Fiber coated with water blocking material

• US 6,891,003 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pfister, Friedrich V., Rebouillat, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva, Tatyana
• Application Number:
  US10/317,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20030124350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 526/80, 526/60, 526/61, 526/72, 526/902, 526/922, 526/319, 526/320, 526/329.2, 525/367, 525/329.1, 525/329.2, 525/323.3, 525/369
• US Class Current: 526/80
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/26 Macromolecular compounds or prepolymers
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/507 Organic silicon compounds without carbon-silicon bond
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/513 with at least one carbon-silicon bond
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/263 of unsaturated carboxylic acids; Salts or esters thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/285 of unsaturated carboxylic acid amides or imides
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/643 containing silicon in the main chain
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/647 containing polyether sequences
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 23/08 Processes in which the treating agent is applied in powder or granular form adhesives for multi-layer textile fabrics D06M17/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 23/10 Processes in which the treating agent is dissolved or dispersed in organic solvents; Processes for the recovery of organic solvents thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44384 the means comprising water blocking or hydrophobic materials G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/288 using hygroscopic material or material swelling in the presence of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/902 Monomer polymerized in bulk in presence of transition metal containing catalyst
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/922 Polymerization process of ethylenic monomers using manipulative technique
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2913 Rod, strand, filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2927 including structurally defined particulate matter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2929 Bicomponent, conjugate, composite or collateral fibers or filaments [i.e., coextruded sheath-core or side-by-side type]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2933 Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2969 Polyamide, polyimide or polyester

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fiber coated with a water blocking material that includes an essentially water free dispersion comprising a superabsorbent polymer and a dispersing medium. The fibers made according to this invention may be used, for example, as fiber reinforcing material used in the manufacture of cables, and in particular in yarns for fiber optical cables that use optical light wave guides for optical communication transmissions.

Claims

1. In a process for preparing a superabsorbent polymer by providing an aqueous monomer solution, raising the temperature of the monomer to initiate the polymerization of the monomer, maintaining the temperature during the polymerization, and evaporating the water to produce a polymer, the improvement which comprises providing a shearing rate of at least 10,000 revolutions per minute during the entire process to produce a polymer having a particle size below 100 microns.

2. The process of claim 1 further comprising the step of partially or totally neutralizing the monomer.

3. The process of claim 1 further comprising the step of partially or totally cross linking the polymer.

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising adding a hydrocarbon solvent to the monomer before polymerization.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein an excess of a cross linking agent is added to the monomer.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein the cross linking agent is a glycol derivative.

7. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of adding superwetting agent having a surface tension below 30 millinewtons per meter to the monomer prior to polymerization.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the superwetting agent is dispersed in an hydrocarbon or aromatic solvent.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the dispersion includes from 0.05 to 10 weight percent of the superwetting agent and from 80-99.95 weight percent of the solvent.

10. The process of claim 8, wherein the ratio of superwetting agent and solvent to aqueous monomer solution is from 1:

1 to 3;

1.

11. The process of claim 7, wherein the superwetting agent is selected from the group consisting of trimethylsilane, a polyethylene oxide (PEO)-modified trimethylsilane, trisiloxane, a polyethylene oxide-modified trisiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, a polyethylene oxide-modified polydimethylsiloxane, and polyether modified siloxane.