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AssigneeAMCOL International Corporation
InventorsFernando Serrano, Steven J. Engman, Gary W. Beall
Estimating the term…
Nanocomposites are manufactured by combining an EVOH matrix polymer and exfoliated intercalates formed by contacting a phyllosilicate with a non-EVOH intercalant to adsorb or intercalate the intercalant between adjacent phyllosilicate platelets. Sufficient intercalant is adsorbed between adjacent phyllosilicate platelets to expand the adjacent platelets to a spacing of at least about 5 .ANG., preferably at least about 10 .ANG. (as measured after water removal), up to about 100 .ANG. and preferably in the range of about 30-40 .ANG., so that the intercalate easily can be exfoliated, e.g., when mixed with the EVOH matrix polymer melt, to provide an EVOH matrix polymer/platelet composite (nanocomposite) material that does not degrade the EVOH matrix polymer.
A composite material comprising an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer in an amount of about 40% to about 99.95% by weight of the composite material, and about 0.05% to about 60% by weight exfoliated platelets of a phyllosilicate material, said platelets derived from an intercalate formed by contacting a phyllosilicate with a non-ethylene vinyl alcohol intercalant in an intercalating composition, said intercalant selected from the group consisting of a polymerizable monomer, oligomer and polymer, said composition having a concentration of said intercalant of at least about 2% by weight intercalant, to achieve sorption of and complexing of the intercalant to an inner platelet surface by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of ionic complexing;
A method of manufacturing a composite material containing about 40% to about 99.95% by weight of an EVOH matrix polymer, and about 0.05% to about 60% by weight of exfoliated platelets of a phyllosilicate material, said platelets derived from an intercalated phyllosilicate having an intercalant intercalated between adjacent phyllosilicate platelets comprising:
A method of manufacturing a composite material comprising an EVOH matrix polymer and exfoliate platelets of a phyllosilicate comprising:
A composite material comprising an EVOH matrix polymer in an amount of about 40% to about 99.95% by weight of the composite material, and about 0.05% to about 60% by weight exfoliated platelets of a phyllosilicate material, said platelets derived from an intercalate formed by contacting a phyllosilicate, having a water content of at least about 4% by weight, with a non-EVOH intercalant to form an intercalating composition, thereby achieving sorption of the intercalant between adjacent spaced layers of the phyllosilicate to expand the spacing between a predominance of the adjacent phyllosilicate platelets to at least about 10 .ANG., when measured after sorption of the intercalant, and thereafter exfoliating the intercalate into a predominance of single platelets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.