Particles comprising composite of para-aramid and additive material

A method for making a dope that comprises (a) 4 to 75 wt % of a composition consisting of poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) and a solid additive material, the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) being present in the composition in an amount of 2 to 80 wt % and the solid additive material being present in the composition in an amount of 20 to 98 wt %;

• and (b) a mixture of an alkali or earth alkali chloride and a solvent selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N′-dimethylformamide, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, tetramethylurea, and mixtures thereof, wherein the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) is dissolved in the mixture, the method comprising:
• i) making a solution of a para-aromatic diamine monomer and a para-aromatic dicarboxylic acid halide monomer in the mixture;
• ii) polymerizing the monomers to obtain the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) polymer, and
• iii) at the same time of step ii), or before, or thereafter, adding the solid additive material, the solid additive material being suitable for directly bonding to the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) polymer by mechanical, ionic, hydrogen, and/or Vanderwaals bonding, which renders a polymer-additive product wherein the additive cannot be separated from the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) polymer by filtration and washing procedure, or any other mechanical or chemical separation procedure other than dissolving the poly(para-phenylene terephthalamide) polymer in a solvent wherein the additive material is insoluble, to obtain the dope.

A polymer-additive material composite particle obtained from a dope made by:

• i) jet spinning the dope through a jet spin nozzle to obtain the pulp, fibril or fibrid, the dope including (a) a solvent that is selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N′-dimethylformamide, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, tetramethylurea, and mixtures thereof;
• and (b) 4 to 75 wt % of a composition consisting of a para-aramid polymer and a solid additive, the para-aramid polymer being present in the composition in an amount of 2 to 80 wt % and the solid additive material being present in the composition in an amount of 20 to 98 wt %;
• wherein the para-aramid polymer is dissolved in the solvent;
• or
• ii) coagulating the dope to obtain the pulp, fibril or fibrid by means of a rotor-stator apparatus, in which the dope is applied through the stator on the rotor so that polymer-additive composite pulp, fibril or fibrid are precipitated and subjected to shear forces while the polymer-additive composite pulp, fibril or fibrid are in a plastic deformable stage, wherein said pulp, fibril or fibrid comprises a para-aramid polymer and a solid additive, the dope including (a) a solvent that is selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N′-dimethylformamide, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, tetramethylurea, and mixtures thereof;
• and (b) 4 to 75 wt % of a composition consisting of a para-aramid polymer and a solid additive, the para-aramid polymer being present in the composition in an amount of 2 to 80 wt % and the solid additive material being present in the composition in an amount of 20 to 98 wt %;
• wherein the para-aramid polymer is dissolved in the solvent;
• wherein the particle is pulp, fibril or fibrid, and based on dry weight, the particle comprises 2 to 95 wt % of the para-aramid polymer and 20-98 wt % of the solid additive material, wherein the para-aramid polymer is directly bonded by mechanical, ionic, hydrogen, and/or Vanderwaals bonding to the additive material such that the additive cannot be separated from the para-aramid polymer by filtration and washing procedure, or any other mechanical or chemical separation procedure other than dissolving the para-aramid polymer in a solvent in which the additive material is insoluble.