1. A personal hygiene article comprising a soft elastomeric film consisting essentially of a coupled, selectively hydrogenated block copolymer having the general formula:
(A-B)nX
wherein
a. prior to hydrogenation the A block is a polymerized monoalkenyl arene hydrocarbon block having a molecular weight from 6000 to 7000;
b. prior to hydrogenation the B block is a polymerized conjugated diene hydrocarbon block having a vinyl content from 60 to 85% mol;
c. the total molecular weight of the block copolymer is from 180,000 to 400,000;
d. the monoalkenyl arene content of the block copolymer is from 9 to 16% wt;
e. X is the residue of a coupling agent and n is from 2 to 6; and
f. the block copolymer includes less than 10% of uncoupled A-B arms;
where the elastomeric film has a 100% stress of about 100 psi or less and a tensile strength of at least about 1000 psi.
2. The personal hygiene article of claim 1 wherein the total molecular weight of the block copolymer is from 200,000 to 300,000.
3. The personal hygiene article of claim 1 wherein the monoalkenyl arene content is from 10 to 14% wt.
4. The personal hygiene article of claim 1 wherein the monoalkenyl arene is styrene and the conjugated diene is butadiene.
5. The personal hygiene article of claim 4 wherein subsequent to hydrogenation greater than 95% mol of the conjugated diene units and less than 5% mol of the monoalkenyl arene units have been hydrogenated.
6. The personal hygiene article of claim 1 having a tensile elongation of at least 600%.
7. The personally hygiene article of claim 1 which is a glove, diaper, incontinence product, disposable swimwear or disposable undergarment.
8. A soft elastomeric film comprising two coupled, selectively hydrogenated block copolymers each having the general formula:
(A-B)nX
wherein the film comprises from 15 to 40 parts by weight of a first block copolymer having:
a. prior to hydrogenation the A block is a polymerized monoalkenyl arene hydrocarbon block having a molecular weight from 6000 to 7000;
b. prior to hydrogenation the B block is a polymerized conjugated diene hydrocarbon block having a vinyl content from 60 to 85% mol;
c. the total molecular weight of the block copolymer is from 180,000 to 400,000;
d. the monoalkenyl arene content of the block copolymer is from 9 to 16% wt;
e. X is the residue of a coupling agent and n is from 2 to 6; and
f. the block copolymer includes less than 10% of uncoupled A-B arms; and the film comprises from 60 to 85 parts by weight of a second block copolymer having:
g. prior to hydrogenation the A block is a polymerized monoalkenyl arene hydrocarbon block having a molecular weight from 5000 to 7000;
h. prior to hydrogenation the B block is a polymerized conjugated diene hydrocarbon block having a vinyl content from 60 to 85% mol;
i. the total molecular weight of the block copolymer is from 100,000 to 160,000;
j. the monoalkenyl arene content of the block copolymer is from 16% wt to 24% wt;
k. X is the residue of a coupling agent and n is from 2 to 6; and
l. the block copolymer includes less than 10% of uncoupled A-B arms; and
where the elastomeric film has a 100% stress of about 100 psi or less and a tensile strength of at least about 1000 psi.
9. The soft elastomeric film of claim 8 wherein the second block copolymer has a melt index of greater than or equal to 12 g10 min according to ASTM D1238 at 230\xb0 C. and 2.16 kg weight.
10. A glove, diaper, incontinence product, disposable swimwear or disposable undergarment comprising the soft elastomeric film of claim 8.
11. A soft elastomeric film comprising from 25 to 75 parts by weight of a coupled, selectively hydrogenated block copolymer having the general formula:
(A-B)nX
wherein
a. prior to hydrogenation the A block is a polymerized monoalkenyl arene hydrocarbon block having a molecular weight from 6000 to 7000;
b. prior to hydrogenation the B block is a polymerized conjugated diene hydrocarbon block having a vinyl content from 60 to 85% mol;
c. the total molecular weight of the block copolymer is from 180,000 to 400,000;
d. the monoalkenyl arene content of the block copolymer is from 9 to 16% wt;
e. X is the residue of a coupling agent and n is from 2 to 6; and
f. the block copolymer includes less than 10% of uncoupled A-B arms and from 75 to 25 parts by weight of a controlled distribution block copolymer having a general configuration A\u2032-B\u2032, A\u2032-B\u2032-A\u2032, (A\u2032-B\u2032)n, (A\u2032-B\u2032-A\u2032)nX, (A\u2032-B\u2032)nX or mixtures thereof, where n is an integer from 2 to about 30, and X is coupling agent residue wherein:
g. prior to hydrogenation each A\u2032 block is a monoalkenyl arene polymer block and each B\u2032 block is a controlled distribution copolymer block of at least one conjugated diene and at least one monoalkenyl arene;
h. subsequent to hydrogenation about 0-10% of the arene double bonds have been reduced, and at least about 90% of the conjugated diene double bonds have been reduced;
i. each A\u2032 block has a number average molecular weight between about 3,000 and about 60,000 and each B\u2032 block has a number average molecular weight between about 30,000 and about 300,000;
j. each B\u2032 block comprises terminal regions adjacent to the A\u2032 block that are rich in conjugated diene units and one or more regions not adjacent to the A\u2032 blocks that are rich in mono alkenyl arene units;
k. the total amount of monoalkenyl arene in the hydrogenated block copolymer is about 20 percent weight to about 80 percent weight;
l. the weight percent of mono alkenyl arene in each B\u2032 block is between about 10 percent and about 75 percent; and
m. the monoalkenyl arene blockiness in the B\u2032 block is less than 40%;
where the elastomeric film has a 100% stress of about 100 psi or less and a tensile strength of at least about 1000 psi.
12. A glove, diaper, incontinence product, disposable swimwear or disposable undergarment comprising the soft elastomeric film of claim 11.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An expandable tubular member comprising a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell comprising a first segment having proximal and distal ends and a substantially sinusoidal shape, and a second segment having proximal and distal ends, the proximal end of the first segment being coupled to the proximal end of the second segment, the distal end of the first segment being coupled to the distal end of the second segment, the second segment being more flexible than the first segment,
wherein the unit cell has a stable contracted state in which the second segment substantially conforms to the sinusoidal shape of the first segment, and a deployed state in which the second segment has a convex shape bowed away from the first segment,
wherein around a circumference of the expandable tubular member, two second segments are disposed between every two first segments and coupled directly to one another.
2. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the second segment of each unit cell is coupled to the first segment so that the first segment inhibits deformation of the second segment in the contracted state.
3. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the second segment of each unit cell is stable only in the contracted and deployed states.
4. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the first segment of each unit cell is substantially rigid.
5. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the first segment of each unit cell comprises a larger cross sectional area than the second segment.
6. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the first and second segments of each unit cell are manufactured using different materials.
7. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the proximal and distal ends of the first and second segments of each unit cell are coupled together by hinges.
8. The expandable tubular member of claim 7 wherein the hinges of each unit cell are elastic hinges.
9. The expandable tubular member of claim 7 wherein the hinges of each unit cell are plastic hinges.
10. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the unit cells are transformed from the contracted state to the deployed state by application of a uniform radially outwardly directed force to an interior surface of the expandable tubular member.
11. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein a first subset of the plurality of unit cells has a second segment with a first cross-sectional area and a second subset of the plurality of unit cells has a second segment with a second cross-sectional area.
12. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the plurality of unit cells are arranged in a longitudinally arranged series of circumferential rings.
13. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the expandable tubular member is capable of attaining different outer diameters depending on the amount and location of unit cells that are transformed to the deployed state.
14. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the unit cells are designed and arranged to provide a range of diameters for the expandable tubular member in a stepwise fashion.
15. The expandable tubular member of claim 14 wherein the expandable tubular member has an initial diameter at a first end, a final diameter at a second end, and at least one intermediate diameter between the first and second ends, the intermediate diameter differing from the initial and final diameters.
16. The expandable tubular member of claim 15 wherein the initial and final diameters are the same.
17. The expandable tubular member of claim 12 wherein within a circumferential ring, a first subset of unit cells has a different force-displacement characteristic than a second subset of the plurality of unit cells.
18. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the second segment of each unit cell is coupled to the second segment of an adjacent cell by a joint disposed near a midpoint of the second segments.
19. The expandable tubular member of claim 1 wherein the expandable tubular member is made from a polymer, a metal, a composite, a shape memory material with superelastic behavior, a shape memory material with temperature sensitive behavior, or a combination of two or more of these materials.
20. A method for deploying an expandable tubular member having two substantially stable states, the method comprising:
providing an expandable tubular member comprising a plurality of unit cells in a contracted state, wherein each unit cell comprises a first segment having proximal and distal ends and a substantially sinusoidal shape, and second segment having proximal end that is coupled to the proximal end of the first segment and distal end that is coupled to the distal end of the first segment, the second segment being more flexible than the first segment, wherein the second segment substantially conforms to the sinusoidal shape of the first segment in the contracted state, wherein around a circumference of the expandable tubular member, two second segments are disposed between every two first segments and coupled directly to one another; and
deploying at least one of the unit cells of the expandable tubular member by causing the second segment of the unit cell to deploy to a convex shape bowed away from the first segment of the unit cell.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the expandable tubular member is provided in the contracted state by compressing the expandable tubular member onto a delivery device.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one unit cell is deployed by applying a radially outward force by expanding the delivery device.
23. The method of claim 20 wherein unit cells of the expandable tubular member are deployed in a stepwise fashion.
24. The method of claim 20 wherein the number of unit cells that are deployed is proportionate to a radially outward force that is applied to the expandable tubular member.
25. The method of claim 20 wherein unit cells are selectively deployed by providing second segments having varying diameters.
26. The method of claim 20 wherein the diameter of the expandable tubular member in a deployed state is varied by varying lengths of first and second segments of a unit cell.
27. The method of claim 20 wherein the diameter of the expandable tubular member in a deployed state is varied by varying the number of unit cells that are provided in the contracted state.