Spherical particles comprising nanoclay-filled-polymer and methods of production and uses thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11732106-B2
Application number	US-202117388861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 29, 2021
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

Methods for producing highly spherical particles that comprise: mixing a mixture comprising: (a) nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprising a nanoclay dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer, (b) a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite, optionally (c) a thermoplastic polymer not filled with a nanoclay, and optionally (d) an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature at or greater than a melting point or softening temperature of the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer and the thermoplastic polymer, when included, to disperse the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite in the carrier fluid; cooling the mixture to below the melting point or softening temperature to form nanoclay-filled-polymer particles; and separating the nanoclay-filled-polymer particles from the carrier fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a mixture comprising:
(a) a nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprising a nanoclay dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer,
(b) a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite,
(c) optionally, a thermoplastic polymer not filled with a nanoclay, and
(d) optionally, an emulsion stabilizer;

shearing the mixture at a temperature at or greater than a melting point or softening temperature of the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite and the thermoplastic polymer not filled with the nanoclay, when included, to disperse the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite as droplets in the carrier fluid;
cooling the mixture to below the melting point or softening temperature to form nanoclay-filled-polymer particles containing exfoliated clay platelets dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer; and
separating the nanoclay-filled-polymer particles from the carrier fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 90 wt % of the nanoclay is dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer as the exfoliated clay platelets.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay comprises a quaternary ammonium compound.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite is formed by melt mixing the nanoclay with the thermoplastic polymer for about 5 minutes to about 1 hour at about 125° C. to about 250° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprises about 80 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the thermoplastic polymer, and about 0.05 wt % to about 20 wt % of the nanoclay, based on the total weight of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion stabilizer is present and comprises a plurality of nanoparticles, the plurality of nanoparticles comprising a plurality of oxide nanoparticles.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of oxide nanoparticles comprises silica nanoparticles.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the silica nanoparticles are present at a silica nanoparticle content ranging from about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt %, based on a total weight of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is present at a weight ratio with respect to the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite ranging from 50:50 to 90:10.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is polydimethylsiloxane.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite has an elongation at break ranging from about 200% to about 600%.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite has a tensile strength ranging from about 10 MPa to about 30 MPa.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite has a molecular weight ranging from about 20 kD to about 500 kD.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoclay-filled-polymer particles have a D50 ranging from about 20 μm to about 80 μm with a diameter span of about 2 or less.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprises a polyamide, a polyolefin, and/or a polyurethane.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer not filled with the nanoclay comprises a polyamide, a polyolefin, and/or a polyurethane.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Claridge Robert
• Farrugia Valerie M

Classifications

• C08K3/346 Primary

  Clay · CPC title

• B29B9/10

  by moulding the material, i.e. treating it in the molten state · CPC title

• B29C64/153

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B29C64/314

  Preparation · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title