The present invention relates to a soft thermoplastic elastomer
composition that is free of thermoplastic resin that can be utilized in
manufacturing shoe sole inserts, seals, gaskets, wheels, and that can be
overmolded on a hard substrate, such as a metal or a thermoplastic resin,
for grips or handles on various household items. The present invention
more specifically discloses a thermoplastic elastomer composition that is
made by a process comprising: (1) mixing (A) a block copolymer comprising
a first polymeric block that is comprised of repeat units that are
derived from a vinyl aromatic monomer and a second block that is
comprised of repeat units that are derived from a conjugated diolefin
monomer, wherein the repeat units in the second block are hydrogenated,
and wherein the repeat units in the second block are elastomeric in
nature, (B) a crosslinkable elastomer, and (C) an oil, to produce an
un-crosslinked three component blend; and (2) dynamically crosslinking
the crosslinkable elastomer in the un-crosslinked three component blend
during a thermo-mechanical mixing step; wherein the thermoplastic
elastomer composition is void of thermoplastic resins.