Essential oil microparticles for powder coating applications
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsValerie Farrugia, Sandra Gardner, Mihaela Maria Birau
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Abstract
A composition having spherical microparticles composed primarily of polyester and one or more essential oils for use in electrostatic powder coating applications. The particles are produced by precipitation under shear stress from a solution containing the essential oils and a polyester resin.
Claims19
A composition comprising spherical microparticles for use as a powder coating, the microparticles comprising a polymer material with one or more essential oil compounds incorporated therein in an amount of between about 0.01% and about 20% by weight of the microparticles, wherein the microparticles have an average particle size of between about 0.01 microns and about 100 microns and a circularity of between about 0.93 and about 0.999, and wherein the essential oil compounds are organic compounds which are liquid at room temperature, soluble in organic solvents, insoluble in water, and can be extracted from plants by steam distillation, dry distillation, or mechanical processing without heating, including isomers thereof and derivatives made by esterification, hydrogenation, or hydration.
A process for producing a composition comprising spherical microparticles containing one or more essential oils, comprising the steps of:
- providing an amorphous polyester resin, a polymeric stabilizer comprising a water-soluble polymer, and the one or more essential oils;
- dissolving the polyester resin and polymeric stabilizer into a water-miscible organic solvent together with the essential oils to form a first fluid mixture;
- adding a polar solvent to the first fluid mixture at a predetermined rate, thereby forming a second fluid mixture comprising precipitated microparticles;
- collecting the precipitated microparticles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.