Sizing compositions including weakly-coordinating anion salts and uses thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370704-B2
Application number	US-201816652990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2018
Priority date	Oct 27, 2017
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

A sizing composition including water, a film former, a silane coupling agent, and a weakly-coordinating anion salt is provided. The sizing composition may be applied to fibers used to reinforce polymer compositions. Fiber reinforced composite materials that include reinforcing fibers sized with the sizing composition exhibit improved physical properties, particularly after the fiber reinforced composite material has experience prolonged exposure to heat and water.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sizing composition comprising:
water;
a film former;
a silane coupling agent; and
a weakly-coordinating anion salt;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises a weakly-coordinating anion and a counter-cation;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion is selected from the group consisting of hexafluorophosphate, hexafluoroarsenate, hexafluoroantimonate, and hexafluorobismuthate; and
wherein the counter-cation is selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal, ammonium, and an alkaline earth metal.

2. The sizing composition according to claim 1 , wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises hexafluorophosphate.

3. The sizing composition according to claim 1 , wherein the sizing composition comprises one or more of: sodium hexafluorophosphate; potassium hexafluorophosphate; and ammonium hexafluorophosphate.

4. The sizing composition according to claim 1 , wherein the film former comprises a modified polyolefin.

5. The sizing composition according to claim 1 , wherein
the film former comprises from 50 wt % to 90 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition;
the silane coupling agent comprises from 5 wt % to 20 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition; and
the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises from 0.5 wt % to 10 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition.

6. The sizing composition according to claim 1 , wherein the sizing composition has a total solids content of 0.5 wt % to 10 wt %.

7. Reinforcing fibers for use in reinforcing a polymer composition, the reinforcing fibers comprising:
fibers selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, polymeric fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, graphite fibers, and combinations thereof, wherein the fibers are coated with a sizing composition, wherein the sizing composition comprises:
a film former;
a silane coupling agent; and
a weakly-coordinating anion salt;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises a weakly-coordinating anion and a counter-cation;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion is selected from the group consisting of hexafluorophosphate, hexafluoroarsenate, hexafluoroantimonate, and hexafluorobismuthate; and
wherein the counter-cation is selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal, ammonium, and an alkaline earth metal.

8. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein the fibers are glass fibers.

9. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises hexafluorophosphate.

10. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein the sizing composition comprises one or more of: sodium hexafluorophosphate; potassium hexafluorophosphate; and ammonium hexafluorophosphate.

11. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein the film former comprises a modified polyolefin.

12. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein
the film former comprises from 50 wt % to 90 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition;
the silane coupling agent comprises from 5 wt % to 20 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition; and
the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises from 0.5 wt % to 10 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition.

13. The reinforcing fibers according to claim 7 , wherein the sizing composition comprises from 0.05 wt % to 2 wt % of the total weight of the reinforcing fibers.

14. A fiber reinforced composite comprising:
a polymer matrix; and
reinforcing fibers distributed throughout the polymer matrix, wherein the reinforcing fibers are coated with a sizing composition, wherein the sizing composition comprises:
a film former;
a silane coupling agent; and
a weakly-coordinating anion salt;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises a weakly-coordinating anion and a counter-cation;
wherein the weakly-coordinating anion is selected from the group consisting of hexafluorophosphate, hexafluoroarsenate, hexafluoroantimonate, and hexafluorobismuthate; and
wherein the counter-cation is selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal, ammonium, and an alkaline earth metal.

15. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the polymer matrix is selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, modified polyolefins, saturated polyesters, unsaturated polyesters, polyacetals, polyamides, polyacrylamides, polyimides, polyethers, polyvinylethers, polystyrenes, polyoxides, polycarbonates, polysiloxanes, polysulfones, polyanhydrides, polyimines, epoxy resins, polyacrylics, polyvinylesters, polyurethanes, maleic resins, urea resins, melamine resins, phenol resins, furan resins, polymer blends, polymer alloys, and combinations thereof.

16. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the reinforcing fibers comprise glass fibers.

17. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the fiber reinforced composite comprises at least 30 wt % reinforcing fibers.

18. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises hexafluorophosphate.

19. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the sizing composition comprises at least one or more of: sodium hexafluorophosphate; potassium hexafluorophosphate; and ammonium hexafluorophosphate.

20. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the film former comprises a modified polyolefin.

21. The fiber reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein
the film former comprises from 50 wt % to 90 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition;
the silane coupling agent comprises from 5 wt % to 20 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition; and
the weakly-coordinating anion salt comprises from 0.5 wt % to 10 wt % of the dry solids of the sizing composition.

Assignees

• Owens Corning Intellectual Capital Llc

Inventors

• Cossement Marc
• Gasca Jean-Philippe
• Besson Yvan
• Romeyer Julien

Classifications

• C03C25/30 Primary

  Polyolefins · CPC title

• C08K9/06

  with silicon-containing compounds · CPC title

• C03C25/47

  containing particles, fibres or flakes, e.g. in a continuous phase · CPC title

• C08L51/06

  grafted on to homopolymers or copolymers of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing only one carbon-to-carbon double bond · CPC title

• C08K2003/321

  Phosphates · CPC title