US5066522A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Supercritical fluids as diluents in liquid spray applications of adhesives
Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Technology LLC
•
Filing: 1989-03-22
•
Granted: 1991-11-19
•
Expires: 2009-03-22
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to precursor adhesive coating compositions which optionally contain water, which are particularly suitable for being admixed with at least one supercritical fluid used as a viscosity reduction diluent and then spraying this resultant liquid mixture of supercritical fluid and precursor adhesive coating composition onto a substrate to be coated. Processes for spraying these precursor adhesive coating compositions are also disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas A. Cole
- 👤 Kenneth A. Nielsen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 03:28
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09D; C09D5/00; C09D7/00; B; B05; B05D; B05D1/00; B05D1/02; B05D1/025; B29; B29B; B29B7/00; B29B7/30; B29B7/32; B29B7/325; B29B7/74; B29B7/7476; B29B7/748; B29B7/7495; B29B7/80; B29B7/82; B29B7/826; B29B7/86; B29B7/88; B29B7/94; C09D7/20; B05D2401/00; B05D2401/90; B29B7/7438; B29B7/7447; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/50; Y02P20/54
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 77
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with supercritical fluid; and (iii) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i) and (ii) is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture, forming droplets having an average diameter of 1 micron or greater, onto a substrate to form a liquid coating thereon.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
141 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with supercritical fluid; and (iii) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i) and (ii) is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture, forming droplets having an average diameter of 1 micron or greater, onto a substrate to form a liquid coating thereon.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of claim 1 in which said liquid mixture is formed to further contain (iv) water which is present in an amount of less than about 30% by weight based on the weight of the solvent fraction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 2 in which the liquid mixture contains less than about 20% by weight of water based on the weight of the solvent fraction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 2 in which said liquid mixture is formed to further contain a coupling solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with the water.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the viscosity of the liquid mixture ranges from about 5 to about 150 cps.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the viscosity of the mixture ranges from about 10 to about 50 cps.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 1 further comprising prior to step (b), heating said liquid mixture to a temperature sufficient to prevent the adverse effect caused by rapid cooling when said liquid mixture is sprayed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one supercritical fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 1, wherein said at least one polymeric compound is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins, thermosetting resins, crosslinkable film forming systems, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
The process of claim 9, wherein said at least one polymeric compound is selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives, acrylic resins, vinyl resins, styrenic resins, polyesters, alkyds, polyurethanes, urethanes, polyamides, epoxies, phenolics, cellulosic esters, amino resins, natural gums, natural resins, natural rubbers and their derivatives, nitrile rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyisobutylene, thermoplastic rubbers, neoprene rubbers and interpolymers and mixtures thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 4, wherein the coupling solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol ethers, propylene glycol ethers, lactams, cyclic ureas, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
The process of claim 4, wherein the coupling solvent is selected from the group consisting of butoxy ethanol, propoxy ethanol, hexoxy ethanol, isoproproxy 2-propanol, butoxy 2-propanol, propoxy 2-propanol, tertiary butoxy 2-propanol, ethoxy ethanol, butoxy ethoxy ethanol, propoxy ethoxy ethanol, hexoxy ethoxy ethanol, methoxy ethanol, methoxy 2-propanol and ethoxy ethanol, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl ethylene urea, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 4, wherein the weight ratio of coupling solvent to active solvent is in the range of about 1:1 to 4:1.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 13, wherein the weight ratio of coupling solvent to active solvent is in the range of from 2:1 to 3.5:1.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 14, wherein the weight ratio of coupling solvent to active solvent is in the range of from 2.5:1 to 3.0:1.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 1, wherein said at least one active solvent is selected from the group consisting of ketones, esters, ethers, glycol ethers, glycol ether esters, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitroalkanes, unsaturated hydrocarbons, halocarbons, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of cloth, masonry, stone, metal, wood, glass, ceramic, leather, rubbers, paper and plastic.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 1, further comprising curing the liquid coating on the substrate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the liquid adhesive coating applied to the substrate is a substantially continuous film.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 19 having a solvent fraction composition containing a weight % solvent distribution and relative evaporation rates of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
30-100% <50
0-70% 50-100
0-40% 101-250
<10% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 20 having a solvent fraction composition of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
40-100% <50
0-60% 50-100
0-30% 101-250
<5% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the liquid adhesive coating applied to the substrate is in a substantially discontinuous random droplet pattern.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 22 having a solvent fraction composition containing a weight % solvent distribution and relative evaporation rates of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
0-40% <100
0-70% 101-250
30-100% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 23 having a solvent fraction composition of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
0-30% <100
0-60% 101-250
40-100% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 in which the liquid mixture is electrically charged by a high electrical voltage.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 25, wherein the high electrical voltage ranges from about 30 to about 150 kilovolts.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the predominant polymeric compound has a Mw/Mn ratio of less than about 4.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 27, wherein the predominant polymeric compound has a Mw/Mn ratio of less than about 3.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 28, wherein the predominant polymeric compound has a Mw/Mn ratio of less than about 2.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
194 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with the supercritical fluid of (iv) and containing at least one coupling solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with water; (iii) water, which is present in an amount of less than about 30% by weight based on the weight of the solvent fraction; and (iv) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i), (ii), and (iii), is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture, forming droplets having an average diameter of 1 micron or greater, onto a substrate to form a liquid coating thereon.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
194 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with the supercritical fluid of (iv) and containing at least one coupling solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with water; (iii) water, which is present in an amount of less than about 30% by weight based on the weight of the solvent fraction; and (iv) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i), (ii), and (iii), is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture, forming droplets having an average diameter of 1 micron or greater, onto a substrate to form a liquid coating thereon.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
162 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with supercritical fluid; and (iii) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i) and (ii) is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture onto a substrate to form a liquid adhesive coating thereon by passing the mixture under pressure through an orifice into the environment of the substrate to form a liquid spray having droplets with an average diameter of 1 micron or greater.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
162 words
A process for the liquid spray application of adhesive coatings to a substrate, which comprises: (a) forming a liquid mixture in a closed system, said liquid mixture comprising: (i) a solids fraction containing at least one polymeric compound capable of forming an adhesive coating on a substrate; (ii) a solvent fraction containing at least one active solvent in which said at least one polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with supercritical fluid; and (iii) at least one supercritical fluid, in at least an amount which when added to (i) and (ii) is sufficient to render the viscosity of said mixture to a point suitable for spray application; and (b) spraying said liquid mixture onto a substrate to form a liquid adhesive coating thereon by passing the mixture under pressure through an orifice into the environment of the substrate to form a liquid spray having droplets with an average diameter of 1 micron or greater.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 31 which further comprises forming a liquid mixture which also contains water in an amount of less than about 30% by weight based on the weight of the solvent fraction.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 32, wherein the solvent fraction further comprises at least one coupling solvent in which said polymeric compound is at least partially soluble and which is at least partially miscible with the water.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 33, wherein the weight ratio of coupling solvent to active solvent is in the range of from about 1:1 to 4:1.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 34, wherein the weight ratio of the coupling solvent to active solvent is in the range of from about 2:1 to 3.5:1.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claims 32, 33 or 34, wherein the orifice size ranges from about 0.004 to about 0.072 inch in diameter.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 36, wherein the orifice size ranges from about 0.004 to about 0.025 inch in diameter.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 37, wherein the orifice size ranges from about 0.007 to about 0.015 inch in diameter.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claims 32, 33 or 34, wherein the spray pressure ranges from about the critical pressure of the supercritical fluid to about 5000 pounds per square inch.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 39, wherein the spray pressure is below about 3000 pounds per square inch.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claims 32, 33 or 34, wherein the viscosity of the liquid mixture is less than about 300 centipoise at spray temperature.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 41, wherein the viscosity of the liquid mixture ranges from about 5 to about 150 centipoise at spray temperature.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 42, wherein the viscosity of the liquid mixture ranges from about 10 to about 50 centipoise at spray temperature.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 32 further comprising, prior to step (b), heating said liquid mixture to a temperature sufficient to prevent the adverse effect caused by rapid cooling when said liquid mixture is sprayed.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 44, wherein the liquid temperature ranges from about 35° to about 90° centigrade.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 45, wherein the liquid temperature ranges from about 45° to about 75° centigrade.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claims 32, 33 or 34 wherein supercritical fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide fluid.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claims 32, 33 or 34 wherein supercritical fluid comprises supercritical nitrous oxide fluid.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 32 wherein said at least one polymeric component is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins, thermosetting resins, crosslinkable film forming systems, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
64 words
The process of claim 49, wherein said at least one polymeric component is selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives, acrylic resins, vinyl resins, styrenic resins, polyesters, alkyds, polyurethanes, urethanes, polyamides, epoxies, phenolics, cellulosic esters, amino resins, natural gums, natural resins, natural rubbers and their derivatives, nitrile rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyisobutylene, thermoplastic rubbers, neoprene rubbers and interpolymers and mixtures thereof.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 32, further comprising, prior to Step (b), filtering said liquid mixture to remove particulates that would plug said orifice.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 32, further comprising, prior to step (b), promoting turbulent or agitated flow of said liquid mixture to aid atomization of said liquid spray.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 32, further comprising utilizing jets of compressed gas to assist formation and atomization of said liquid spray and to modify the shape of said liquid spray.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 53, wherein said compressed gas is compressed air.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 54, wherein said compressed air has lowered oxygen content to reduce flammability of said liquid spray.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 53, wherein said compressed gas is compressed carbon dioxide.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 53, wherein said compressed gas is selected from the group consisting of compressed nitrogen, helium, argon, xenon, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 53, wherein the pressure of said compressed gas ranges from about 5 to about 80 pounds per square inch.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 58, wherein the pressure of said compressed gas ranges from about 5 to about 20 pounds per square inch.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
33 words
The process of claim 53, wherein said compressed gas is heated to supply heat to the liquid spray to prevent an adverse effect caused by rapid cooling when said liquid mixture is sprayed.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 60, wherein the temperature of said compressed gas ranges from about 35° to about 90° centigrade.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 61, wherein the temperature of said compressed gas ranges from about 45° to about 75° centigrade.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 32, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of metal, wood, glass, plastic, paper, cloth, ceramic, masonry, stone, cement, asphalt, rubber, and composite materials thereof.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 32, further comprising curing said liquid coating on said substrate.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 32, wherein the liquid adhesive coating applied to the substrate is a substantially continuous film.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 65 having a solvent fraction composition containing a weight % solvent distribution and relative evaporation rates of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
30-100% <50
0-70% 50-100
0-40% 101-250
<10% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 66 having a solvent fraction composition of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
40-100% <50
0-60% 50-100
0-30% 101-250
<5% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 65, wherein the substantially continuous film is obtained by maintaining a relative linear traversal rate between the spray orifice and the substrate of less than about 1 m/sec.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 32, wherein the liquid adhesive coating applied to the substrate is in a substantially discontinuous random droplet pattern.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 69 having a solvent fraction composition containing a weight % solvent distribution and relative evaporation rates of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
0-40% <100
0-70% 101-250
30-100% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 70 having a solvent fraction composition of: ______________________________________
Wt. % of Total Solvent Fraction
RER
______________________________________
0-30% <100
0-60% 101-250
40-100% >250.
______________________________________
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 69, wherein the substantially discontinuous random droplet pattern is obtained by maintaining a relative linear traversal rate between the spray orifice and the substrate of at least about 1 m/sec.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 32 in which the liquid mixture is electrically charged by a high electrical voltage.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 73, wherein the high electrical voltage ranges from about 30 to about 150 kilovolts.
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