Hygroscopic polymer composites and related manufacturing methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025073670-A1
Application number	US-202418811439-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 21, 2024
Priority date	Aug 30, 2023
Publication date	Mar 6, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

This disclosure is related to materials with highly stable and reversible water sorption and retention properties, as well as formulations and methods for their manufacture and uses. Composite materials of the present disclosure can avoid weeping or leakage of liquid water at wide ranges in ambient relative humidities so as to be suitable for a variety of applications including thermal management, thermal energy storage, atmospheric water generation and dehumidification systems. Composites disclosed herein can comprise an ionomeric material and in some embodiments, a hygroscopic or deliquescent salt. Furthermore, composites disclosed herein can also include a water vapor permeable or support polymer material providing support for reversible expansion or volume changes during water vapor sorption/desorption cycling via porous and/or elastic character, thereby avoiding mechanical restriction that could cause weeping or leakage of liquid water.

First claim

1 . A composite comprising:
an ionomeric material having an ionized polymeric matrix to retain an equilibrated water content; and, a water vapor permeable polymer material; wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material supports a volume change of the ionomeric material between a contracted state having a first equilibrated water content and a swelled state having a second equilibrated water content, the second equilibrated water content being greater than the first equilibrated water content.

2 . The composite of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reinforcement material to support a volume change of the ionomeric material or both the ionic material and the water vapor permeable polymer material between the contracted state and the swelled state.

3 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material comprises a porous matrix to facilitate water vapor permeation and provide a rigid framework to support the volume change of the ionomeric material between the contracted state and the swelled state.

4 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material is an elastomer to facilitate water vapor permeation and exhibits an elastic volume change between the contracted state and the swelled state.

5 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric material has a degree of crosslinking between 1-5 mol %.

6 . The composite of claim 1 , further comprising a hygroscopic salt incorporated within an ionized polymeric matrix of the ionomeric material.

7 . The composite of claim 6 , wherein the hygroscopic salt-incorporated ionomeric material is supported within the water vapor permeable polymer material; and, wherein the composite retains the equilibrated water content absorbed by the hygroscopic salt-incorporated ionomeric material within the water vapor permeable polymer material.

8 .- 10 . (canceled)

11 . The composite of claim 6 , wherein the hygroscopic salt is present in the amount of 5 to 60 weight % of the ionomeric material.

12 .- 13 . (canceled)

14 . The composite of claim 6 , wherein the hygroscopic salt comprises calcium chloride, calcium bromide, magnesium chloride, ammonium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium chloride, zinc bromide, sodium bromide, lithium iodide, sodium iodide, potassium iodide, potassium carbonate, potassium iodide, potassium sulfate, potassium acetate, zinc sulfate or a combination thereof.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the composite exhibits a reversible water sorption capacity above 20 weight % of composite mass at 60% RH and 25° C. in the absence of weeping.

17 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the composite comprises air-permeable pores in the contracted state and the swelled state.

18 . (canceled)

19 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material comprises a porous matrix, wherein the porous matrix of the water vapor permeable polymer material supports a volume change of the ionomeric material.

20 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material is provided as a foam configured to form around the ionomeric material in a super-swelled state such that air-permeable pores are present when the ionomeric material is in the contracted state, or in both the swelled state and the contracted state.

21 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor permeable polymer material comprises a polyisocyanurate foam, a polyurethane foam, a polyimide foam, a phenolic foam, or a combination thereof.

22 .- 30 . (canceled)

31 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric material comprises a polyamide, a polyacrylamide, a polysaccharide, a polycarbonate, a polyisocyanate, a polyepoxide, a polyurethane, a peptide, an alginate, or a combination thereof.

32 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric material comprises poly diallyldimethylammonium chloride (poly-DADMAC), a modified chitosan material, or a combination thereof.

33 .- 47 . (canceled)

48 . A layer comprising:
a hygroscopic polymer composite comprising an ionomeric material and a water vapor permeable polymer material, the water vapor permeable polymer material supporting a volume change of the ionomeric material between a contracted state and a swelled state, the swelled state having a greater water content than the contracted state; wherein the hygroscopic polymer composite receives heat from a surface such that water is evaporated from the hygroscopic polymer composite to the ambient environment upon transition from the swelled state to the contracted state.

49 . The layer of claim 48 , wherein the layer is configured to receive heat generated by a solar panel during a daytime operation such that water is evaporated from the hygroscopic polymer composite to the ambient environment upon transition from the swelled state to the contracted state.

50 . The layer of claim 48 , wherein the layer comprises:
an inner layer contacting a backside of the solar panel; an outer layer exposed to the ambient environment, the outer layer comprising the ionomeric material and the water vapor permeable polymer material, wherein the outer layer absorbs water vapor from ambient air during a nighttime period; and, wherein the outer layer receives, via the inner layer, heat generated by the solar panel during the daytime operation to decrease the operating temperature of the solar panel, thereby increasing operating efficiency of the solar panel.

51 .- 53 . (canceled)

54 . A solar panel comprising:
a plurality of solar cells, each of the solar cells comprising:
a front side that faces the sun during a daytime operation to convert solar radiation impinging thereon into electrical energy and heat, and
a backside opposite the front side;
a transparent cover over the front sides of the solar cells; a backsheet on the backsides of the solar cells; a layer comprising a hygroscopic polymer composite to receive heat generated by the plurality of solar cells during a daytime operation such that water is evaporated from the hygroscopic polymer composite to the ambient environment upon transition from a first state to a second state, the second state having a lower water content than the first state.

55 .- 58 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Friesen Cody
• Bautista-Martinez Jose Antonio
• Goncharenko Mykhaylo
• Johnson Paul

Classifications

• B01J20/262

  obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. obtained by polycondensation (macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds per se C08G) · CPC title

• B01J20/261 Primary

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds (macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds per se C08F) · CPC title

• B01J20/28026

  Particles within, immobilised, dispersed, entrapped in or on a matrix, e.g. a resin · CPC title

• B01J20/3425

  of sorbents or filter aids comprising organic materials · CPC title

• B01J20/3483

  by thermal treatment not covered by groups B01J20/3441 - B01J20/3475, e.g. by heating or cooling · CPC title