Aqueous dispersions of polymers and shaped articles therefrom

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A SHAPED ARTICLE FROM A SYNTHETIC, WATER-INSOLUBLE ORGANIC POLYMER WHICH COMPRISES DISPERSING SAID POLYMER IN THE FORM OF DISCRETE PARTICLES HAVING A SIZE LESS THAN ABOUT 15 MICRONS IN AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING WATER AND A SOLVENT METAL SALT FOR SAID POLYMER DISSOLVED THEREIN, THE SAID SALT BEING TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE WATERSOLUBLE THIOCYANATES, IODIDES, BROMIDES AND CHLORIDES OF GROUP I AND II METALS OF ATOMIC NUMBER 3 TO 48 OF THE PERIODIC TABLE AND BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST ONE-HALF OF THE WEIGHT OF THE POLYMER BUT IN AN AMOUNT INSUFFICIENT TO FORM A SALT SOLUTION WHICH DISSOLVES SAID POLYMER; FORMING THE RESULTANT DISPERSION CONTAINING ABOUT 2% TO ABOUT 60% OF SAID SALT, ABOUT 25% TO ABOUT 95% WATER AND ABOUT 2% TO ABOUT 35% OF SAID POLYMER, ALL BY WEIGHT, INTO THE SHAPE OF SAID ARTICLE: EVAPORATING WATER FROM SAID ARTICLE UNTIL COALESCENCE OCCURS; AND WASHING THE SALT FROM THE RESULTANT SHAPED ARTICLE.