mesoporous silicates | additives feature
A novel inorganic additive fromInPore Technologies can improve the fire retardant performance of polymers while also boosting their mechanical properties
using ultra-high surface area silicate particles as flame retardants
inpore Technologies is commercialising novel silicate materials developed and patented by michigan State university and Dr. Thomas pinnavaia. marketed under the Silapore brand, this family of materials consists of inherently porous silicate with fundamental particle sizes in the 100 to 300 nm range and with surface areas of 500 to 1,200 m2
/gm. This very high surface area is created by the pores
which have sizes controlled within the range of 2 - 50 nm in diameter. They give the particles incredible resin or liquid holding capacity. The pores are also appropri- ately sized to permit penetration by polymer chains. positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy studies have shown that epoxy resins fully penetrate the pores and that the cross-linked chains connect through the individual particles.
Silapore Particle Properties Material
particle Size pore diameter Surface area Bulk density colour
Handling Silicate
100 nm - 300 nm 2 nm - 50 nm
500 - 1,200 m2 /gm
0.08 - 0.70 gm/cm3 white
Free flowing fine nodules
Early Developments The breakthrough development in the field of mesopo- rous silicates is uS patent 5,102,642, which was filed by mobil oil (now Exxon mobil) on 25 Jan 1990. This patent, now expired, describes large pore, structured silicate materials and a process for producing them. The problem with the mobil patent is that the process- ing methods described are expensive and inefficient. Dr. pinnavaia, a recognized expert in silicates and nanoclay materials, was attracted to the technology and saw that significant improvements in the process technology could produce these new structured, but amorphous, silicates in greater quantities and with highly controlled pore sizes and nano-structures. After 15 years and more than 60 patents, pinnavaia
www.compoundingworld.com Above:
Schematic of Silapore
particles and polymer chains
Left: TEM photo of mesoporous silicate particle with a surface area of more than 1,000 m2
/gr December 2011 | compounDing worlD 55
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