FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to building materials, specifically to a composite panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, traditional wood floors are mostly solid. The use of solid wood floors consumes a large quality of woods, which destroys the environment and makes the floorings rather expensive. Therefore, it is quite necessary to seek alternatives to the existing solid wood floors.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most widely used universal plastics. For a long time, it was used in the field of building materials, for example, as the panel or pipe material. In the field of panel material, the commonly used PVC panels include those made of hard PVC and soft PVC, which two have different plasticizer contents and accordingly distinct properties. The plasticizer content of hard PVC is less than 10%, while the plasticizer content of soft PVC is 30-70%.

The plasticizer is a polymer additive widely used in industries. With the plasticizer added in the processing of plastics, the flexibility is enhanced, making them easier to process. Based on the chemical structures, plasticizers are generally classified into aliphatic dicarboxylic acid ester-, benzenedicarboxylic acid ester-, benzene polycarboxylic acid ester-, benzoate-, polyol ester-, chlorinated hydrocarbon-, epoxy-, citric acid ester-, polyester-based plasticizers. Among these, the most commonly used ones are phthalic acid ester- or phthalic acid salt-based plasticizers, such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Plasticizers are somewhat toxic to human bodies, and slowly escape from the PVC materials as time passes by, posing a threat to human health. Compared to soft PVC, hard PVC is healthier and more environmentally friendly due to less plasticizer contents, and thus used as long-run indoor decorative panel materials.

Hard PVC is also flame retardant, water-resistant, and recyclable. Therefore, it is widely applied to building materials, especially panel materials. However, traditional hard PVC has apparent defects, such as high hardness. When used as panel materials, especially for floors, hard PVC cannot provide good feel in touch. In addition, the color of traditional hard PVC is quite monotonous and dull, resulting in poor visual effects. With these shortcomings, traditional hard PVC is unable to meet the requirements for comfortableness and good appearance, and thus marketed as low-end building materials.

Further, for good appearance and practicality, traditional PVC panels are often coated with a certain paint. The PVC panels are subject to an adherence enhancement treatment before paint coating, i.e., to paint on the panel surface a layer of adherence promoters having good bonding capacity to both PVC and the coating paint, to firmly bond the paint to panel surfaces. Such a treatment makes the processing procedure of traditional PVC panels even more complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would, therefore, be desirable to have a new type of composite panel with a unique substrate sheet that overcomes the above shortcomings. The composite panel is environmentally friendly, comfortable to touch, and has good appearance. The composite panel of present invention may be subject to certain surface treatments, if needed, to enable better functionality and practicality.

The present invention provides a composite panel, comprising a substrate layer and at least one functional layer, wherein the at least one functional layer is disposed above and/or below the substrate layer, wherein the substrate layer is composed of the following materials at the mass ratio,

PVC resin or PVC powder100partsstone powder or sawdust or rocks150-300partsan additive1-10partsa molding optimizing agent0.01-1part.

The additive is one or more selected from the group consisting of a stabilizer, stearic acid, PE wax, chlorinated polyethylene, a modifier, a dye, a whitening agent and a plasticizer.

The molding optimizing agent is produced by polymerizing a polyol, an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid and an amino acid, treating the resultant polymers with a halogenating agent, and polymerizing the resulting product with maleic acid.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the molding optimizing agent is prepared by the steps of:

1) adding an polyol and an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid into a polymerization reactor in turn, allowing the mixture to react at the presence of a catalyst at 120-160° C. for 1-5 hours, adding an amino acid, allowing the mixture to react at 60-120° C. for 0.5-1.5 hours, and removing water to obtain polymers, wherein the catalyst is a Brønsted acid (such as concentrated sulfuric acid), a phase-transfer catalyst, and the like;

2) halogenating the polymers obtained in step 1) using a halogenating agent at the presence of an initiator at 60-120° C. for 0.5-5 hours to obtain an intermediate halogenated product, wherein the initiator may be magnesium, DBU, and the like; and

3) adding the intermediate halogenated product and maleic acid into a reactor in turn, allowing them to react at 120-150° C. for 1-3 hours, raising the temperature to 200-280° C., allowing the polymerization reaction to proceed for 2-8 hours, and removing water to obtain the target molding optimizing agent, wherein an alkaline agent may be added as an catalyst at an amount of 1 wt % based on total reactants.

The polyol, the unsaturated polycarboxylic acid and the amino acid are present at a molar ratio of 1:0.1-20:0.01-50.

The mass ratio of the polymers to the halogenating agent is 1:0.2-1. The halogenating agent may be chlorine gas, bromine gas, phosgene, NBS, DBBA, DBI, and the like.

The mass ratio of the intermediate halogenated product to maleic acid is 1:1.5-10.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the polyol is one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, trihydroxymethyl propane, pentaerythrotol and glycerol.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the unsaturated polycarboxylic acid is one or more polycarboxylic acids having 20 or less carbon atoms.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the composite panel is produced by the following materials at the mass ratio,

PVC resin or PVC powder100partsStone powder or sawdust210-270partsPerlite0-80partsa stabilizer2-6partsStearic acid0.2-0.8partPE wax0.2-0.8partChlorinated polyethylene1-5partsan ACR modifier0.5-2partsTitanium dioxide powder1-5partsa whitening agent0.01-0.05parta molding optimizing agent0.1-0.5part.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the functional layer is one or more selected from the group consisting of a patterned layer, a wear-resistant layer, a paint layer, a veneer layer, a thermal insulating layer, a waterproof layer, a skid-proof layer, and an adhesive layer.

The patterned layer may a PVC patterned sheet, a patterned timber, a patterned plastics material, a patterned sheet, a patterned stone material, or any material that can be patterned by means of patterning, corrosion and/or carving.

The wear-resistant layer may be made of a PVC based wear-resistant material, or a stiff wear-resistant material such as a stone-like material.

The paint layer is provided for the coloring of the panel.

The veneer layer may be a PVC veneer, a wood veneer, a calcium carbonate veneer, a silica veneer, a plastic veneer, a fabric veneer and the like.

The thermal insulating layer may be a hollow plate, or made of thermal insulating materials such as PVC.

The waterproof layer is usually disposed at the bottommost part of the panel, or above the patterned layer, to protect the panel from being affected by the moisture or dropped water.

The skid-proof layer is generally composed of lines on the panel, and such lines are mostly bulging structures, such as wavy lines, tread patterns and the like, to provide an anti-skid effect.

The adhesive layer is generally composed of adhesives used for bonding layers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the functional layer is made of one or more composite materials selected from the group consisting of wood, a non-woven fabric, bamboo, a wooden board, a bamboo board, a metal board, a WPC sheet, a PVC sheet, a LVT plate, a calcium silicate board, an aluminum plastic sheet, a plastic sheet, a PVC coiled sheet, a bamboo-wood composite board, an aluminum-magnesium sheet, a wood-plastic board, a stone board, a volcanic lime sheet, a calcium silicon carbonate board, a plastic film, a gypsum board, a glass sheet, a foam board, a melamine plate, a PVC wear-resistant layer, a PVC patterned sheet, a PVC cushion, and a PE film.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a crosslinking layer is disposed between the substrate layer and the functional layer.

When multiple functional layers are disposed above or below the substrate layer, a crosslinking layer is placed between each two adjacent functional layers. The crosslinking layer is used for increasing the bonding strength of each two adjacent layers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the crosslinking layer is obtained by mixing the following materials at the mass ratio followed by extrusion molding of the resulting mixture,

a crosslinking particle100partsa filler50-70partsan additive1-10parts.

The filler is one or more selected from the group consisting of carbon black, white carbon black (silica), titanium dioxide, precipitated calcium carbonate, silicic acid, and silicon oxide.

The additive is one or more selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant, a plasticizer, a cross-linker, a stabilizer, a thermal sensitizer, a dye, and a surfactant.

The crosslinking particle is obtained by polymerizing the following materials at the molar ratio, and then grinding, screening and granulating the resulting polymers,

a polycarboxylic acid1parta polyamine0.1-10partsVinyl chloride1-10parts.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the crosslinking particle is prepared by adding a polycarboxylic acid and a polyamine into a reactor in turn, allowing the mixture to react at 120-150° C. for 1-3 hours, removing water, adding vinyl chloride, allowing high-pressure polymerization reaction of the mixture to proceed at 220-280° C. for 0.5-5 hours to obtain a crosslinking substrate, and cooling and screening the crosslinking substrate to obtain crosslinking particles.

The polycarboxylic acid is one or more selected from the group consisting of a dicarboxylic acid and a tricarboxylic acid each having 6 or less carbon atoms.

The polyamine is one or more polyamines each having 12 or less carbon atoms.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the layers of the composite panel are bonded together by one-pass or multi-pass or continuous cold or hot press molding at room temperature.

The cold or hot press molding is performed at a pressure of 8-12 kg/cm2.

The cold or hot press molding lasts for 10-100 minutes.

The cold press molding is done at a temperature of 10-35° C.;

The hot press molding is done at a temperature of 60-180° C.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a UV coating is disposed at the uppermost part of the composite panel.

The UV coating is disposed on the composite panel by brushing on the composite panel with a UV paint, and then irradiating to harden the paint with a lighting equipment at wavelengths of 200 nm-450 nm.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the UV paint is prepared by using the following materials at the mass ratio,

a copolymer30-50%an active monomer40-60%a photo-initiator3-10%an additive1-10%.

The copolymer is a product from oligomerization of one or more selected from the group consisting of acrylic anhydride, alkyl acrylic anhydride and 2,4-pentadienoic acid, with one or more amino acids, cis-butadiene and/or trans-butadiene, and one or more selected from the group consisting of a diol, a triol, and a tetraol each having 6 or less carbon atoms. In other words, the polymer is produced by adding the materials mentioned above into a reactor with a phase-transfer catalyst, allowing the mixture to react at 60-230° C. for 1-12 hours, and removing water. The molar ratio of one or more selected from acrylic anhydride, alkyl acrylic anhydride and 2,4-pentadienoic acid:the amino acid(s):cis-butadiene and/or trans-butadiene:one or more selected from the diol, the triol, and the tetraol having 6 or less carbon atoms is 1:0.1-5:1-4:0.5-2.

The active monomer is one or more acrylic acid esters.

The photo-initiator is one or more free radical-creating photo-initiators.

The additive is one or more selected from the group consisting of an adhesion promoter, a defoamer, a leveling agent, a wetting agent, and an antioxidant.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the active monomer is one or more products obtained from the esterification reaction of one or more selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, alkyl acrylic acid, acrylic anhydride, alkyl acrylic anhydride, 2,4-pentadienoic acid, and 2,4-pentadienoic anhydride, with one or more selected from the group consisting of a monohydric alcohol, a diol, a triol, and a tetraol each having 1-12 carbon atoms.

The defoamer is a silicone defoamer.

The leveling agent is an organosilicon leveling agent.

The wetting agent is a modified polydimethylsiloxane.

The antioxidant is a hindered phenol antioxidant.

The photo-initiator is one or more selected from the group consisting of 2-hydroxyl-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-acetone, 1-hydroxyl-cyclohexyl phenylmethanone, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl phosphine oxide, bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenyl phosphine oxide, 2,4,6-trimethyldiphenylmethanone, 4-methyldiphenylmethanone, 2-phenylbenzyl-2-dimethyl amino-1-(4-morpholinobenzylphenyl)butanone.

In one embodiment of the present invention, alumina particles and/or silicon carbide (SiC) particles each having a particle size of 20-300 μm are distributed in the UV paint.

The present invention provides a special composite panel, which is environmentally friendly with zero formaldehyde, elastic and comfortable to touch, and has good appearance. The composite panel of the present invention may subject to certain surface treatments in accordance with actual needs to provide better functionality and practicality.

In the present invention, a molding optimizing agent is used to optimize the main substrate layer of the composite panel material. The molding optimizing agent, with its unique structure features, can enclose and seize small molecules of all kinds, making them evenly distributed on and bonded with the resin. The small molecules are bonded to active sites of the resin, promoting the molecular bonds to undertake a process similar to self-assembly, so that the components become smoother and more likely to be melted during the extrusion molding process. Further, with the molding optimizing agent and accordingly the intermolecular covalent bonds, the substrate layer becomes more elastic (elasticity increased by about 510% compared to a composite panel without the molding optimizing agent, as indicated in an experiment), more flexible (flexibility increased by about 300% compared to a composite panel without the molding optimizing agent, as shown in an experiment), and stiffer. Also, the use of the molding optimizing agent provides the panel with enhanced bonding ability to other panel materials in hot or cold press molding, so that the resulting composite multi-layered panel is less likely to split or delaminate (as shown in an experiment, after bonded with a veneer layer of PVC or the like by hot press molding, the resulting composite panel had the probability of detachment or splitting decreased by 600% or more when frequently used or used in extremely cold or hot conditions; and detachment of the veneer layer rarely occurred when the composite panel was in normal use). Further, since the composite panel is subject to hot press molding, there is no safety issue brought by, for example, addition of the glue.

In addition, in order to improve the bonding strength of the substrate layer with the veneer layer made of materials such as wood, stone, or textiles which are less likely to be bonded by hot press molding, an intermediate crosslinking layer is arranged to promote panel forming by hot press molding. The intermediate crosslinking layer is made of a polymer material, which is placed between adjacent layers. With its unique structural design, the polymer particles have unreacted active sites, including the amino, carboxyl, halogen groups, protruding from the polymers' backbone chains upon completion of the polymerization reaction. These active sites will react with or form weak bonds with polymers or free molecules on other layers during hot press molding, so the substrate layer will better bond with other layers, strengthening the binding force of each two adjacent layers.

Further, the present invention also provides a novel UV coating having specific components at a selected ratio, which has improved performance and shortened curing time, where the curing efficiency is increased by about 150%.

