Desiccant entrained polymer

• US 7,005,459 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSP Technologies North America LLC (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CSP Technologies Incorporated (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hekal, Ihab M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCDOWELL, SUZANNE E
• Application Number:
  US10/723,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 523/102, 523/122, 523/132, 521/905, 524/387, 524/503
• US Class Current: 523/102
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28014 characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28033 Membrane, sheet, cloth, pad, lamellar or mat
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28042 Shaped bodies; Monolithic structures
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28097 being coated, filled or plugged with specific compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/16 Making multilayered or multicoloured articles B29C45/0062 takes precedence; feeding colouring materials into the injection unit B29C45/1816
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/264 for absorbing liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/266 for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants B65D51/244, B65D51/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/26 by elimination of a solid phase from a macromolecular composition or article, e.g. leaching out
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 101/00 Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2203/16 used for films
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/02 not modified by chemical after-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0861 Saponified vinylacetate
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/10 Homopolymers or copolymers of propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/14 Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/22 Macromolecular compounds not provided for in C08L2666/16 - C08L2666/20
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 29/00 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an alcohol, ether, aldehydo, ketonic, acetal or ketal radical; Compositions of hydrolysed polymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 29/04 Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 69/00 Compositions of polycarbonates; Compositions of derivatives of polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 71/00 : Compositions of polyethers obtained by reactions forming an ether link in the main chain of polyacetals C08L59/00; of epoxy resins C08L63/00; of polythioether-ethers C08L81/02; of polyether-sulfones C08L81/06; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 71/02 : Polyalkylene oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 77/00 : Compositions of polyamides obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic amide link in the main chain of polyhydrazides C08L79/06; of polyamideimides or polyamide acids C08L79/08; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/083 : by using sorbent or hygroscopic materials, e.g. chemical substances, molecular sieves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 521/905 : Hydrophilic or hydrophobic cellular product

Abstract

The present invention includes a composition having a co-continuous interconnecting channel morphology. These co-continuous interconnecting channels are predominately occupied with a polymer and particles that control the percolation through the composition. The particles are composed of a material such as an absorbing agent, releasing agent and/or activation agent. The polymer composition may be used to form a desired shaped article such as plug type inserts and liners for closed containers, or it may be formed into a film, sheet, bead or pellet.

Claims

1. A composition comprising at least three components:

a polymer base material wherein the polymer base is a thermoplastic;

a desiccating agent;

a channeling agent, wherein the channeling agent is a material that is melted, during processing of the composition, and is a material that forms passages throughout a polymer base material, after processing of the composition; and

wherein;

a) the affinity between the material that is the channeling agent and the desiccating agent is greater than between the polymer base material and the desiccating agent;

b) the desiccating agent is entrained in the polymer base material;

c) the polymer base material is a material, prior to processing of the composition, that more greatly resists diffusion of moisture than does the material that is the channeling agent;

d) the passages transmit moisture to the entrained desiccating agent in the polymer base material; and

e) the composition has at least three phases.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the amount of desiccating agent in the composition is between about 45% to about 60% by weight with respect to the polymer base material.

3. The composition of claim 3 wherein the amount of polymer base material in the composition is at least about 40% by weight with respect to the composition.