Infrared absorbing compositions and laminates

• US 6,911,254 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2002
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solutia Incorporated (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Original Assignee: Solutia Incorporated (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Inventors: Garrett, Paul D., Booth, Howard D. Jr., Moran, James R., Fisher, W. Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Reddick, Judy M.
• Application Number:
  US10/147,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20030054160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 428/328, 428/407, 428/427, 428/432, 428/437, 428/430, 428/458, 524/403, 524/404, 524/409, 524/413, 523/137
• US Class Current: 428/328
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10633 Infrared radiation absorbing or reflecting agents
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10651 comprising colorants, e.g. dyes or pigments
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 2201/014 Additives containing two or more different additives of the same subgroup in C08K
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/22 of metals
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/38 Boron-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 67/00 Compositions of polyesters obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain of polyester-amides C08L77/12; of polyester-imides C08L79/08; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/256 Heavy metal or aluminum or compound thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2998 including synthetic resin or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31616 Next to polyester [e.g., alkyd]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3163 Next to acetal of polymerized unsaturated alcohol [e.g., formal butyral, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31681 Next to polyester, polyamide or polyimide [e.g., alkyd, glue, or nylon, etc.]

Abstract

Laminates are disclosed having interlayers containing an infrared absorbing amount of lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) coated on or dispersed in a thermoplastic polymeric matrix. Preferably, the LaB₆ is combined with other materials, such as indium tin oxide, antimony tin oxide, organic dyes or pigments in a polymeric matrix of polyvinyl butyral (PVB). Alternatively, LaB₆ is coated on a sheet of polyethylene terephthalate and encapsulated with one or more sheets of PVB. The interlayers having LaB₆ dispersed therein or coated thereon are advantageously combined with encapsulation layers, reflective layers, dyed layers and/or pigmented layers.

Claims

1. A laminate transparent to visible light and absorbing light in the infrared region of the spectrum, comprising

at least one substrate;

a reflective film; and

an absorbing sheet having an infrared absorbing amount of lanthanum hexaboride nanoparticles dispersed in a thermoplastic polymeric matrix.

2. The laminate of claim 1, wherein said reflective film comprises a sheet of metallized polyethylene terephthalate.

3. The laminate of claim 1, wherein said reflective film comprises a multi-layer spectrally selective film.

4. The laminate of claim 1, wherein said absorbing sheet further comprises spectrally selective infrared absorbing organic dyes or pigments dispersed in said thermoplastic polymeric matrix.

5. The laminate of claim 1, further comprising an additional thermoplastic polymeric layer having organic dye or pigment dispersed therein.

6. The laminate of claim 1, wherein said absorbing sheet further comprises indium tin oxide nanoparticles, antimony tin oxide nanoparticles, or mixtures thereof, dispersed in said thermoplastic polymeric matrix.

7. The laminate of claim 1, comprising two rigid substrates transparent to visible light, wherein said reflective film and absorbing sheet are interposed between the two rigid substrates.

8. The laminate of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic polymeric matrix is polyvinyl butyral and said lanthanum hexaboride nanoparticles have an average size in the range 5 to 200 nm.

9. The laminate of claim 1, further comprising a polyethylene terephthalate film coated with particles selected from the group consisting of lanthanum hexaboride particles, indium tin oxide particles, antimony tin oxide particles, and mixtures thereof.

10. A laminate transparent to visible light and absorbing light in the infrared region of the spectrum comprising:

a polymer sheet having a coating of lanthanum hexaboride nanoparticles;

at least one encapsulating layer of thermoplastic polymeric material encapsulating said coated sheet; and

at least one substrate.

11. The laminate claim 10, wherein said polymer sheet is a polyethylene terephthalate sheet coated with a mixture of lanthanum hexaboride with at least one of indium tin oxide and antimony tin oxide, said at least one encapsulating layer is a polyvinyl butyral encapsulating layer and said polymer sheet and encapsulating layer are interposed between two glass substrates.

12. The laminate of claim 10, wherein said encapsulating layer includes a dispersed organic dye or a dispersed pigment.

13. The laminate of claim 10, further comprising a reflective film.

14. A multilayer structure transparent to visible light and absorbing light in the infrared region of the spectrum, comprising:

a thermoplastic polymeric layer having lanthanum hexaboride nanoparticles dispersed therein or coated thereon; and

at least one additional polymeric layer adjacent said thermoplastic polymeric layer.

15. The multilayer structure of claim 14, wherein

said thermoplastic polymeric layer is a layer of polyvinyl butyral having lanthanum hexaboride particles dispersed therein, and

said additional polymeric layer is a reflective film of embossed metallized polyethylene terephthalate.

16. The multilayer structure of claim 14, wherein

said thermoplastic polymeric layer is a layer of polyethylene terephthalate coated with lanthanum hexaboride nanoparticles and at least one of indium tin oxide and antimony tin oxide, and

said at least one additional polymeric layer comprises a polyvinyl butyral encapsulating layer.

17. The multilayer structure of claim 15, wherein said thermoplastic polymeric layer has dispersed therein, indium tin oxide, antimony tin oxide or a mixture thereof.

18. The multilayer structure of claim 16, wherein said additional polymeric layer comprises an organic dye or pigment.

19. The multilayer structure of claim 16, wherein said at least one additional polymeric layer comprises two layers of polyvinyl butyral encapsulating said coated layer of polyethylene terephthalate.

20. An infrared-absorbing visible light transparent composition in sheet form comprising:

a polymeric matrix material;

nanoparticulate lanthanum hexaboride dispersed in the polymeric matrix material; and

at least one organic dye or pigment that absorbs light in the visible or near infrared region of the spectrum dispersed in the polymeric matrix material.

21. The infrared-absorbing visible light transparent composition in sheet form according to claim 20,

wherein the polymeric matrix material comprises polyvinyl butyral and the

nanoparticulate lanthanum hexaboride has an average particle size in the range of 5 to 200 nm and is present in an amount between 0.001 and 0.1 percent by weight of said polymeric matrix material;

and wherein the infrared-absorbing visible light transparent composition further comprises

antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide or a mixture thereof present in an amount between 0.05 and 2.0 percent by weight of the composition; and

a light attenuating effective amount of pigment or organic dye.