Silanes with embedded hydrophilicity, dispersible particles derived therefrom and related methods
View Patent ↗The invention provides a silane compound that includes a hydrophobic group and a silane ester group linked by a hydrophilic group for use as a surface treatment to an inorganic material, such as a pigment, the silane including a hydrophobic group and a silane ester group linked by a hydrophilic group. The invention includes a coated particle including an inorganic material coated with the silane compound(s) and methods of improving the wettability and/or dispersibility of an inorganic material such as a pigment, wherein the method comprises depositing the silane compounds on the surface of a pigment.
1. A silane compound for use in a surface treatment of a pigment, the silane compound comprising a hydrophobic group and a silane ester group linked by a hydrophilic group, wherein the silane compound has a structure represented by formula (I):
R 1 —R 2 —R 3 (I)
wherein R 1 represents the hydrophobic group and is a hydrocarbon group of 6 to about 50 carbon atoms, wherein R 1 links to the hydrophilic group via an ester-containing group;
wherein R 2 represents the hydrophilic group and R 2 is —(CH 2 CH 2 O) y —(R 4 ) x , wherein y is an integer from 1 to about 10; x is 0 to about 10, and R 4 is an ether linkage, an ester-containing group, a direct bond, or a substituted or unsubstituted, branched or straight chain hydrocarbon group of 1 to about 50 carbon atoms; and
wherein the silane ester group is represented by R 3 and R 3 is —Si(OC n A 2n+1 ) p ; wherein A is independently chosen from a hydrogen atom and a hydrocarbon group of 1 to about 5 carbon atoms; n is an integer of 1 to 10 and p is an integer of 1 to 10.
2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the silane compound is capable of reacting with an oxide surface.
3. The silane compound of claim 1 , wherein n is an integer of 2 to 6.
4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic hydrocarbon moiety comprises 6 to about 30 carbon atoms.
5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein y in the hydrophilic group is 3 to about 9.
6. The compound of claim 1 , wherein y in the hydrophilic group is about 3 to about 5.
7. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polyethyleneoxide group is linked to the silane ester group via an ester linkage and/or an ether linkage.
8. The compound of claim 1 , wherein a total number of atoms on a structural backbone of the hydrophilic group is less than a total number of atoms on a structural backbone of the hydrophobic group.
9. The compound of claim 8 , wherein a ratio of a total number of atoms present on a structural backbone of the hydrophilic group to a total number of atoms present on a structural backbone of the hydrophobic group is about 1:2.
10. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the total number of atoms on the structural backbone of the hydrophobic group is no more than 30% greater than the total number of atoms on the structural backbone of hydrophilic group.
11. A silane compound for use in a surface treatment of a pigment, the silane compound comprising a hydrophobic group and a silane ester group linked by a hydrophilic group, wherein the silane compound is selected from
triethoxysilylpropoxy(triethyleneoxy)dodecanoate, triethoxysilylpropoxy(PEG) 6 dodecanoate, triethoxysilylpropoxy(triethyleneoxy)octadecanoate,
triethoxysilylpropoxy(triethyleneoxy)dodecanoate, triethoxysilylpropoxy(PEG) 6 octadecanoate, and triethoxysilylpropoxy(PEG) 6 dodecanoate.