Granted Patent B2

US 6,884,834 · App. 10/247,593 · Granted Apr 26, 2005

Abstract

Claims (13)

1. A method comprising shearing a belt of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-clay nanocomposite at a shear rate effective to provide an improvement in rheological, mechanical, or barrier property of the nanocomposite, wherein the nanocomposite is prepared by a solution process comprising mixing an organoclay and an HDPE in an organic solvent and then evaporating the solvent, said solvent being a mixture of an aromatic solvent and a polar solvent selected from the group consisting of ethers, esters, glycols, alcohols, carbonates, and ketones.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the shear rate is about 0.01 sec −1 or greater.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the shear rate is within the range of about 0.01 sec −1 to about 100 sec −1 .

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the shear rate is within the range of about 0.01 sec −1 to about 10 sec −1 .

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the shear rate is within the range of about 0.1 sec −1 to about 10 sec −1 .

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the shear rate is within the range of about 0.1 sec −1 to about 1 sec −1 .

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanocomposite has an HDPE/clay weight ratio within the range of about 100:1 to about 1:1.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanocomposite has an HDPE/clay weight ratio within the range of about 50:1 to about 5:1.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixing is performed in the absence of polymeric compatiblizing agent.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the organoclay is an alkyl amine- or quaternary ammonium-modified clay.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the polar solvent is a ketone.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the polar solvent is acetone.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent mixture has a weight ratio of aromatic solvent/polar solvent greater than 50:50.

Assignments (15)