Aqueous dispersions of high molecular weight fibrils of amorphous silicates

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF POLYMERIZING ALKALINE SILICATES IN AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO FORM AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION OF LINEAR POLYSILICATE FIBRILS WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF EVAPORATING WATER FROM AN AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION TO CONCENTRATE IT AND TO FORM COLLOIDAL SILICATE DISPERSED THEREIN, SAID AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE SILICATE OF AT LEAST ONE ALKALI METAL OF GROUP 1 OF THE PERIODIC CLASSIFICATION OF ELEMENTS, THE RATIO OF ALKALI METAL OXIDES IN SAID AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION TO THE SILICA THEREIN BEING WITHIN THE RANGE FROM 1:2 TO 1:5M MODIFYING THE CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION BY INCORPORATING THEREIN A CATALYTIC PASTE PREPARED BY ADDING TO AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF APPROXIMATELY 30% COLLOIDAL SILICA AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST ONE ADDITIVE SUFFICIENT TO CATALYZE THE LINEAR POLYMERIZATION OF SAID ALKALINE SILICATE, SAID ADDITIVE BEING SELECTED FROM THE THREE GROUPS CONSISTING OF: FIRST, AN OXIDE OF THE ELEMENTS CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, BARIUM, STRONTIUM, BERYLLIUM, COBALT, NICKEL AND IRON IN SUCH AMOUNTS AS NOT TO SURPASS AN OXIDE TO ALKALI OXIDE RATIO OF ABOUT 0.2; SECOND, A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP P2O5, WO3, AS2O5, SB2O5, NA3ASO4, K2HPO4, (NH4)2MOO4, IN SUCH PROPORTIONS AS NOT TO EXCEES THE RATIO OF THE ANHYDRIDE EQUIVALENT OF SAID COMPOUND TO ALKALI OXIDE TO ABOUT 0.3; THIRD, AN OXIDE OF THE METALS ALUMINUM, ZIRCONIUM, TITANIUM, LEAD, GERMANIUM, TIN, HAFNIUM, VANADIUM AND THORIUM IN SUCH PROPORTION AS NOT TO EXCEED THE VALUES OF 0.25, 0.25, 0.70, 1.00 AND 1.25 RESPECTIVELY FOR SNO2, PBO2, TIO2, ZRO2 AND AL2O3; THE SUM OF THE NON-ALKALINE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS IN SAID ADDITIVE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE NECESSARY TO MAKE THE RATIO OF SAID SUM TO ALKALI OXIDE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 0.1 TO 2.0; THEREAFTER APPLYING HEAT TO A BODY OF THE MIXTURE OF CONCENTRATED SILICATE SOLUTION AND CATALYTIC PASTE TO EVAPORATE WATER FRFOM THEW SURFACE THEREOF AND TO FORM AGGREGATES OF MINERAL THEREIN, MAINTAINING SAID MIXTURE AT ALKALINE CONDITIONS ABOVE PH 7 DURING THE EVAPORATION OF WATER FROM THE MIXTURE, CONTINUING THE HEATING OF SAID BODY OF MIXTURE UNTIL THE WATER EVAPORATED THEREFROM IS AT LEAST 10% OF THE INITIAL WATER CONTENT AND UNTIL THE SOLIDS CONTENT OF THE REMAINING COMPOSITION IS INCREASED TO AT LEAST 40% BY WEIGHT, WHEREBY THE ALKALINE SILICATE MOLECULES POLYMERIZE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SAID CATALYTIC PASTE AND INCORPORATE THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS OF SAID PASTE IN THE POLYMER TO FORM A PREDOMINANT AMOUNT OF AMORPHOUS GLASS-LIKE NON-CRYSTALLINE FIBRILS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF POLYMERIZING ALKALINE SILICATES IN AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO FORM AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION OF LINEAR POLYSILICATE FIBRILS WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF EVAPORATING WATER FROM AN AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION TO CONCENTRATE IT AND TO FORM COLLOIDAL SILICATE DISPERSED THEREIN, SAID AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE SILICATE OF AT LEAST ONE ALKALI METAL OF GROUP 1 OF THE PERIODIC CLASSIFICATION OF ELEMENTS, THE RATIO OF ALKALI METAL OXIDES IN SAID AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION TO THE SILICA THEREIN BEING WITHIN THE RANGE FROM 1:2 TO 1:5M MODIFYING THE CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SILICATE SOLUTION BY INCORPORATING THEREIN A CATALYTIC PASTE PREPARED BY ADDING TO AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF APPROXIMATELY 30% COLLOIDAL SILICA AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST ONE ADDITIVE SUFFICIENT TO CATALYZE THE LINEAR POLYMERIZATION OF SAID ALKALINE SILICATE, SAID ADDITIVE BEING SELECTED FROM THE THREE GROUPS CONSISTING OF: FIRST, AN OXIDE OF THE ELEMENTS CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, BARIUM, STRONTIUM, BERYLLIUM, COBALT, NICKEL AND IRON IN SUCH AMOUNTS AS NOT TO SURPASS AN OXIDE TO ALKALI OXIDE RATIO OF ABOUT 0.2; SECOND, A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP P2O5, WO3, AS2O5, SB2O5, NA3ASO4, K2HPO4, (NH4)2MOO4, IN SUCH PROPORTIONS AS NOT TO EXCEES THE RATIO OF THE ANHYDRIDE EQUIVALENT OF SAID COMPOUND TO ALKALI OXIDE TO ABOUT 0.3; THIRD, AN OXIDE OF THE METALS ALUMINUM, ZIRCONIUM, TITANIUM, LEAD, GERMANIUM, TIN, HAFNIUM, VANADIUM AND THORIUM IN SUCH PROPORTION AS NOT TO EXCEED THE VALUES OF 0.25, 0.25, 0.70, 1.00 AND 1.25 RESPECTIVELY FOR SNO2, PBO2, TIO2, ZRO2 AND AL2O3; THE SUM OF THE NON-ALKALINE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS IN SAID ADDITIVE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE NECESSARY TO MAKE THE RATIO OF SAID SUM TO ALKALI OXIDE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 0.1 TO 2.0; THEREAFTER APPLYING HEAT TO A BODY OF THE MIXTURE OF CONCENTRATED SILICATE SOLUTION AND CATALYTIC PASTE TO EVAPORATE WATER FRFOM THEW SURFACE THEREOF AND TO FORM AGGREGATES OF MINERAL THEREIN, MAINTAINING SAID MIXTURE AT ALKALINE CONDITIONS ABOVE PH 7 DURING THE EVAPORATION OF WATER FROM THE MIXTURE, CONTINUING THE HEATING OF SAID BODY OF MIXTURE UNTIL THE WATER EVAPORATED THEREFROM IS AT LEAST 10% OF THE INITIAL WATER CONTENT AND UNTIL THE SOLIDS CONTENT OF THE REMAINING COMPOSITION IS INCREASED TO AT LEAST 40% BY WEIGHT, WHEREBY THE ALKALINE SILICATE MOLECULES POLYMERIZE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SAID CATALYTIC PASTE AND INCORPORATE THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS OF SAID PASTE IN THE POLYMER TO FORM A PREDOMINANT AMOUNT OF AMORPHOUS GLASS-LIKE NON-CRYSTALLINE FIBRILS.