Solution based polymer nanofiller-composites synthesis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228065-B2
Application number	US-201414274111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A solution based polymer nanofiller composite processing method to improve mechanical, electrical, thermal and/or chemical properties. The solution based synthesis method may include the steps of surface functionalizing carbon nanomaterials and dissolving a polymer in a solvent. The functionalized carbon nanomaterials and dissolved polymer may be mixed until the mixture is homogenous. The mixture may be cured to form the polymer carbon nano-composite material, which provides significant improvements in modulus, hardness, strength, fracture toughness, wear, fatigue, creep, and damping performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a polymer nanofiller composite, the method comprising:
functionalizing carbon nanomaterials to form a first nanofiller solution, wherein the functionalizing of the carbon nanomaterials improves chemical bonding between the carbon nanomaterials and a polymer, and the carbon nanomaterials are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), or buckyballs;
dissolving the polymer in a solvent to form a second polymer solution, wherein the second polymer solution consist of the polymer and solvent or the polymer, solvent, and one or more vulcanizing agent;
mixing the first nanofiller solution and the second polymer solution to form a homogeneous mixture; and
adding the one or more vulcanizing agent to the first nanofiller solution, the second polymer solution, or during the mixing step.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising curing the homogeneous mixture to form the polymer nanofiller composite.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR), Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR), Natural polyisoprene, Synthetic polyisoprene, Polybutadiene, Chloropene rubber, Butyl rubber, Halogenated butyl rubbers, or Styrene-butadiene Rubber.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanomaterials are functionalized in an oxidizing agent.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the oxidizing agent is nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid, ozone, or hydrogen peroxide.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein functional groups of the carbon nanomaterials are —OH, —COH, or —COOH.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the curing is performed utilizing UV radiation, electron beams, heat, or chemical additives.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the curing is performed utilizing a vulcanizing process.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the vulcanizing process is performed by adding sulfur, peroxides, urethane crosslinkers, metallic oxides, acetoxysilane, curatives, and/or accelerators.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanomaterials are carbon nano-fibers (CNFs), the CNFs are functionalized using nitric acid and sulfuric acid to create —COH and —COOH groups, and the polymer is rubber and the solvent is acetone and/or chloroform.

11. A method for forming a polymer nanofiller composite seal, the method comprising:
functionalizing carbon nanomaterials to form a first nanofiller solution, wherein the functionalizing of the carbon nanomaterials improves chemical bonding between the carbon nanomaterials and a polymer, and the carbon nanomaterials are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), or buckyballs;
dissolving the polymer in a solvent to form a second polymer solution, wherein the second polymer solution consist of the polymer and solvent or the polymer, solvent, and one or more vulcanizing agent;
mixing the first nanofiller solution and the second polymer solution to form a homogeneous mixture; and
curing and molding the homogeneous mixture to form a polymer nanofiller composite seal.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising adding a vulcanizing agent the first nanofiller solution, second polymer solution, or during the mixing step.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon nanomaterials are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), nanoclays, or buckyballs.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polymer is Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR), Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR), Natural polyisoprene, Synthetic polyisoprene, Polybutadiene, Chloropene rubber, Butyl rubber, Halogenated butyl rubbers, or Styrene-butadiene Rubber.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon nanomaterials are functionalized in an oxidizing agent including nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid, or hydrogen peroxide.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the curing is performed utilizing UV radiation, electron beams, heat, or chemical additives.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the curing is performed utilizing a vulcanizing process performed by adding sulfur, peroxides, urethane crosslinkers, metallic oxides, acetoxysilane, curatives, and/or accelerators.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon nanomaterials are carbon nano-fibers (CNFs), the CNFs are functionalized using nitric acid and sulfuric acid to create —COH and —COOH groups, and the polymer is rubber and the solvent is acetone and/or chloroform.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing excess of the solvent with a heat flux set up, wherein removal of the solvent allows for recycling.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer nanofiller composite comprises equal to or between 1-30 wt % of the carbon nanomaterials and equal to or between 70-99 wt % of the polymer.

Assignees

• Sun Li
• Pitta Anil
• Duong Hung
• Univ Houston System
• Vetco Gray Inc

Inventors

• Sun Li
• Pitta Anil
• Duong Hung

Classifications

• C08K2201/011

  Nanostructured additives · CPC title

• C08J3/215 Primary

  at least one additive being also premixed with a liquid phase · CPC title

• C08K3/041

  Carbon nanotubes · CPC title

• C08K7/24 Primary

  inorganic · CPC title

• C08K9/02

  Ingredients treated with inorganic substances · CPC title