Method for providing particulates of liquid crystal polymers and particulates produced therefrom

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said particulates exhibit a length to diameter ratio of less than about 10:1.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 wherein said particulates exhibit a length to diameter ratio of less than about 5:1.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 wherein the maximum cross-sectional dimension of said particulates ranges from about 0.1 to about 100 microns.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein the density of said article ranges from about 1.1 to about 1.3 gm/cm 3 .

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein said polymer is foamed by use of a blowing agent.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 wherein the density of said article is reduced by up to about 50 percent as a result of being foamed in comparison to an article comprised of said polymer in an unfoamed state.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 wherein the density of said article is reduced from about 10 to about 20 percent as a result of being foamed.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein said article is subjected to grinding at ambient conditions.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 wherein said article is subjected to grinding at cryogenic conditions.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped article is in the form of a fiber.

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped article is in the form of a sheet.

Claim 14

The method of claim 1 wherein said polymer is a wholly aromatic polymer.

Claim 15

The method of claim 1 wherein said polymer is a wholly aromatic polyester.

Claim 16

The method of claim 1 wherein said polymer comprises not less than about 10 mole percent of recurring units which include a naphthalene moiety.

Claim 17

The method of claim 14 wherein said naphthalene moiety of said wholly aromatic polyester is selected from the group consisting of a 6-oxy-2-naphthoyl moiety, a 2,6-dioxynaphthalene moiety, and a 2,6-dicarboxynaphthalene moiety.

Claim 18

The method of claim 14 wherein said polymer comprises a melt processable wholly aromatic polyester which is capable of forming an anistropic melt phase and consists essentially of the recurring moieties I, II, and III wherein: ##STR18## II is a dioxy aryl moiety of the formula O--Ar--O where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring, and III is a dicarboxy aryl moiety of the formula ##STR19## where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring, and wherein said polyester comprises approximately 10 to 90 mole percent of moiety I, approximately 5 to 45 mole percent of moiety II, and approximately 5 to 45 mole percent of moiety III and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 19

The method of claim 17 wherein said polyester comprises approximately 20 to 80 mole percent of moiety I, approximately 10 to 40 mole percent of moiety II, and approximately 10 to 40 mole percent of moiety III.

Claim 20

The method of claim 14 wherein said wholly aromatic polyester comprises a melt processable wholly aromatic polyester which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase at a temperature below approximately 325° C. and consists essentially of the recurring moieties I, II, and III wherein: ##STR20## wherein said polyester comprises approximately 30 to 70 mole percent of moiety I and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 21

The method of claim 14 wherein said wholly aromatic polyester comprises a melt processable wholly aromatic polyester which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase at a temperature below approximately 350° C. and consists essentially of the recurring moieties I and II wherein: ##STR21## wherein said polyester comprises approximately 10 to 90 mole percent of moiety I, and approximately 10 to 90 mole percent of moiety II and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 22

The method of claim 14 wherein said wholly aromatic polyester comprises a melt processable wholly aromatic polyester which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase at a temperature below approximately 320° C. and consists essentially of the recurring moieties I, II, III, and IV wherein: ##STR22## III is a dioxyaryl moiety of the formula O--Ar--O where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring, and IV is a dicarboxy aryl moiety of the formula ##STR23## wherein Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring, and wherein said polyester comprises approximately 20 to 40 mole percent of moiety I, in excess of 10 up to about 50 mole percent of moiety II, in excess of 5 up to about 30 mole percent of moiety III, and in excess of 5 up to about 30 mole percent of moiety IV and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 23

The method of claim 14 wherein said wholly aromatic polyester comprises a melt processable wholly aromatic polyester which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase at a temperature below approximately 400°. and consists essentially of the recurring moieties I, II, and III wherein: ##STR24## R is methyl, chloro, bromo, or mixtures thereof, and is substituted for a hydrogen atom present upon the aromatic ring, and wherein said polyester comprises approximately 20 to 60 mole percent of moiety I, approximately 5 to 18 mole percent of moiety II, and approximately 5 to 35 mole percent of moiety III and approximately 20 to 40 mole percent of moiety IV and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 24

The method of claim 13 wherein said polymer comprises a melt processable poly(ester-amide) which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase and consists essentially of the recurring moieties, I, II, III and optionally IV wherein: ##STR25## II is ##STR26## where A is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring or a divalent trans-cyclohexane radical; III is Y--Ar--Z, where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring, Y is O, NH or NR, and Z is NH or NR, where R is an alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl group; and IV is O--Ar'--O, where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one aromatic ring; and wherein said poly(ester-amide) comprises approximately 10 to 90 mole percent of moiety I, approximately 5 to 45 mole percent of moiety II, approximately 5 to 45 mole percent of moiety III, and approximately 0 to 40 mole percent of moiety IV and wherein at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon the rings optionally may be replaced by substitution selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 25

Particulates of a polymer produced by the method of claim 1 which exhibit a length to diameter ratio of less than about 10:1 and a maximum cross-sectional dimension of less than about 100 microns.

Claim 26

The particulates of claim 24 which exhibit a length to diameter ratio of less than about 5:1.

Claim 27

The particulates of claim 24 which exhibit a maximum cross-sectional dimension ranging from about 0.1 to about 100 microns.