁₀cycloalkyldiene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₆to C₃₀arylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₂₀alkoxylene group, a halogen acid ester group, a carbonic acid ester group, CO, S or SO₂; and R₁and R₂may be each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₃₀alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted C₆to C₃₀aryl group.

The repeat unit represented by Formula 3 may be present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 250 parts by mole, preferably about 0.01 to about 90 parts by mole, more preferably about 0.1 to about 80 parts by mole, still more preferably about 5 to about 70 parts by mole, based on 100 parts by mole of the repeat units represented by Formulae 1 and 2. Within this range, the polycarbonate can exhibit excellent scratch resistance and tensile elongation without deterioration in transparency.

The polycarbonate resin according to the present invention may have a scratch width of about 310 Î¼m or shorter, preferably about 100 to about 290 Î¼m, as measured by a ball-type scratch profile (BSP) test. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can be used alone without a protective film.

The polycarbonate resin may have a tensile elongation at 25Â° C. of about 40% to about 100%, preferably about 50% to about 95% as measured in accordance with ASTM D638. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can be formed into a roll-shaped film.

The polycarbonate resin may have a pencil hardness of F or higher, preferably F to 2H at a load of 500 g, as measured in accordance with ASTM D3362. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can be used alone without a protective film.

The polycarbonate resin according to the present invention may be prepared by any general method of preparing a polycarbonate resin, for example, by reaction (for example, transesterification) of a carbonate precursor with a diol mixture containing a diol(3,3â€²-DMBPA) represented by Formula 4 and a diol represented by Formula 5.

[Image Omitted]

In Formula 5, Q is a substituted or unsubstituted C₅to C₁₀cyclic alkylene group, and a and b are each independently an integer from 0 to 4.

Examples of the diol represented by Formula 5 include 1,2-cyclopentanediol, 1,3-cyclopentanediol, 1,2-cyclohexanediol, 1,3-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 1,2-cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,3-cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,2-cycloheptanediol, 1,3-cycloheptanediol, 1,4-cycloheptanediol, 1,2-cyclooctanediol, 1,3-cyclooctanediol, and 1,4-cyclooctanediol, without being limited thereto. Preferably, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol is used.

3,3â€²-DMBPA may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %, preferably about 10 to about 90 mol %, more preferably about 30 to about 80% in the entire diol mixture. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent scratch resistance without deterioration in transparency.

The diol represented by Formula 5 may be present in an amount of about 5 mol % to about 95 mol %, preferably about 10 to about 50 mol %, more preferably about 20 to about 40% in the entire diol mixture. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent tensile elongation without deterioration in transparency.

In one embodiment, the diol mixture may further include an aromatic dihydroxy compound represented by Formula 6 to prepare the terpolymer.

[Image Omitted]

In Formula 6, A, R₁, R₂, m and n are defined as in Formula 3. Here, the same compound as 3,3â€²-DMBPA (A is a propylene group, R₁and R₂are a methyl group, m and n are 1, and substitution is performed at the 3,3â€² position) is excluded.

Examples of the aromatic dihydroxy compound may include 4,4â€²-dihydroxydiphenyl, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, 2,4-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-methyl butane, 1,1-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cyclohexane, 2,2-bis-(3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, and 2,2-bis-(3,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, without being limited thereto. The aromatic dihydroxy compound is preferably 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, 2,2-bis-(3,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, or 1,1-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cyclohexane, more preferably 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, commonly referred to as bisphenol A.

The aromatic dihydroxy compound represented by Formula 6 may be present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 250 parts by mole, preferably about 0.01 to about 90 parts by mole, more preferably about 0.1 to about 80 parts by mole, still more preferably about 5 to 70 parts by mole, based on 100 parts by mole of the diols represented by Formulae 4 and 5. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent tensile elongation without deterioration in transparency.

Examples of the carbonate precursor used in the present invention may include phosgene, triphosgene, diaryl carbonate, and mixtures thereof. Examples of diaryl carbonate may include diphenyl carbonate, ditolyl carbonate, bis(chlorophenyl) carbonate, m-cresyl carbonate, dinaphthyl carbonate, bis(diphenyl) carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, dibutyl carbonate, and dicyclohexyl carbonate, without being limited thereto. These may be used alone or in combination thereof. Preferably, diphenyl carbonate is used.

A molar ratio (diol mixture/carbonate precursor) of the diol mixture to the carbonate precursor ranges, for example, from about 0.7 to about 1.0, preferably from about 0.8 to about 0.9. Within this range of the molar ratio, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent mechanical properties.

In one embodiment, the reaction of the diol mixture and the polycarbonate precursor may be transesterification, which is performed at about 150Â° C. to about 300Â° C., preferably about 160Â° C. to about 280Â° C., more preferably about 190Â° C. to about 260Â° C. under reduced pressure. Within this temperature range, the reaction is advantageously performed in view of reaction speed and decrease in side reaction.

Further, transesterification is advantageously performed, in view of reaction speed and decrease in side reaction, under a reduced pressure of about 100 torr or less, for example, about 75 torr or less, preferably about 30 torr or less, more preferably about 1 torr or less, for at least 10 minutes or more, preferably about 15 minutes to about 24 hours, more preferably about 15 minutes to about 12 hours.

Transesterification may be performed in the presence of a catalyst. Any typical catalyst used in transesterification may be employed as the catalyst, examples of which may include alkali metal catalysts, alkaline earth metal catalysts, and the like. Examples of the alkali metal catalysts may include LiOH, NaOH, and KOH, without being limited thereto. These catalysts may be used alone or in combination thereof. The catalyst is present in an amount of, for example, about 1Ã—10^âˆ’8to about 1Ã—10^âˆ’3moles, preferably about 1Ã—10^âˆ’7to about 1Ã—10^âˆ’4moles per mole of the diol mixture. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit sufficient reactivity while minimizing production of byproducts by side reaction, thereby improving thermal stability and color stability.

The polycarbonate resin of the present invention may further include a sulfonic acid ester compound represented by Formula 7, as needed. That is, the sulfonic acid ester compound represented by Formula 7 may be added to the polymer prepared by the aforementioned method to inactivate the catalyst.

[Image Omitted]

In Formula 7, R₃is a substituted or unsubstituted C₁to C₂₀alkyl group; R₄is a substituted or unsubstituted C₁₁to C₂₀alkylene group; and c is an integer from 0 to 5.

Examples of the sulfonic acid ester compound represented by Formula 7 may include dodecyl p-toluene sulfonic acid ester, octadecyl p-toluene sulfonic acid ester, dodecyl (dodecyl benzene) sulfonic acid ester, octadecyl (dodecyl benzene) sulfonic acid ester, and the like.

The sulfonic acid ester compound may be present in an amount of about 0.0001 to about 0.001 parts by weight, preferably about 0.0003 to about 0.0008 parts by weight, based on about 100 parts by weight of the polycarbonate resin. Within this range, the polycarbonate resin can exhibit excellent thermal stability or hydrolysis resistance.

As a method of adding the sulfonic acid ester compound to the polycarbonate resin, in one embodiment, the sulfonic acid ester compound may be introduced directly into a reactor containing the completely reacted polycarbonate resin to prepare the polycarbonate resin through in-situ reaction. In another embodiment, a polycarbonate resin prepared by transesterification may be mixed with the sulfonic acid ester compound in an extrusion process. After the polycarbonate prepared by the reaction is transferred to an extruder, the sulfonic acid ester compound is introduced into the extruder, followed by extruding, thereby preparing a polycarbonate resin in pellet form.

As needed, the polycarbonate resin according to the present invention may further include common additives upon extrusion when the sulfonic acid ester compound is added. Examples of the additives may include flame retardants such as tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, antioxidants such as octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate, antibacterial agents, release agents, heat stabilizers, photostabilizers, compatibilizers, dyes, inorganic additives, fillers, plasticizers, impact modifiers, chemical admixtures, lubricants, antistatic agents, pigments, weather-resistant agents, and UV blocking agents, without being limited thereto. These additives may be used alone or in combination thereof.

The polycarbonate resin according to the present invention exhibits excellent scratch resistance, transparency, tensile elongation, and the like, and thus may be applied to various products. For example, the polycarbonate resin may be applied to optical materials for optical films, optical disk substrates, various lenses, prisms and optical fiber, exterior materials of electronic/electric products, office machines, automobile components, and the like. In particular, the polycarbonate resin may be used without a protective film due to excellent scratch resistance, be formed into a roll-shaped film due to excellent tensile elongation, and be very useful for an optical film due to excellent transparency. A molded article using the polycarbonate resin may be manufactured by any general molding method, for example, extrusion molding, injection molding, vacuum molding, cast molding, blow molding, calender molding, and the like. These molding methods are well known to those skilled in the art.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. It should be understood that these examples are provided for illustration only and are not to be construed in any way as limiting the present invention.

EXAMPLESExamples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6

According to compositions as listed in Table 1, based on 100 parts by mole of a diol mixture containing 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (BPA), 3,3â€²-dimethyl bisphenol A (DMBPA) and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), 102.8 parts by mole of diphenyl carbonate and 150 ppb of KOH (based on 1 mole of diphenyl carbonate) were sequentially added to a reactor, and oxygen was removed from the reactor using nitrogen. The reactor was heated to 160Â° C. and then to 190Â° C., at which reaction was performed for 6 hours. After 6 hours, the reactor was heated again to 210Â° C. and maintained at a pressure of 100 torr for 1 hour. Next, the reactor was heated to 260Â° C. and maintained at a pressure of 20 torr for 1 hour, after which the pressure of the reactor was reduced to and maintained at 0.5 torr for 1 hour, thereby preparing a molten polycarbonate resin. Subsequently, 100 parts by weight of the molten polycarbonate resin was mixed with 0.0005 parts by weight of a sulfonic acid compound, 0.03 parts by weight of an antioxidant, and 0.05 parts by weight of a phosphorous heat stabilizer, followed by kneading and extruding using an extruder, thereby preparing a polycarbonate resin in pellet form.

TABLE 1ExampleComparative example12345123456DMBPA2050505090â€”100â€”3973(mol %)CHDM1020305010â€”â€”503397(mol %)BPA793020â€”â€”100â€”5094â€”â€”(mol %)

Comparative Example 7

100 parts by weight of a resin containing 65 wt % of a polycarbonate resin (L-1250W, manufactured by Teijin Kasei K.K.) and 35 wt % of a polymethylmethacrylate resin (L84, manufactured by Teijin Kasei K.K.) was mixed in a general mixer with 0.0005 parts by weight of a sulfonic acid compound, 0.03 parts by weight of an antioxidant, and 0.05 parts by weight of a phosphorous heat stabilizer and extruded using a biaxial extruder with L/D=29 and Î¦=45 mm, thereby preparing a pellet-form extruded product.

Property Evaluation

The pellets prepared in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative examples 1 to 7 were formed into 2.5 mm-thick specimens and tensile specimens at a molding temperature of 270Â° C. and a mold temperature of 70Â° C. using an injection machine (DHC 120WD, 120 ton, Dongshin EnTech Co., Ltd.). Properties of the pellets were evaluated by the following methods and results are shown in Table 2.

(1) Transparency: To evaluate transparency (degree of transparency), haze (%) and transmittance (%) of each 2.5 mm-thick specimen were evaluated using a haze meter NDH 2000 manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd. in accordance with ASTM D1003. Transmittance (total transmittance (total transmitted light (TT)), %) was calculated as total quantity of diffused transmitted light (DF) and parallel transmitted light (PT), and haze (%) was calculated by diffused transmitted light (DF)/total transmitted light (TT).

(2) Tensile elongation (%): Tensile elongation of each tensile specimen was evaluated in accordance with ASTM D638.

(3) Ball-type scratch profile (BSP): A 10 to 20 mm-long scratch was made on the surface of a 90 mm longÃ—50 mm wideÃ—2.5 mm thick specimen under a load of 1,000 g at a scratching speed of 75 mm/min using a spherical metal tip having a diameter of 0.7 mm. The profile of the scratch was subjected to surface scanning by a metal stylus tip having a diameter of 2 Î¼m using a contact surface profiler (XP-1) manufactured by Ambios Technology Inc., thereby evaluating scratch width (unit: Î¼m) as a measure of scratch resistance. Here, a shorter scratch width indicates a higher scratch resistance value.

(4) Pencil hardness: Pencil hardness was measured under a load of 500 g according to ASTM D3362.

TABLE 2ExampleComparative example123451234567Haze (%)1.20.80.70.61.10.81.20.30.81.11.083.5Transmittance (%)89.890.190.490.889.989.889.590.389.889.690.515.2Tensile elongation (%)756882935811035108112381428BSP (width, Î¼m)285255254256225336208332331212328258Pencil hardnessFHHH2H2B2H2B2B2H2BH

As can be seen from the results shown in Table 2, the polycarbonate resins (Examples 1 to 5) according to the present invention exhibited excellent properties in terms of transparency, tensile elongation, scratch resistance and balance between these physical properties and thus were useful for an optical film. On the contrary, the polycarbonate resins prepared in Comparative Examples 1 to 7 had considerably reduced scratch resistance or considerably low tensile elongation and exhibited unsatisfactory balance between physical properties.

It should be understood that various modifications, changes, alterations, and equivalent embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.