# US 8,785,536 B2 · Use of acrylic polymers neutralized by lithium as dispersing agents or grinding aid agents of mineral materials in an aqueous medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,785,536 B2 - Document ID: US8785536B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/140,226 - Filed: 2009-12-08 - Published: 2011-10-27 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-12-19 - Assignees: Coatex - Applicants: Jacques Mongoin; Christian Jacquemet - Inventors: Jacques Mongoin; Christian Jacquemet - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785536B2 ## CPC - C08J 3/02: Making solutions, dispersions, lattices or gels by other methods than by solution, emulsion or suspension polymerisation techniques - C09C 1/021: {Calcium carbonates} - C09C 1/42: Clays - C09K 23/00: Use of substances as emulsifying, wetting, dispersing, or foam-producing agents - C01P 2004/61: Micrometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 micrometer - C01P 2004/62: Submicrometer sized, i.e. from 0.1-1 micrometer - C01P 2006/12: Surface area - C01P 2006/22: Rheological behaviour as dispersion, e.g. viscosity, sedimentation stability - C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29) - C09C: TREATMENT OF INORGANIC MATERIALS, OTHER THAN FIBROUS FILLERS, TO ENHANCE THEIR PIGMENTING OR FILLING PROPERTIES (treatment of materials specially adapted to enhance their filling properties in mortars, concrete or artificial stone C04B14/00, C04B18/00, C04B20/00); PREPARATION OF CARBON BLACK {; PREPARATION OF INORGANIC MATERIALS WHICH ARE NO SINGLE CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS AND WHICH ARE MAINLY USED AS PIGMENTS OR FILLERS} - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - C01P: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS ## Abstract The invention pertains to the use of a homopolymer of acrylic acid or a copolymer of acrylic acid with a water-soluble monomer, as a dispersing agent or grinding aid agent in a method for manufacturing an aqueous suspension of mineral materials through dispersion and/or grinding, characterized in that the carboxylic groups of said agent are fully or partially neutralized by the lithium ion and in that it exhibits a viscosity index of between 0.01 and 0.08. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing an aqueous suspension comprising dispersing and/or grinding a mineral material in the presence of an agent comprising a homopolymer of acrylic acid or a copolymer of acrylic acid with a water-soluble monomer wherein: a) the carboxylic groups of said agent are fully or partially neutralized by lithium, and b) said agent has a viscosity index of between 0.01 and 0.075. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the percentage by molar weight of the carboxylic groups neutralized by the lithium is between 10% and 100%. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the water soluble monomer for the copolymer is chosen from methacrylic acid, maleic anhydride, acrylamido-methylpropane sulfonic acid, phosphoric esters of glycol alkylene, and non-ionic monomers with the formula (I): wherein m, n, p and q are whole numbers and m, n, and p are less than 150, q is greater than 0, and at least one whole number among m, n, and p is non-zero, R is a radical comprising a polymerizable unsaturated function, R1 and R2 are identical or different and represent hydrogen atoms or alkyl groups, R′ represents hydrogen or a hydrocarbonated radical having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, or an ionic or ionizable group. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said carboxylic groups of said agent are partially neutralized by lithium and partially neutralized by at least one selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and ammonia. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the agent may be, before or after its total or partial neutralization reaction, treated and separated into several phases, according to static or dynamic processes, by one or more polar solvents selected from the group constituted by water, methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran or mixtures thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said agent is obtained by a process comprising radical polymerizing in solution, in a direct or inverse emulsion, in suspension or precipitation in solvents, in the presence of catalytic systems and chain transfer agents, or by a process comprising controlled radical polymerizing, and preferably by nitroxide mediated polymerizing (NMP) or by cobaloximes, by atom transfer radical polymerizing (ATRP), by radical polymerizing controlled by sulphurated derivatives, chosen from among carbamates, dithioesters or trithiocarbonates (RAFT) or xanthates. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said aqueous suspension, after dispersion and/or grinding, exhibits a solids content expressed as a percentage by dry weight of mineral materials in relation to its total weight, of between 10% and 82%. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said aqueous suspension exhibits a content of said agent by dry weight, in relation to the total dry weight of mineral materials, of between 0.001% and 5.000%. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said method comprises first grinding without a dispersing agent at a concentration by dry weight of mineral material of between 10% and 35% of the suspension's total weight, and then dispersion in the presence of said agent, at a concentration by dry weight of mineral material of between 65% and 72% of the total weight of the suspension. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral material is selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic calcium carbonate, talc, kaolin, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising dispersing said mineral material in the presence of said agent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising grinding said mineral material in the presence of said agent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising dispersing and grinding said mineral material in the presence of said agent. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said aqueous suspension exhibits an initial Brookfield™ viscosity, and a Brookfield™ viscosity after 8 days of storage, measured at 25° C., at 100 revolutions per minute and after 1 minute of agitation, both of which are less than 4,000 mPa·s. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said aqueous suspension exhibits an initial Brookfield™ viscosity, and a Brookfield™ viscosity after 8 days of storage, measured at 25° C., at 100 revolutions per minute and after 1 minute of agitation, both of which are less than 2,000 mPa·s. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said aqueous suspension exhibits an initial Brookfield™ viscosity, and a Brookfield™ viscosity after 8 days of storage, measured at 25° C., at 100 revolutions per minute and after 1 minute of agitation, both of which are less than 500 mPa·s. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said agent has a viscosity index of between 0.01 and 0.07. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous suspension prepared has a solid content expressed as a percentage by dry weight of mineral material in relation to its total weight, of between 10% and 82% and a content of said agent by dry weight, in relation to the total dry weight of mineral material, of between 0.001% and 5.000%, and wherein the percentage by molar weight of the carboxylic groups neutralized by the lithium ion is between 50% and 100%. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous suspension prepared has a solid content expressed as a percentage by dry weight of mineral material in relation to its total weight, of between 50% and 81% and a content of said agent by dry weight, in relation to the total dry weight of mineral material, of between 0.001% and 2.000%, and wherein the percentage by molar weight of the carboxylic groups neutralized by the lithium ion is between 50% and 100%. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous suspension prepared has a solid content expressed as a percentage by dry weight of mineral material in relation to its total weight, of between 65% and 72% and a content of said agent by dry weight, in relation to the total dry weight of mineral material, of between 0.05% and 1.00%, and wherein the percentage by molar weight of the carboxylic groups neutralized by the lithium ion is between 50% and 100%.