Polymer product and interfacial polymerisation process using raft agent

• US 8,779,029 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Sydney
• Original Assignee: University of Sydney
• Inventors: Hawkett, Brian Stanley, Such, Christopher Henry, Nguyen, Duc Ngoc
• Primary Examiner(s): SASTRI, SATYA B
• Application Number:
  US12/295,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20090258979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: 523/207, 523/200, 523/204, 523/205, 526/222, 526/89, 526/229, 428/407, 427/212
• US Class Current: 523/200
• 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 preparing a dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material in a hydrophilic liquid, said method comprising:

(a) providing a dispersion of solid particulate material in a continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, the dispersion having been prepared from a composition comprising the solid particulate material, a hydrophilic RAFT agent and the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase, wherein the hydrophilic RAFT agent (i) functions as a stabilizer for the solid particular material, and (ii) is not capable of forming micelles within the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase,

(b) thereafter adding to the dispersion one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers; and

(c) 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.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the continuous hydrophilic liquid phase is a continuous aqueous phase and the method provides an aqueous dispersion of polymer encapsulated solid particulate material.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solid particulate material is selected from inorganic pigments, organic pigments, magnetic material, waxes, bioactive agents, and combinations thereof.

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

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

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

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solid particulate material is an inorganic or organic pigment selected from titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, silicon dioxide, barium sulphate, carbon black, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, quiancridone, dibromananthrone, and combinations thereof.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein Z is selected from optionally substituted alkoxy, optionally substituted aryloxy, optionally substituted alkyl, optionally substituted aryl, optionally substituted heterocyclyl, optionally substituted arylalkyl, optionally substituted alkylthio, optionally substituted arylalkylthio, dialkoxy- or diaryloxy- phosphinyl [—

P(=O)OR²₂], dialkyl- or diaryl- phosphinyl [—

P(=O)R²₂], optionally substituted acylamino, optionally substituted acylimino, optionally substituted amino, R¹—

(X)_n—

S— and

a polymer chain, where R¹, X and n are as defined in claim 6 and R² is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted C₁-C₈ alkyl, optionally substituted C₂-C₈ alkenyl, optionally substituted aryl, optionally substituted heterocyclyl, optionally substituted aralkyl, optionally substituted alkaryl.