Flocced mineral materials and water-resistant articles made therefrom

Claim 1

A method of preparing a flocced mineral material that can be utilized to form a non-asbestos high temperature article that exhibits water resistance which method comprises contacting a swelled layer silicate gel having an average charge per structural unit that ranges from about -0.5 to about -1 and which contains exchangeable interstitial ions with at least one species of an exchange cation having the formula [R 1 C(R 2 )R 3 ]+ wherein R 1 R 2 , and R 3 are independently selected from NH 2 and CH 3 ; provided, however, that at least two or more of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are NH 2 but further providing that one or more of the hydrogen atoms of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 may instead be a substituent selected from: a C 1 to C 5 alkyl, a C 2 to C 5 alkenyl and a C 2 to C 5 alkynyl wherein these substituents may be linked to form one or more rings which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic; to thereby effect an ion exchange reaction between at least some of the exchangeable interstitial ions, and at least some of the exchange cations; further providing that the swelled layer silicate gel was prepared by contacting, for a sufficient time, a water swelling body of (a) vermiculite, (b) mica, or (c) a mixture of vermiculite and mica with a polar liquid to cause swelling of the crystals accompanied with the formation of a gel.

Claim 2

A method of preparing a flocced mineral material that can be utilized to form a non-asbestos high temperature article that exhibits water resistance which method comprises contacting a swelled layer silicate gel having an average charge per structural unit that ranges from about -0.5 to about -1 and which contains exchangeable interstitial ions with at least one species of an exchange cation having the formula [R 1 C(R 2 )R 3 ]+ wherein R 1 R 2 , and R 3 are independently selected from NH 2 and CH 3 ; provided, however, that at least two or more of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are NH 2 but further providing that one or more of the hydrogen atoms of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 may instead be a substituent selected from: a C 1 to C 5 alkyl, a C 2 to C 5 alkenyl and a C 2 to C 5 alkynyl wherein these substituents may be linked to form one or more rings which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic; to thereby effect an ion exchange reaction between at least some of the exchangeable interstitial ions, and at least some of the exchange cations; further providing that the swelled layer silicate gel was prepared by contacting, for a sufficient time, a water swelling body of (a) vermiculite, (b) mica, or (c) a mixture of vermiculite and mica with a polar liquid to cause swelling of the crystals accompanied with the formation of a gel.

Claim 24

A method of preparing a high temperature silicate article that exhibits water resistance, which method comprises contacting an article formed from a swelled layered silicate gel that has a charge per structural unit that ranges from about -0.5 to about -1, and which contains exchangeable interstitial ions; with a source of at least one species of an exchange cation having the formula [R 1 C(R 2 )R 3 ]+ wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently selected from NH 2 and CH 3 ; provided, however, that at least two or more of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are NH 2 but further providing that one or more of the hydrogen atoms of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 may instead be a substituent selected from: a C 1 to C 5 alkyl, a C 2 to C 5 alkenyl and a C 2 to C 5 alkynyl wherein these substituents may be linked to form one or more rings which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic; to thereby effect an ion exchange reaction between at least some of the exchangeable interstitial ions and at least some of the exchange cations; further providing that the swelled layered silicate gel was prepared by contacting, for a sufficient time, water swelling body of (a) vermiculite, (b) mica, or (c) a mixture of vermiculite and mica, with a polar liquid to cause swelling of the crystals accompanied with the formation of a gel.

Claim 25

A method of preparing a high temperature silicate article that exhibits water resistance, which method comprises contacting an article formed from a swelled layered silicate gel that has a charge per structural unit that ranges from about -0.5 to about -1, and which contains exchangeable interstitial ions; with a source of at least one species of an exchange cation having the formula [R 1 C(R 2 )R 3 ]+ wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently selected from NH 2 and CH 3 ; provided, however, that at least two or more of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are NH 2 but further providing that one or more of the hydrogen atoms of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 may instead be a substituent selected from: a C 1 to C 5 alkyl, a C 2 to C 5 alkenyl and a C 2 to C 5 alkynyl wherein these substituents may be linked to form one or more rings which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic; to thereby effect an ion exchange reaction between at least some of the exchangeable interstitial ions and at least some of the exchange cations; further providing that the swelled layered silicate gel was prepared by contacting, for a sufficient time, water swelling body of (a) vermiculite, (b) mica, or (c) a mixture of vermiculite and mica, with a polar liquid to cause swelling of the crystals accompanied with the formation of a gel.