Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

General Electric Company

E Bruce Nauman

Jerry C Lynch

John S Furno

A method for separating polymers from a physically commingled solid mixture containing a plurality of polymers comprises dissolving a first one of the polymers in a solvent at a first lower temperature to form a first preferably single phase solution and a remaining solid component. The solid component contains additional polymers which are not soluble to the solvent at the first temperature but which may be soluble at higher temperatures. The method includes subsequently heating the solvent to dissolve additional polymer from the solid component to form subsequent solutions. The polymers are then separated from their respective solution either using flash evaporation techniques when more than one polymer has been dissolved at a single temperature, or conventional techniques for extracting a polymer from a solvent in a solution.

Polymer recycling by selective dissolution

A method for separating polymers from a physically commingled solid mixture containing a plurality of polymers comprises dissolving a first one of the polymers in a solvent at a first lower temperature to form a first preferably single phase solution and a remaining solid component. The solid component contains additional polymers which are not soluable to the solvent at the first temperature but which may be soluble at higher temperatures. The method includes subsequently heating the solvent to dissolve additional polymer from the solid component to form subsequent solutions. The polymers are then separated from their respective solution either using flash evaporation techniques when more than one polymer has been dissolved at a single temperature, or conventional techniques for extracting a polymer from a solvent in a solution.

A method of producing an impact modified polymer comprises dissolving a high-temperature polyetherimide and a high-temperature fluorelastomer in a common solvent to form a single phase solution which is heated to a temperature that would normally vaporize the solvent. The solution is maintained at an elevated pressure to avoid vaporization of the solvent. After being heated at the elevated temperature, the solution is subjected to flash evaporation by introducing the solution into a zone of reduced pressure. This forms a blend of the polyetherimide into which the fluorelastomer is micro-dispersed. A composition of matter formed by the method advantageously includes a solid component having 90% by weight ULTEM 1000 polyetherimide and 10% by weight VITON A fluorelastomer. Dimethyl formamide is advantageously used as the common solvent.

Impact modification of a heat resistant thermoplastic polyimide

A method of making and composition for a co-continuous dispersion of incompatible polymers in a polymer matrix comprises forming a solution of the incompatible polymers in a solvent which is common to both polymers and rapidly evaporating the solvent. The remaining material is in the form of the polymer matrix.

Co-continuous dispersions of incompatible polymers in polymer matrices

A method of making and composition for a fine particle dispersion of incompatible polymers in a polymer matrix comprises forming a solution of the incompatible polymers in a solvent which is common to both polymers and rapidly evaporating the solvent. The remaining material is in the form of the polymer matrix.

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E Bruce Nauman