Oxazoline Group-Containing Polymer: EPOCROS™ Oxazoline group-containing polymer

Basic Information

In 1990, Nippon Shokubai became the first company in the world to successfully commercialize the functional polymer EPOCROS™, which is built on the basic technologies of the American chemical company Dow, as well as with our accumulated synthetic organic chemistry and polymer technologies.
Recently, there have been increasing expectations worldwide for the development of environmentally-friendly and safety-focused products, with a strong trend toward products that are VOC-Compliant and water-based by desolventing. EPOCROS™ is meeting these expectations, as seen in its use by a variety of customers.
EPOCROS™ is recognized in the market as being particularly unique as a crosslinker with a relatively rare polymer structure.

Lineup

Our product range features the emulsion type(K Series) and the water-soluble type(WS Series ).

Product Types, Properties and Features

Type		Emulsion			Water-soluble
Series Name		K-2000 Series			WS Series
Item Number		K-2010E	K-2020E	K-2035E	WS-300	WS-500	WS-700
Appearance		Milky white emulsion			Colorless or pale red liquid	Pale yellow liquid
Type		Soft	Medium	Hard	High oxazoline VOC free	Standard	VOC free
Non-Volatile Matter (wt%)		40			10	39	25
Solvent		Water			Water	Water/PM*5	Water
pH		7-9			7-10	8-10	7-10
Main Chains of Polymers		Styrene/Acrylic			Acrylic
WPO*1		550			130	220
Oxazoline Group Amount*2		1.8			7.7	4.5
Tg(℃)		-50*3	0*3	50*3	90*3	50*4	50*4
Molecular Weight	Mn	Not measurable			4×104	2×104	2×104
	Mw	Not measurable			12×104	7×104	4×104
Common Features		VOC free, One-pack type with long usage time adjustable texture using Tg Improves water resistance, solvent resistance, heat resistance, and the strength of films, etc. Good adhesion to polyester Fast drying			One-pack type with long usage time Highly reactive compared to emulsion type Improves water resistance, solvent resistance, heat resistance, and the strength of films, etc. Adhesion-imparting to PET, OPP, PVC, etc. Fast drying

Details of Functions

Reactivity of Oxazoline Groups

Reactivity with Carboxyl Groups

1. Has the highest reactivity with carboxyl groups, which are introduced into many waterborne resins.
2. Generates stable amide ester bonds after reacting with carboxyl groups, without producing any by-products.
3. Reactivity with carboxyl groups progresses rapidly at temperatures of 80°C – 100°C and above.
4. Reactivity with carboxyl groups progresses slowly indoors (at room temperature).
5. Reactivity of oxazoline groups with carboxyl groups is better than with epoxy groups.
6. Oxazoline groups also react with aromatics such as thiol groups and phenol groups, but do not react with alcoholic hydroxyl groups.

※ We have developed a technology to lower the curing temperature of WS Series.

Model Reactivity of Oxazoline Groups (Ethyl Oxazoline/Propionic Acid)

Reactivity Conditions: Ethyl oxazoline/Propionic acid = 1/1 (mol/mol), Solvent-free reaction, Phenyl glycidyl ether/Propionic acid = 1/1 (mol/mol), Solvent-free reaction
Analysis Method: Gas Chromatography Method

EPOCROS K/WS Function as a Water-Based Crosslinking Agent

• Environmentally friendly water-based type
• Has high compatibility with many plastic films
• The crosslinking reaction using oxazoline groups does not produce by-products, so it is safe and provides a high crosslinking effect.

Improved Adhesion

• Adding EPOCROS improves adhesion to various plastic substrates.
• The adhesion is improved by the interaction between the polar group on the substrate surface and the oxazoline group. For example, if a carboxyl group is present on the substrate surface, it is thought that a covalent bond will be formed, resulting in strong adhesion.

●Adhesion Improvement Data

Base Resin: Emulsion-type acrylic (Acid value: 26 mg KOH/g, calculated on a non-volatile basis)
Substrate: PET film (100 μm)
Drying Condition: 150 °C for 1 minute
Evaluation Method: Adhesion test using cellophane tape (room temperature adhesion)

Crosslinker	Amount of Addition *1	Adhesion *2	Water Resistance of Adhesion *3
No Crosslinker	０％	×	××
K-2020E	５％	○	△
Water-Soluble Melamine	３％	×	××
Water-Soluble Epoxy	３％	△	×
K-2020E Itself	100%	○	△

Safety

Safety and National Laws and Regulations

EPOCROS™ is a highly safe crosslinker with low toxicity.

Safety Data

	Ames Test	Primary Skin Irritation Test (Rabbit)	Acute Toxicity (Oral, Rat, LD50)	Fish Toxicity (Japanese Rice Fish (Himedaka), LC50, 96 hours)
K-2010E	Negative	None	2000mg/kg min.	1000mg/L min.
K-2020E	Negative	None	2000mg/kg min.	1000mg/L min.
K-2035E	Negative	None	2000mg/kg min.	100mg/L min.
WS-300	Negative	Slight irritation P.I.I. = 0.2	2000mg/kg min.	–
WS-500	Negative	None	2000mg/kg min.	1000mg/L min.
WS-700	Negative	None	2000mg/kg min.	1000mg/L min.

National Laws and Regulations (As of August 2021)

	Chemical Substances Control Act (CSCA) (Japan)	TSCA (U.S.)	REACH (Europe)	KECL (Korea)	IECSC (China)
K-2010E	○	○	○*	Pre-notified	Please inquire
K-2020E	○	○	×	×	Please inquire
K-2035E	○	○	○*	Pre-notified	Please inquire
WS-300	○	○	Please inquire	○**	Please inquire
WS-500	○	○	○*	Pre-notified	○
WS-700	○	○	○*	Pre-notified	○

EPOCROS™ is manufactured and sold under a license from the American chemical company Dow, and is subject to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Export Control Regulations, under which it is classified as EAR99.
This means that when exporting and/or selling EPOCROS™ to specific countries, regions, organizations, individuals, and other entities as designated by the U.S. government, permission must be obtained in advance from the U.S. government. Therefore, please ensure strict compliance with all relevant export control laws and regulations of the U.S.
(Further details regarding U.S. export control regulations can be obtained from websites of various U.S. government departments, including: http://www.bis.doc.gov)

Catalog

Applications

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