Polymer-encapsulated dispersed solids and methods

Claim 2

A process of preparing a uniformly polymer-encapsulated dispersed solid composition comprising: (a) admixing water, a non-monomer solid in particulate form, a nonionic protective colloid or stabilizing agent, and all or a portion of a nonionic monomer having at least one monovalent unsaturated organo moiety, said non-monomer solids having a minimum of surface charge; (b) adding a nonionic polymerization initiator to admixture (a) and heating admixture (a) to begin the polymerization of said nonionic monomer; and (c) adding a nonionic catalyst and any remainder of said nonionic monomer to admixture (b), allowing the polymerization to proceed to finality or the desired degree, whereby a polymer-encapsulated solid dispersion is obtained.

Claim 3

Process as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the remainder of said nonionic monomer is added over a period of time, said nonionic stabilizing agent is a nonionic surfactant, and said non-monomer solid is a pigment.

Claim 4

Process as claimed in Claim 2 wherein there is 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of nonionic surfactant based on the total solids, namely, monomer and non-monomer solid.

Claim 5

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 3 wherein said and initiator is a free radical initiator/is present in an amount of 0.05 to 1 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the monomer and the pigment.

Claim 6

Process as claimed in Claim 4 wherein said free radical initiator is a peroxide or a redox system.

Claim 7

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 5 wherein heat is applied to help initiate and carry out the polymerization.

Claim 8

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 6 wherein the polymerization is conducted at a temperature between 25° to 300° C.

Claim 9

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 7 wherein the ratio of non-monomer solid to monomer is between 9 to 1 and 1 to 9.

Claim 10

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 8 wherein the ratio of water to total solids is between 4 to 6 and 7 to 3, the total solids being the monomer and the non-monomer solid.

Claim 11

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 9 wherein the nonionic stabilizing agent is a dispersion moiety which readily copolymerizes with said nonionic monomer having at least one monovalent unsaturated organo moiety.

Claim 12

Process as claimed in Claim 10 wherein the dispersing monomer is N-vinyl pyrrolidone or a polymer of N-vinyl pyrrolidone.

Claim 13

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 9 wherein the nonionic stabilizing agent is a nonionic surfactant which has a hydrophilic portion which is attracted to the non-monomer solid surface.

Claim 14

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 12 wherein said nonionic monomer is a monomer containing at least one reactive vinyl group R 7 R 8 C=CR 9 -, reactive vinylidene group R 7 R 8 C=C and/or reactive vinylene group -CR 10 =CR 11 -, wherein R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 and R 11 each is (a) hydrogen, (b) alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (c) alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (d) alkylcarboxy having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, (e) aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, (f) alkoxycarbonyl having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, (g) substituted aryl having 6 carbon atoms and being substituted with at least one halogen nitrile, alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and/or alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (h) aralkyl wherein the alkyl has 1 to 4 carbon atoms and the aryl has 6 to 10 carbon atoms, (i) substituted aralkyl wherein the alkyl has 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the aryl has 6 to 10 carbon atoms and the substituents are halogen, alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, nitrile and/or alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (j) substituted alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and being substituted with nitrile, halogen and/or alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (k) substituted alkylcarboxy having 2 to 12 carbon atoms and substituted with halogen and/or nitrile, or (1) substituted alkoxycarbonyl having 2 to 12 carbon atoms and substituted with halogen and/or nitrile, with the proviso that no allyl compound or 5 1-olefin, except ethylene or substituted 1-olefin, comes within the scope of the above formulae.

Claim 15

Process as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said nonionic monomer has one or multiple reactive unsaturated group(s).

Claim 16

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 14 wherein said pigment is an organic solid, preferably an inorganic solid.

Claim 17

Process as claimed in Claim 1 to 15 wherein the admixture of step (a) is conducted in two steps comprising first admixing the water,a non-monomer solid in particulate form and a nonionic protective colloid or stabilizing agent and then admixing all or a portion of the nonionic monomer with the first admixture.

Claim 18

A solids composition as prepared by the process claimed in Claim 1 to 16.

Claim 19

A solids composition comprising non-monomer insoluble solid particles uniformly coated and encapsulated with at least one monovalent unsaturated organo moiety, said solids composition being in effect a solids dispersion.

Claim 20

A solids composition comprising non-monomer insoluble solid particles uniformly coated and encapsulated with at least one monovalent unsaturated organo moiety, said solids composition being in effect a solids dispersion.

Claim 21

The solids composition as claimed in Claim 18 wherein the solid is an organic solid, preferably an inorganic solid.

Claim 22

The solids composition as claimed in Claim 18 wherein a nonionic stabilizing agent or its residue - preferably a nonionic surfactant, said nonionic surfactant being one which has a hydrophilic portion which is attracted to the surface of the non-monomer pigment - is present in said encapsulating polymer and/or on the surface of said non-monomer solid.

Claim 23

A coating composition comprising conventional coating ingredients and a solids composition, said pigment composition being that claimed in Claim 18.