Method of inhibiting color change in a plastic article comprising silver-based antimicrobials
AssigneeMilliken & Company
InventorJohn G. Lever
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Abstract
This invention relates to improvements in inhibiting undesirable discoloring of plastic articles within which silver-based antimicrobials have been introduced. Such a method requires the utilization of very low amounts of acid scavengers or stabilizers such as aluminum-magnesium hydroxycarbonate, otherwise known as hydrotalcite (and not a zinc-based compound). Such hydrotalcites are very low in cost, easy to handle, and, utilized in very low levels in combination with a silver-based antimicrobial within a plastic composition, surprisingly substantially prohibits the generation of unwanted aesthetically displeasing colors.
Claims6
A plastic article comprising a plastic material, a silver-based antimicrobial agent and an aluminum magnesium hydrotalcite wherein said hydrotalcite is present in an amount of from about 0.001 to about 0.2% of the total weight of the plastic article.
A method of inhibiting color change in a plastic composition or article comprising a silver-based antimicrobial complex, said method comprising the step of introducing an aluminum magnesium hydrotalcite within a molten thermoplastic resin composition and molding said resultant thermoplastic/hydrotalcite composition into a plastic article, wherein the concentration of said hydrotalcite is from about 0.001 to about 0.1% of the total weight of said plastic article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.