Method of controlling particles size of fillers in extrudable compositions, compositions comprising the fillers and devices made from the compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11022533-B2
Application number	US-201916404297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2019
Priority date	May 6, 2019
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A method of controlling a particle size distribution of a filler in an extrudable composition comprises introducing an extrudable composition comprising a polymer matrix material and a filler into an extruder, the filler having a first average particle size that is larger than a target average particle size. The extrudable composition is extruded one or more times using the extruder to reduce the size of the filler from the first average particle size to a reduced average particle size, the reduced average particle size being within 10% of the target average particle size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a particle size distribution of a filler in an extrudable composition, the method comprising:
introducing an extrudable composition comprising a polymer matrix material and a filler into an extruder, the filler having a first average particle size that is larger than a target average particle size; and
extruding the extrudable composition one or more times using the extruder to reduce the size of the filler from the first average particle size to a reduced average particle size, the reduced average particle size being within 10% of the target average particle size,
wherein a final concentration of the filler ranges from about 0.001 weight % to less than 1 weight %, relative to the total weight of the extrudable composition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the final concentration of the filler ranges from about 0.01 weight % to about 0.15 weight %, relative to the total weight of the extrudable composition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first average particle size ranges from about 20 nm to about 25 millimeters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target average particle size ranges from about 1 nm to about 700 nm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the first average particle size to the target average particle size ranges from about 1.5 to about 25,000,000.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising diluting the filler in the extrudable composition to the final concentration.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the diluting comprises adding a diluent polymer to the extrudable composition and repeating the extruding one or more times, the diluent polymer being the same as the polymer matrix material.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising repeating the extruding one or more times to further reduce the average particle size of filler.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising forming the extrudable composition into pellets after each extruding.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer matrix material comprises at least one polymer chosen from polycarbonates, Polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”), Polyethylene (“PE”), acrylate polymers, vinyl polymers, polyvinylbutyral (“PVB”) and a PVB copolymer, the PVB copolymer comprising polyvinylbutyral units and one or more of polyvinyl alcohol units and polyvinyl acetate units.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filler is chosen from carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, TiO 2 and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the final concentration of the filler ranges from 0.01 weight % to 0.3 weight %.

13. A method of controlling a particle size distribution of a filler in an extrudable composition, the method comprising:
determining a target average particle size for the filler;
determining a target concentration of the filler;
introducing a first extrudable composition comprising a polymer matrix material and the filler into an extruder, the filler having a first average particle size that is larger than the target average particle size, the filler being at a concentration ranging from about 0.01 weight % to about 40 weight %, relative to the total weight of the extrudable composition;
extruding the first extrudable composition one or more times to reduce the size of the filler from the first average particle size to a reduced average particle size to thereby form a second extrudable composition, the reduced average particle size being within 10% of the target average particle size; and
extruding the second extrudable composition with a diluent polymer to dilute the concentration of the filler to form a third extrudable composition having the target concentration.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first average particle size ranges from about 20 nm to about 25 millimeters.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the target average particle size ranges from about 1 nm to about 700 nm.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the filler in the first extrudable composition is at a concentration ranging from about 0.1 weight % to about 40 weight %, relative to the total weight of the first extrudable composition.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the target average particle size ranges from about 10 nm to about 500 nm.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein a ratio of the first average particle size to the target average particle size ranges from about 1.5 to about 25,000,000.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the target filler concentration ranges from 0.001 weight % to 30 weight %.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the target filler concentration ranges from 0.001 weight % to 0.3 weight %.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the diluent polymer is the same as the polymer matrix material.

22. The method of claim 13 , where the extruding of the first extrudable composition is carried out 2 to 5 times.

23. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polymer matrix material comprises at least one polymer chosen from polycarbonates, Polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”), Polyethylene (“PE”), acrylate polymers, vinyl polymers, polyvinylbutyral (“PVB”) and a PVB copolymer, the PVB copolymer comprising polyvinylbutyral units and one or more of polyvinyl alcohol units and polyvinyl acetate units.

24. The method of claim 13 , wherein the filler is chosen from carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, TiO 2 and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Bruton Eric Alan
• Shawgo Loyal Bruce

Classifications

• C08K2201/003

  Additives being defined by their diameter · CPC title

• G01N15/0227 Primary

  using imaging; using holography · CPC title

• C08J3/226

  using a polymer as a carrier · CPC title

• C08K7/18

  inorganic · CPC title

• C08K2003/2241

  Titanium dioxide · CPC title