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Charles W Manke

Deborah Frances Mielewski

Ellen Cheng-chi Lee

Esin Gulari

The present invention involves a method of preparing a reinforced polymer providing improved mechanical properties. The method includes providing particles of the layered silicate and a supercritical fluid. The method further includes mixing the layered silicate with a polymer to form a treatable silicate-polymer mixture and contacting the treatable mixture with the supercritical fluid to exfoliate the silicate particles so that the particles disperse within the polymer. The method further includes depressurizing the contacted mixture to exfoliate the layered silicate so that the layers are substantially dispersed within the polymer to define a reinforced polymer.

System and method of preparing a reinforced polymer by supercritical fluid treatment

The present invention involves a system and method of delaminating a layered silicate to provide improved mechanical properties to select materials such as polymers. The method includes providing particles of the layered silicate and a supercritical fluid. The method further includes contacting the layered silicate particles with the supercritical fluid to define contacted layered silicate particles and catastrophically depressurizing the contacted layered silicate particles to exfoliate the layered particles so that the layered particles are substantially dispersed, defining treated silicate particles.

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West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Charles W Manke