Thermally degradable polymeric fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951221-B2
Application number	US-201514606553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2011
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A thermally degradable polymeric fiber comprising a polymeric fiber matrix including a poly(hydroxyalkanoate) and a metal in the form of a compound selected from the group consisting of an alkaline earth metal oxide, a tin salt of a mono- or di-carboxylic acid, and scandium triflate (Sc(0Tf) 3 ), where the concentration of the metal in the fiber matrix is at least 0.1 wt %.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermally degradable polymeric fiber, comprising:
a polymeric fiber matrix comprising a poly(hydroxyalkanoate); and
a metal in the polymeric fiber matrix in the form of a compound selected from the group consisting of a tin salt of a mono- or di-carboxylic acid, and scandium triflate (Sc(OTf) 3 );
where the concentration of the metal compound is at least 0.1 wt %; and
the polymeric fiber matrix has a degradation temperature of at least 180° C. and at most 250° C.

2. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 , where the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) comprises poly(lactic acid) (PLA).

3. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 2 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate, tin(II) oxalate, or tin(II) octoate.

4. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 3 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate or tin(II) octoate.

5. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 , where the polymeric fiber matrix has a degradation temperature of at most 220° C.

6. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 , where the concentration of the metal compound is at least 1 wt %.

7. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 6 , where the concentration of the metal compound is at least 2 wt %.

8. A woven structure comprising the thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 .

9. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate, tin(II) oxalate, or tin(II) octoate.

10. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 9 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate or tin(II) octoate.

11. The thermally degradable polymeric fiber of claim 1 , where the metal compound comprises scandium triflate (Sc(OTf) 3 ).

12. A method for making a thermally degradable polymeric fiber, comprising:
forming a spinning liquid comprising a poly(hydroxyalkanoate), a solvent, and a metal in the form of a compound selected from the group consisting of a tin salt of a mono- or di-carboxylic acid, and scandium triflate (Sc(OTf) 3 );
passing the spinning liquid through a spinneret to form a polymeric fiber matrix comprising the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) and the metal compound; and
drying the polymeric fiber matrix to provide a concentration of the metal compound of at least 0.1 wt %;
where the polymeric fiber matrix has a degradation temperature of at least 180° C. and at most 250° C.

13. The method of claim 12 , where the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) comprises poly(lactic acid) (PLA).

14. The method of claim 12 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate, tin(II) oxalate, or tin(II) octoate.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising cold-drawing the thermally degradable polymeric fiber.

16. A method for incorporating a metal in a thermally degradable polymeric fiber comprising a polymeric fiber matrix comprising a poly(hydroxyalkanoate), wherein the method comprises melt spinning the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) and the metal, where the metal is in the form of a compound selected from the group consisting of a tin salt of a mono- or di-carboxylic acid, and scandium triflate (Sc(OTf) 3 );
where the concentration of the metal compound is at least 0.1 wt %; and
the polymeric fiber matrix has a degradation temperature of at least 180° C. and at most 250° C.

17. The method of claim 16 , where the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) comprises poly(lactic acid) (PLA).

18. The method of claim 16 , where the tin salt comprises tin(II) acetate, tin(II) oxalate, or tin(II) octoate.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising cold-drawing the thermally degradable polymeric fiber.

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Esser-Kahn Aaron P
• Dong Hefei
• Thakre Piyush R
• Patrick Jason F
• Sottos Nancy R
• Moore Jeffrey S
• White Scott R

Classifications

• B29C67/202 Primary

  comprising elimination of a solid or a liquid ingredient · CPC title

• C08L67/04 Primary

  Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids, e.g. lactones (C08L67/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C47/0007

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• D10B2331/041

  derived from hydroxy-carboxylic acids, e.g. lactones · CPC title

• B29C47/0014

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic