POLYMER PRODUCT AND INTERFACIAL POLYMERISATION PROCESS USING RAFT AGENT

• US 20090258979A1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Sydney
• Original Assignee: University of Sydney
• Inventors: Nguyen, Duc Ngoc, Hawkett, Brian Stanley, Such, Christopher Henry
• Granted Patent: US 8,779,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 524/105
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/64 Nanometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 nanometer
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/38 Polymerisation using regulators, e.g. chain terminating agents , e.g. telomerisation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/14 Methyl esters , e.g. methyl (meth)acrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/1804 C4-(meth)acrylate, e.g. butyl (meth)acrylate, isobutyl (meth)acrylate or tert-butyl (meth)acrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2438/03 Use of a di- or tri-thiocarbonylthio compound, e.g. di- or tri-thioester, di- or tri-thiocarbamate, or a xanthate as chain transfer agent, e.g . Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer [RAFT] or Macromolecular Design via Interchange of Xanthates [MADIX]
• CPC Class Codes: C09B 67/0008 with organic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 1/24 Oxides of iron
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 1/3676 Treatment with macro-molecular organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 3/10 Treatment with macromolecular organic compounds C09C3/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2998 including synthetic resin or polymer

Abstract

The invention provides a method of polymerising monomer to form polymer at the surface of solid particulate material, said method comprising: providing a dispersion of said solid particulate material in a continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, said dispersion comprising a hydrophilic RAFT agent as a stabiliser for said solid particulate material, and said continuous hydrophilic liquid phase comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers; and polymerising said one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers under the control of said hydrophilic RAFT agent to thereby form polymer at the surface of said solid particulate material.

Claims

1. A method of polymerising monomer to form polymer at the surface of solid particulate material, said method comprising:

providing a dispersion of said solid particulate material in a continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, said dispersion comprising a hydrophilic RAFT agent as a stabiliser for said solid particulate material, and said continuous hydrophilic liquid phase comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers; and

polymerising said one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers under the control of said hydrophilic RAFT agent to thereby form polymer at the surface of said solid particulate material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion of said solid particulate material is prepared by forming a composition comprising the solid particulate material, the hydrophilic RAFT agent and the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, and the one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers are then added to the composition and are polymerised under the control of the hydrophilic RAFT agent to thereby form polymer at the surface of the solid particulate material.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase is a continuous aqueous phase.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion of said solid particulate material is prepared by forming a composition comprising the solid particulate material, the hydrophilic RAFT agent and the one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers as the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, and wherein said composition is dispersed in a second continuous liquid phase and the one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers which form the first mentioned continuous hydrophilic liquid phase are polymerised under the control of the hydrophilic RAFT agent to thereby form polymer at the surface of the solid particulate material.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solid particulate material is selected from inorganic pigments, organic pigments, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, silicon dioxide, barium sulphate, carbon black, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, quiancridone, dibromananthrone, magnetic material, waxes, bioactive agents, and combinations thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the largest dimension of the solid particulate material is no greater than 10 microns.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the largest dimension of the solid particulate material is no greater than 1 micron.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic RAFT agent is of general formula (4):

5. A method of preparing a dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material in a hydrophilic liquid, said method comprising:

providing a dispersion of solid particulate material in a continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, said dispersion comprising a hydrophilic RAFT agent as a stabiliser for said solid particulate material, and said continuous hydrophilic liquid phase comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers; and

polymerising said one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers under the control of said hydrophilic RAFT agent to form polymer at the surface of said solid particulate material, thereby providing said dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material in a hydrophilic liquid.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase is a continuous aqueous phase and the method provides an aqueous dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material.

9. A method of preparing a paint, filler, adhesive, toner, liquid ink, primer, sealant, diagnostic product or therapeutic product comprising preparing a dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material according to claim 5 and/or preparing a polymer having solid particulate material dispersed therethrough according to claim 7, and combining said dispersion and/or polymer with one or more formulation components.

13. A paint, filler, adhesive, toner, liquid ink, primer, sealant, diagnostic product or therapeutic product comprising a dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material prepared in accordance with claim 5.

7. A method of preparing a polymer having solid particulate material dispersed therethrough, said method comprising:

providing a dispersion of said solid particulate material in a continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, said dispersion comprising a hydrophilic RAFT agent as a stabiliser for said solid particulate material, and said continuous hydrophilic liquid phase consisting essentially of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers; and

polymerising said one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers under the control of said hydrophilic RAFT agent to form polymer at the surface of said solid particulate material, thereby providing polymer having the solid particulate material dispersed therethrough.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase comprising the solid particulate material and the hydrophilic RAFT agent is dispersed in a second continuous liquid phase, and wherein the one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers are polymerised under the control of the hydrophilic RAFT agent to form polymer at the surface of said solid particulate material to thereby provide a dispersion in the second continuous liquid phase of polymer particles having the solid particulate material dispersed therethrough.

14. Polymer encapsulated solid particulate material that is 100 microns or less in size, said solid particulate material being encapsulated in a substantially uniform and continuous coating of a polymer that has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent.

15. Polymer encapsulated solid particulate material that is 100 microns or less in size, wherein the encapsulating polymer has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent, and wherein the solid particulate material is substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the encapsulating polymer.

16. A composition comprising or consisting of discrete particles of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material, said solid particulate material being encapsulated in a substantially uniform and continuous coating of a polymer which has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent.

18. The composition according to claim 16 which is in the form of a free flowing powder.

19. A paint, filler, adhesive, primer, toner, liquid ink, sealant, diagnostic product or therapeutic product comprising a composition according to claim 16.

17. A composition comprising or consisting of discrete particles of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material, said discrete particles having the solid particulate material substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the encapsulating polymer, wherein the encapsulating polymer has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent, and wherein, other than the hydrophilic RAFT agent, the encapsulating polymer comprises substantially no dispersant.

20. A liquid dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material, said solid particulate material being encapsulated in a substantially uniform and continuous coating of a polymer which has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent.

21. A liquid dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material, said polymer encapsulated solid particulate material having the solid particulate material substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the encapsulating polymer, wherein the encapsulating polymer has at least in part been formed under the control of a hydrophilic RAFT agent, and wherein, other than the hydrophilic RAFT agent, the encapsulating polymer comprises substantially no dispersant.