Mineral particle dispersions stabilized with a poly (oxyalkene) phosphonate

1. A liquid composition comprising a mixture of:

(1) a liquid medium comprising water and/or a solvent;

(2) a colloidal dispersion of mineral particles; and

(3) a phosphonate terminated poly(oxyalkene) polymer of the general structure of the formula I:

wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl; R 3 is substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 20 alkyl, C 4 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 8 -C 20 aralkyl; R 4 and R 5 are independently H or C 1 -C 2 alkyl; R 6 is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl; m and n are independently 0-200; and the moieties to which m and n are subscripted and refer to are either blocked, randomly spaced, or both along the chain between the OR 3 and R 6 groups.

2. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer (3) is of the formula:

wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl;

R 3 is substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 20 alkyl, C 4 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 8 -C 20 aralkyl;

R 4 and R 5 are independently H or C 1 -C 2 alkyl;

m and n are independently 0 200, and the moieties to which m and n are subscripted and refer to are either blocked, randomly spaced, or both along the polyoxyalkene chain.

3. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein (1) is a polar organic solvent.

4. The composition according to claim 3 , wherein the solvent is ethanol, propanol, butanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, glyme, diglyme, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether 2-(1-methoxy)propyl acetate, propylene glycol monomethylether, ethyl lactate, anisole, methyl adipate, or cyclopentanol.

5. The composition according to any of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the mineral particles are cationic.

6. The composition according to any of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the mineral particles are metal oxide particles.

7. The composition according to claim 6 wherein the mineral particles are metal oxide particles and wherein the metal is aluminum, zirconium, phosphorus, gallium, cerium, germanium, barium, strontium, yttrium, antimony, cesium, or a combination thereof.

8. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the mineral particles are metal oxide particles and wherein the molar ratio between the phosphonate molar equivalent of the polymer (3) and the moles of total metal oxides of the dispersion is of between 0.00 1 and 10.0.

9. The composition according to claim 8 , wherein the molar ratio, is of between 0.1 and 1.5.

10. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the particle size of the particle dispersion is of at most 5000 nm.

11. The composition according to claim 10 , wherein the particle size of the colloidal dispersion is of at most 200 nm.

12. A process for the preparation of a composition according to claim 1 , comprising the step of mixing the colloidal dispersion with the phosphonate polymer in water and/or a solvent.

13. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein (1) is water.

14. The composition according to claim 13 , having a pH of between 1 and 10.

15. A process for stabilizing aqueous and/or solvent-based dispersions of mineral particles comprising the step of adding to said dispersions, an efficient stabilising amount of a phosphonate terminated poly(oxyalkene) polymer of the general structure of the formula I:

wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl; R 3 is substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 20 alkyl, C 4 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 8 -C 20 aralkyl; R 4 and R 5 are independently H or C 1 -C 2 alkyl; R 6 is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl; m and n are independently 0 200; and the moieties to which m and n are subscripted and refer to are either blocked, randomly spaced, or both along the chain between the OR 3 and R 6 groups.

16. A process according to claim 15 , wherein the polymer is of the formula:

wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 6 -C 20 aralkyl;

R 3 is substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 20 alkyl, C 4 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 8 -C 20 aralkyl;

R 4 and R 5 are independently H or C 1 -C 2 alkyl;

m and n are independently 0 200, and the moieties to which m and n are subscripted and refer to are either blocked, randomly spaced, or both along the polyoxyalkene chain.

17. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the dispersion is in a polar organic solvent.

18. The process according to claim 17 , wherein the solvent is ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, glyme, diglyme, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether 2-(1-methoxy)propyl acetate, propylene glycol monomethylether, ethyl lactate, anisole, methyl adipate, or cyclopentanol.

19. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the mineral particles are cationic.

20. The process according to claims 15 , wherein the mineral particles are metal oxide particles.

21. The process according to claim 20 , wherein the metal is aluminum, zirconium, phosphorus, gallium, germanium, cerium, barium, strontium, yttrium, antimony, cesium, or a combination thereof.

22. The process according to claim 21 , wherein the molar ratio between the phosphonate molar equivalent of the polymer (3) and the moles of total metal oxides of the dispersion is of between 0.001 and 10.0.

23. The composition according to claim 22 , wherein the molar ratio, is of between 0.1 and 1.5.

24. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the particle size of the particle dispersion is of at most 5000 nm.

25. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the particle size of the colloidal dispersion is of at most 200 nm.

26. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the dispersion is in water and has a pH of between 1 and 10.

27. A paint or varnish composition comprising an aqueous and/or solvent-based dispersion of mineral particles stabilized by the process as defined in any one of claims 15 to 26 .