CAPSULES, METHODS FOR MAKING CAPSULES, AND SELF-HEALING COMPOSITES INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20080299391A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Blaiszik, Benjamin J., White, Scott R., Sottos, Nancy R.
• Application Number:
  US11/756,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20080299391A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/402.21
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 13/14 Polymerisation; cross-linking
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/163 Sealing compositions or agents, e.g. combined with propellant agents
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/22 the article containing elements including a sealing composition, e.g. powder being liberated when the article is damaged
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/22 Emulsion polymerisation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 255/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of hydrocarbons as defined in group C08F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 265/04 on to polymers of esters
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 277/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of carbocyclic or heterocyclic monomers as defined respectively in group C08F32/00 or in group C08F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 279/02 on to polymers of conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 289/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to macromolecular compounds not provided for in groups C08F251/00 - C08F287/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 59/502 Polyalkylene polyamines
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/003 grafted on to macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds C08L51/04, C08L51/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/08 grafted on to macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 61/24 with urea or thiourea
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 63/00 Compositions of epoxy resins; Compositions of derivatives of epoxy resins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2985 Solid-walled microcapsule from synthetic polymer

Abstract

A composition includes a plurality of capsules, and a polymerizer in the capsules. The capsules have an average outer diameter less than 10 micrometers. The capsules can be made by sonicating an emulsion to form a microemulsion, where the emulsion includes water, a surfactant, a first polymerizer and a second polymerizer, and then polymerizing the first polymerizer. The capsules may be present in a composite material that includes a polymer matrix and an activator.

Claims

1. A composition, comprising:

a plurality of capsules, and

a polymerizer, in the capsules;

where the capsules have an average outer diameter less than 10 micrometers.

2. The composition of claim 1, where the capsules have an average outer diameter of 100 nanometers to 5 micrometers.

3. The composition of claim 1, where the capsules have an average outer diameter of 100 nanometers to 2.5 micrometers.

4. The composition of claim 1, where the capsules have an interior volume of 0.5 femtoliter to 5 picoliters.

5. The composition of claim 1, where the capsules have an interior volume of 0.9 femtoliter to 4.2 picoliters.

6. The composition of claim 1, where the polymerizer accounts for 90% of the volume of the capsules.

7. The composition of claim 1, where the capsules comprise a capsule shell comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of a urea-formaldehyde polymer, a polyurethane, a gelatin, a polyurea, a polystyrene, and a polyamide.

8. The composition of claim 7, where the capsule shell comprises a urea-formaldehyde polymer.

9. The composition of claim 1, where the polymerizer comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a cyclic olefin, an unsaturated monomer, a lactone, a lactam, an epoxy-functional monomer, and a functionalized siloxane.

10. The composition of claim 1, where the polymerizer comprises dicyclopentadiene.

11. A method of making capsules, comprising:

sonicating an emulsion, to form a microemulsion,

the emulsion comprising water, a surfactant, a first polymerizer, and a second polymerizer; and

polymerizing the first polymerizer, to form capsules encapsulating at least a portion of the second polymerizer.

12. The method of claim 11, where the capsules have an average outer diameter less than 10 micrometers.

13. The method of claim 11, where the capsules have an average outer diameter of 100 nanometers to 5 micrometers, and an interior volume of 0.5 femtoliter to 5 picoliters.

14. The method of claim 11, where the emulsion further comprises a costabilizer.

15. The method of claim 14, where the costabilizer comprises a member selected from the group consisting of cetyl alcohol, hexadecane, octane, n-dodecyl mercaptan, poly(methyl methacrylate), and polystyrene.

16. The method of claim 11, where the surfactant comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a cationic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, an ester surfactant, and a non-ionic surfactant.

17. The method of claim 11, where the surfactant comprises ethylene-maleic anhydride copolymer.

18. The method of claim 11, where the first polymerizer comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a urea-formaldehyde polymer precursor, a polyurethane precursor, a gelatin precursor, a polyurea precursor, a polystyrene precursor, and polyamide precursor.

19-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A composite material, comprising:

a polymer matrix,

a plurality of capsules,

a polymerizer, in the capsules, and

an activator;

where the capsules have an average outer diameter less than 10 micrometers.

26. A method of making the composite material of claim 21, comprising:

combining the plurality of capsules and the activator with a matrix precursor, and

solidifying the matrix precursor to form the polymer matrix.

22-25. -25. (canceled)

27-30. -30. (canceled)