Hydrophobicity imparting particulate

Abstract

A hydrophobicity imparting particulate is a hydrophobicity imparting particulate. A silicone composition comprises (A) a silicone polymer and (B) a hydrophobicity imparting particulate filler that imparts a hydrophobicity property to the composition. An insulator comprises a housing portion that includes a cured product of (A) a silicone polymer and (B) an hydrophobicity imparting particulate filler. A hydrophobicity recovery property of a silicone polymer composition can be improved by determining a target hydrophobicity recovery property for the cured silicone composition, selecting an hydrophobicity imparting particulate (HIP) to impart the hydrophobicity recovery property to the silicone polymer composition and compounding a blend of (A) a silicone polymer and (B) the selected inorganic filler and heating to cure the blend.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A silicone composition, comprising (A) a silicone polymer and (B) a hydrophobicity imparting particulate that imparts a hydrophobicity property to said composition.  
     
     
         2 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said silicone is a diorganopolysiloxane.  
     
     
         3 . The composition of    claim 1   , comprising the hydrophobicity imparting particulate in a range between about 1% and about 50% by weight of total composition.  
     
     
         4 . The composition of    claim 1   , comprising the hydrophobicity imparting particulate in a range between about 5% and about 25% by weight of total composition.  
     
     
         5 . The composition of    claim 1   , comprising the hydrophobicity imparting particulate in a range between about 12% and about 18% by weight of total composition.  
     
     
         6 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises a silicate or a carbonate.  
     
     
         7 . The composition of    claim 6   , wherein said silicate comprises kaolinite, halloysite, montmorillonite, vermiculite, nontronite, hectorite, laponite, saponite or beidellite.  
     
     
         8 . The composition of    claim 7   , wherein said montmorillonite comprises bentonite or fuller's earth.  
     
     
         9 . The composition of    claim 6   , wherein said silicate comprises a mica or brittle mica.  
     
     
         10 . The composition of    claim 8   , wherein said micas comprises muscovite, phlogopite or biotite.  
     
     
         11 . The composition of    claim 8   , wherein said brittle micas comprises margarite or clintonite.  
     
     
         12 . The composition of    claim 6   , wherein said silicate comprises a serpentine, chrystolite, talc or pyrophyllite.  
     
     
         13 . The composition of    claim 6   , wherein said silicate comprises a feldspar, zeolite or ultramarine.  
     
     
         14 . The composition of    claim 13   , wherein said feldspar comprises orthoclase, albite or anorthite.  
     
     
         15 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises a mixture of hydrophobicity imparting particulates.  
     
     
         16 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises a mixture of a feldspar, a zeolite, or a ultramarine mineral.  
     
     
         17 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises orthoclase and abite.  
     
     
         18 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises an alkali feldspar.  
     
     
         19 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises sanidine or anorthoclase.  
     
     
         20 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises albite and anorthite.  
     
     
         21 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises a plagioclase feldspar.  
     
     
         22 . The composition of    claim 15   , wherein said mixture comprises oligoclase, andesine, laradorite or bytownite.  
     
     
         23 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises a zeolite selected from the group consisting of faujasite, analcite, chabazite, heulandite, stilbite and natrolite.  
     
     
         24 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises an ultramarine selected from the group consisting of sodalite, noselite and ultramarine.  
     
     
         25 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises a carbonate.  
     
     
         26 . The composition of    claim 25   , wherein said carbonate comprises magnesite (magnesium carbonate), siderite (iron carbonate), rhodochrosite (manganese carbonate), smithsonite (zinc carbonate), zinc carbonate, or strontium carbonate.  
     
     
         27 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises bentonite.  
     
     
         28 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate is treated with a silane treating agent.  
     
     
         29 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein the silicone polymer comprises a recurring unit of Formula I  
                   
       wherein: 
 R 1  independently at each occurrence represents C 1-4  alkyl, or C 2-4  alkylene;  
 R 2  independently at each occurrence represents C 1-4  alkyl, C 1 -C 4  haloalkyl, or C 2-4  alkylene;  
 R 3  independently at each occurrence represents H, C 1-10  alkyl, C 2-4  alkylene, C 4-6  cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 4  haloalkyl, OH; and  
 “n” represents an integer in a range between about 1,000 and about 20,000.  
 
     
     
         30 . The composition of    claim 29    wherein: 
 R 1  independently at each occurrence represents, CH 3  or CH═CH 2 ;  
 R 2  independently at each occurrence represents CH 3 , CH 2 CH 2 CF 3 , or CH═CH 2 ;  
 R 3  at each occurrence represents CH 3 , CH═CH 2 , OH, or CH 2 CH 2 CF 3 ; and  
 “n” represents an integer in a range about 4,000 and about 10,000.  
 
     
     
         31 . The composition of    claim 29   , wherein the vinyl content of the silicone polymer in a range between about 0.05% by weight and about 0.5% by weight of the silicone polymer.  
     
     
         32 . The composition of    claim 1   , comprising: 
 (a) the silicone polymer in a range between about 15% to about 50%, by weight of the total composition;    (b) the hydrophobicity imparting particulate in a range between about 1% and about 50% by weight of the total composition; and    (c) an anti-tracking agent and flame retardant in a range between about 25% and about 60% by weight of the total composition.    
     
     
         33 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein the silicone composition further comprises a reinforcing filler and a coupling agent.  
     
     
         34 . The composition of    claim 33   , wherein the reinforcing filler is fumed silica, precipitated silica, or carbon black having a surface area in a range between about 50 m 2 /g and about 400 m 2 /g.  
     
     
         35 . The composition of    claim 33   , wherein the coupling agent comprises vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), or vinyltrimethoxysilane, methacrylpropyltrimethoxy silane.  
     
     
         36 . The composition of    claim 1   , wherein the silicone composition excludes calcium carbonate, silica, ground quartz, magnesium silicate and magnesium aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         37 . A silicone composition, comprising: 
 (a) a silicone polymer in a range between about 15% and about 50% by weight of the total composition;    (b) a hydrophobicity imparting particulate in a range between about 1% and about 50% by weight of the total composition that imparts a hydrophobicity property to said composition;    (c) an anti-tracking agent and a flame retardant in a range between about 20% and about 70% by weight of the total composition;    (d) a coupling agent in a range between about 0.01% and about 1% by weight of the total composition;    (e) a curing agent in a range between about 0.1% and about 5% by weight of the total composition;    (f) an extending filler up to about 20% by weight of the total composition; and    (g() at least one processing fluid in a range between about 0.1% and about 5% by weight of the total composition.    
     
     
         38 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the curing agent comprises a peroxide based curing agent.  
     
     
         39 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the curing agent comprises a diacylperoxide, ketone peroxide, and dialkyl peroxide.  
     
     
         40 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the extending filler comprises ground quartz, magnesium silicate, or magnesium aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         41 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the processing fluid comprises a methyl or hydroxy terminated polydimethyl siloxane.  
     
     
         42 . The composition of    claim 37   , further comprising a mold release agent, a coloring agent, a heat resistive agent, or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         43 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the mold release agent comprises a silicone fluid, magnesium, aluminum, or cerium stearate.  
     
     
         44 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the heat resistive agent comprises a cerium octoate, cerium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, cerium oxide, or magnesium hydroxide.  
     
     
         45 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate comprises bentonite.  
     
     
         46 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein the silicone polymer comprises a recurring unit of Formula I  
                   
       wherein: 
 R 1  independently at each occurrence represents C 1-4  alkyl, or C 2-4  alkylene;  
 R 2  independently at each occurrence represents C 1-4  alkyl, C 1 -C 4  haloalkyl, or C 2-4  alkylene;  
 R 3  independently at each occurrence represents H, C 1-10  alkyl, C 2-4  alkylene, C 4-6  cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 4  haloalkyl, OH; and  
 “n” represents an integer in a range between about 1,000 and about 20,000.  
 
     
     
         47 . The composition of    claim 37   , wherein said anti-tracking and flame retardant include alumina trihydrate and magnesium hydroxide.  
     
     
         48 . A silicone composition comprising (A) a silicone polymer and (B) two or more hydrophobicity imparting particulates that impart a hydrophobicity property to said composition or at least one hydrophobicity imparting particulate that imparts a hydrophobicity property to said composition and a filler.  
     
     
         49 . The composition of    claim 48   , wherein (B) comprises at least one of calcium carbonate, silica, ground quartz, magnesium silicate or magnesium aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         50 . The composition of    claim 48   , wherein said two or more hydrophobicity imparting particulates comprise a mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate or a mixture of magnesium silicate and calcium carbonate.  
     
     
         51 . An insulator comprising a housing portion, said housing portion comprising a cured product composition of (A) a silicone polymer and (B) an hydrophobicity imparting particulate wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulate imparts a hydrophobicity property to said composition.  
     
     
         52 . The insulator of    claim 51   , wherein the cured product composition excludes calcium carbonate, silica, ground quartz, magnesium silicate and magnesium aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         53 . An insulator comprising a housing portion, said housing portion comprising a cured product composition of (A) a silicone polymer and (B) two or more hydrophobicity imparting particulates wherein said hydrophobicity imparting particulates impart a hydrophobicity property to said composition or an hydrophobicity imparting particulate that imparts a hydrophobicity property to said composition and a filler.  
     
     
         54 . The insulator of    claim 53   , wherein (B) comprises at least one of calcium carbonate, silica, ground quartz, magnesium silicate or magnesium aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         55 . The insulator of    claim 53   , wherein said two or more hydrophobicity imparting particulates comprise a mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate or a mixture of magnesium silicate and calcium carbonate.  
     
     
         56 . A method of improving a hydrophobicity recovery property of a silicone polymer composition, comprising: 
 determining a target hydrophobicity recovery property for a silicone composition;    selecting an hydrophobicity imparting particulate filler to impart said hydrophobicity recovery property to said silicone composition and    adding said hydrophobicity imparting particulate filler to said silicone composition in an amount to impart said target hydrophobicity recovery property.    
     
     
         57 . A method of improving a hydrophobicity property of a cured silicone polymer composition, comprising: 
 determining a target hydrophobicity property for a cured silicone composition;    selecting an hydrophobicity imparting particulate filler to impart said hydrophobicity property to said silicone polymer composition;    compounding a blend of (A) a silicone polymer    and (B) said selected inorganic filler, and    heating to cure said blend.