Thermo-reversible material and method for preparing it
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorOlivier J. Poncelet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention concerns thermo-reversible materials. A material according to the invention comprises a support having grafted thereon a layer of a thermo-reversible polymer that can change from a hydrophilic state to a hydrophobic state depending on the temperature. This material can be used for the decontamination of aqueous effluents.
Claims3
A material comprising an inorganic support having surface OH groups, said support having grafted thereon a layer of a thermo-reversible polymer having a phase transition temperature designated as the Lower Critical Solution Temperature (LCST) and being hydrophilic below the LCST and hydrophobic above the LCST, wherein the thermo-reversible polymer results from the polymerization of a monomer of formula:
- where X is hydrogen or CH3, Z and Y each represent of hydrogen or a straight-chain or branched alkyl group containing from 1 to 6 atoms of carbon. Z and Y can be combined to form a heterocycle, and Z and Y cannot both be hydrogen, wherein said thermo-reversible polymer has an end-function that allows it to be grafted onto said inorganic support having surface OH groups, and
- wherein the inorganic support has further grafted thereon groups of formula
- where R2 is an alkyl group of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a trifluoroalkyl group of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.