Increased bulk density powders and polymers containing them

1. A treated powder having improved loose bulk density comprising a silanized inorganic powder treated with a long chain fatty acid or salts thereof, wherein the amount of the long chain fatty acid is about 0.25% to about 2 wt %, based on the total weight of the treated powder, and wherein the loose bulk density of the treated powder is greater than the loose bulk density of an untreated silanized inorganic powder;

wherein the inorganic powder is selected from the group of TiO2 and ZnO, and the silane has the formula:

R 1 x Si(R 2 ) 4-x

wherein:

R 1 is a nonhydrolyzable aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic group having at least 1 to about 20 carbon atoms;

R 2 is a hydrolyzable group selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, acetoxy or hydroxy or mixtures thereof; and

x is an integer of 1 up to and including 3.

2. The treated powder of claim 1 wherein the long chain fatty acid has a chain length of about 8 to about 30 carbon atoms.

3. The treated powder of claim 2 wherein the long chain fatty acid has a chain length of about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms.

4. The treated powder of claim 1 wherein the silanized inorganic powder comprises at least one silane, or a mixture of at least one silane and at least one polysiloxane.

5. The treated powder of claim 4 wherein the silane is selected from the group of octyltriethoxysilane, nonyltriethoxysilane, decyltriethoxysilane, dodecyltriethoxysilane, tridecyltriethoxysilane, tetradecyltriethoxysilane, pentadecyltriethoxysilane, hexadecyltriethoxysilane, heptadecyltriethoxysilane and octadecyltriethoxysilane.

6. The treated powder of claim 4 wherein the polysiloxane has the formula:

(R 3 n SiO (4-n)2 ) m

wherein

R 3 is an organic or inorganic group;

n is ranges from 0 up to and including 3; and

m is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

7. The treated powder of claim 6 wherein the siloxane is selected from polydimethylsiloxane, vinyl phenylmethyl terminated dimethyl siloxanes, and divinylmethyl terminated polydimethyl siloxane.

8. The treated powder of claim 6 wherein the siloxane is polydimethylsiloxane.

9. The treated powder of claim 1 wherein in the silane, R 1 is a hydrocarbon having 8 to 18 carbon atoms; R 2 is an ethoxy group; and x is an integer ranging from 1 up to and including 3.

10. The treated powder of claim 1 wherein the inorganic powder is TiO 2 .

11. The treated powder of claim 10 wherein the loose bulk density of the treated TiO 2 is at least about 1% to about 40% greater than the loose bulk density of an untreated silanized TiO 2 by weight, based on the entire weight of the titanium dioxide.