Fibrous structured amorphous silica including precipitated calcium carbonate and compositions of matter made therewith

1. A coating composition for coating paper, paperboard, or label stock, said coating composition comprising a water slurry including

(a) a nano-composite material, said nano-composite material comprising an amorphous silica component, said amorphous silica component provided in three-dimensional haystack or globular configuration that presents a structure having interstitial spaces between amorphous silica structures with inner layers and outer layers with irregular interlacing amorphous silica structures or filaments which are fixed in relation to each other, and a crystalline calcium carbonate component, said crystalline calcium carbonate component comprising nano aragonite needle structures, said nano aragonite needle structures arising from said amorphous silica component, said nano-composite material having a major axis of length L in the range from 10 microns to 40 microns and a surface area of from 40 meters squared per gram to 200 meters squared per gram;

(b) clay; and

(c) wherein said coating composition, after mixing, passes through a screen of selected size.

2. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nano aragonite needle structures comprise aragonite crystals having a length of from 1 micron to 10 microns.

3. The coating composition as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said nano aragonite crystals have a length of from 3 microns to 5 microns.

4. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano aragonite needle structures comprise aragonite crystals having a diameter of from 100 nm to 200 nm.

5. The coating composition as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said nano aragonite crystals have an aspect ratio of from 50:1 to 100:1.

6. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite product has a water absorption characteristic in the range of from 100% to 300%.

7. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite product has a water absorption characteristic of at least 150%.

8. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite product has an oil absorption characteristic in the range of from 150% to 300%.

9. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite product has an oil absorption characteristic in the range of from 200% to 250%.

10. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite product has surface area in the range of from 50 meters squared per gram to 150 meters squared per gram.

11. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising synthetic crystalline aragonite.

12. The coating composition as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said synthetic crystalline aragonite comprises aragonite formed under pressure.

13. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said screen of selected size comprises a 100 mesh screen.

14. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said clay comprises calcined clay.

15. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said clay comprises natural clay.

16. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising ground calcium carbonate.

17. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising titanium dioxide.

18. The coating composition as set forth in claim 17 , said coating composition having a target brightness, wherein increasing an amount of said nano-composite material in said coating composition allows decrease in the quantity of said titanium dioxide in said coating composition necessary to achieve said target brightness.

19. The coating composition as set forth in claim 18 , wherein a specific target brightness is achieved with selected amount of titanium dioxide in the absence of said nano-composite material, and wherein said specific target brightness is alternately achieved by replacement of from 25% to 75% of said selected amount of titanium dioxide by addition of an effective amount of said nano-composite material.

20. The coating composition as set forth in claim 18 , wherein a specific target brightness is achieved with selected amount of titanium dioxide in the absence of said nano-composite material, and wherein said specific target brightness is alternately achieved by replacement of 50% said selected amount of titanium dioxide by addition of an effective amount of said nano-composite material.

21. The coating composition as set forth in claim 18 , wherein a specific target brightness is achieved with selected amount of titanium dioxide in the absence of said nano-composite material, and wherein said specific target brightness is alternately achieved by replacement of 25% of said selected amount of titanium dioxide by addition of an effective amount of said nano-composite material.

22. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a viscosity modifier.

23. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises an immobilization time reduction agent.

24. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a surface strength improvement agent, as measured by IGT pick test results.

25. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a blister resistance improvement agent, as measured by IGT blister test results.

26. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a surface appearance improvement agent.

27. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a surface smoothness improvement agent, as measured by Parker Print Smoothness testing.

28. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a whiteness (“L” value) improvement agent.

29. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a green shade (“a” value) improvement agent.

30. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a blue-white shade improvement agent.

31. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a surface finish agent, whereby a low gloss matte finish is provided in a coated sheet.

32. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said nano-composite material comprises a caliper enhancing constituent in said coating composition, wherein a coated sheet of increased caliper is provided.

33. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said coating composition comprises both said nano-composite material and a selected synthetic calcium silicate hydrate.

34. The coating composition as set forth in claim 33 , wherein said selected synthetic calcium silicate hydrate comprises aragonite.

35. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said coating composition further comprises any one or more of (a) titanium dioxide, and (b) ground calcium carbonate, and wherein providing an effective amount of said nano-composite material in said coating composition allows decrease in the quantity of said one or more of (1) titanium dioxide, and (2) ground calcium carbonate, in said coating composition.

36. The coating composition as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said clay in said coating composition comprises any one or more of (a) calcined clay and (b) natural clay, and wherein providing an effective amount of said nano-composite material in said coating composition allows decrease in the quantity of said one or more of (1) calcined clay or (2) natural clay, in said coating composition.

37. A coated, calendared, paperboard, comprising:

(a) one or more layers of kraft pulp;

(b) a base coating, said base coating comprising a coating composition including

(1) a nano-composite material, said nano-composite material comprising an amorphous silica component, said amorphous silica component provided in three-dimensional haystack or globular configuration that presents a fibrous structure having interstitial spaces between amorphous silica components with inner layers and outer layers with irregular interlacing amorphous silica components or filaments which are fixed in relation to each other, and a crystalline calcium carbonate component, said crystalline calcium carbonate component comprising nano aragonite needle structures, said nano aragonite needle structures arising from said amorphous silica component, said nano-composite material having a major axis of length L in the range from 10 microns to 40 microns and a surface area of from 40 meters squared per gram to 200 meters squared per gram; and

(2) clay.

38. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 37 , further comprising a top coating, wherein said top coating comprises:

(1) a nano-composite material, said nano-composite material comprising an amorphous silica component, said amorphous silica component provided in three-dimensional haystack or globular configuration that presents a structure having interstitial spaces between amorphous silica components with inner layers and outer layers with irregular interlacing amorphous silica components or filaments which are fixed in relation to each other, and a crystalline calcium carbonate component, said crystalline calcium carbonate component comprising nano aragonite needle structures, said nano aragonite needle structures arising from said amorphous silica component, said nano-composite material having a major axis of length L in the range from 10 microns to 40 microns and a surface area of from 40 meters squared per gram to 200 meters squared per gram; and

(2) clay.

39. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 37 , wherein said kraft pulp comprises unbleached kraft pulp.

40. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 38 , wherein said paperboard has an IGT Pick of at least 100.

41. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 38 , wherein said paperboard has an IGT Blister of least 92.

42. The coated, coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 38 , wherein said paperboard has an AGT Appearance of at least 8.

43. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 38 , wherein said paperboard has an ISO Opacity of at least 88.0.

44. The coated, calendared paperboard as set forth in claim 38 , wherein said paperboard has a Tappi Opacity of at least 86.0.

45. Paper, comprising paper, paperboard, or label stock, and a coating composition,

said coating composition comprising:

(a) a nano-composite material, said nano-composite material comprising an amorphous silica component, said amorphous silica component provided in three-dimensional haystack or globular configuration that presents a fibrous structure having interstitial spaces between amorphous silica components with inner layers and outer layers with irregular interlacing amorphous silica components or filaments which are fixed in relation to each other, and a crystalline calcium carbonate component, said crystalline calcium carbonate component comprising nano aragonite needle structures, said nano aragonite needle structures arising from said amorphous silica component, said nano-composite material having a major axis of length L in the range from 10 microns to 40 microns and a surface area of from 40 meters squared per gram to 200 meters squared per gram;

(b) clay; and

(c) said coating composition, after mixing, passes through a 100 mesh screen.