3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Seth M Kirk

Moses Mekala David

Gunter A Kohler

Marvin E Jones

Mark A Strobel

Brian J Gates

John S Huberty

Steven John Pachuta

William H Esswein

Mark J Pellerite

Christopher Stewart Lyons

Gina M Buccellato

Hyacinth L Lechuga

Gerald R Spartz

Albert I Everaerts

Brant Ulrick Kolb

William Blake Kolb

Douglas Scott Dunn

Michael R Berrigan

Kannan Seshadri

Jun-Ying Zhang

Ta-Hua Yu

Peter A Stark

David R Holm

Charles David Hoyle

Joseph M McGrath

Chester A Bacon, Jr

Nathan E Schultz

Alan D Rousseau

Timothy M Dietz

Daniel C Duan

Fuming B Li

Brinda Balasubramaniam Lakshmi

John M Sebastian

Brian Edward Spiewak

Joel A Getschel

Jonathan F Hester

Bryan L Gerhardt

William P Klinzing

Daniel R Fronek

Michelle M Mok

Patrick J Sager

Richard L Walter

Andrew W Chen

Gary J Follett

Jerald W Hall, Jr

Himanshu Jasuja

Stephen F Wolf

Ronald S Kapaun

Osei A Owusu

Michael D Currens

Terrence W Miller

Daniel Carvajal

Zackary J Becker

Matthew J Skaruppa

Hyacinth L Cabibil

Joseph H Verkinderen

John H Iii Thomas

A pleated multilayer air filter assembly including a primary filtration layer and a prefilter layer that are bonded to each other and are co-pleated with each other. The primary filtration layer includes meltblown electret fibers. The prefilter layer includes meltspun, spunbonded electret fibers that comprise a radially outer surface comprising polymethylpentene. The ratio of Effective Fiber Diameter of the fibers of the primary filtration layer to Effective Fiber Diameter of the fibers of the primary filtration layer is at least 1.5.

Pleated filtration assembly comprising spunbonded prefilter

Asymmetric articles are described including a porous substrate with two opposing major surfaces and a porous structure extending between the surfaces, and a polymeric coating on one of the major surfaces and extending into the porous structure to a depth of the porous structure. Methods for making an asymmetric composite article are also provided, including providing a porous substrate, treating the porous substrate with a plasma treatment or a corona treatment from one major surface to a depth of the porous structure between the two major surfaces. The method further includes applying a coating solution to the treated porous substrate and drying the coating solution to form a composite asymmetric composite article having a polymeric coating on one major surface and extending into the porous structure to the depth of the treated porous structure.

Asymmetric articles with a porous substrate and a polymeric coating extending into the substrate and methods of making the same

A method of making a fluorinated fibrous web, which method includes providing a nonwoven webthat contains polymeric fibers, creating a plasma that contains fluorine atoms at a first location, and contacting the nonwoven web with products from the plasma at a second locationremote from the first location. The method avoids exposure of the web to the plasma and hence expands the manufacturing processing window. Webs so fluorinated have a different CFHto CFratio when compared to locally fluorinated webs having similar levels of surface fluorination. The remote fluorinated webs can be subsequently charged electrically to provide a good performing electret filtersuitable for use in an air purifying respirator. Webs fluorinated in accordance with this invention also may exhibit good performance even after being 'aged' at high temperatures.

Remote fluorination of fibrous filter webs

A composite layer including first and second layers is described. The first layer includes a plurality of metallic nanowires and the second layer includes a polymeric overcoat disposed on the nanowires. In top plan view, the composite layer has at least one first region and at least one second region, where the nanowires in each first region form an interconnected network of the nanowires, and each second region includes a plurality of nanotrenches through the second layer into the first layer.

Patterned overcoated nanowire transparent conducting coatings

Material comprising sub-micrometer particles dispersed in a polymeric matrix. The materials are useful in article, for example, for numerous applications including display applications (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) displays, or plasma displays); light extraction; electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, ophthalmic lenses; face shielding lenses or films; window films; antireflection for construction applications; and construction applications or traffic signs.

Nanostructured articles and methods to make the same

A method comprising: providing a transparent electrically conductive film comprising: a transparent substrate (); a composite layer () comprising: an electrically conductive layer disposed on at least a portion of a major surface of the transparent substrate () and comprising a plurality of interconnecting metallic nanowires (); and a polymeric overcoat layer disposed on a portion of the electrically conductive layer, to provide a coated area of the electrically conductive layer; and patternwise exposing the coated area of the electrically conductive layer to a corona discharge to provide a patternwise exposed electrically conductive film comprising (1) an un exposed region () of the coated region having a first electrical resistivity, and (2) an exposed region () having a second electrical resistivity; wherein the exposed region is less electrically conductive than the unexposed region, and wherein there is a ratio of the second electrical resistivity over the first electrical resistivity of at least 1000:1.

Corona patterning of overcoated nanowire transparent conducting coatings

An article having at least one fluorinated porous layer having a basis weight of about 10 to about 300 grams per square meter and a thickness of about 0.20 to about 20 millimeters. The porous layer also exhibits a Qof greater than about 1.1.

Fluorinated porous article

The application discloses articles and methods of plasma fluorination treatment that employ a capacitively-coupled system to fluorinate porous articles. The methods include placing the article to be treated within an ion sheath adjacent to an electrode and placing the article to be treated between powered and grounded electrodes separated by about 25 mm or less.

Plasma fluorination treatment of porous materials

Methods and systems utilize an atmospheric-pressure nitrogen dielectric-barrier discharge to treat the surface of polymer substances. The atmospheric-pressure nitrogen dielectric-discharge may be maintained with a level of HO below a pre-defined amount, such as by measuring and controlling the HO within a treater, to produce a surface treatment for a polymer substance that yields desirable characteristics. Furthermore, the HO level may be measured and controlled according to a pre-defined amount or according to another parameter such as an analysis of the resulting polymer surface. For example, the polymer surface may be provided with an optimal added nitrogen-to-added oxygen ratio and/or an optimal stability based on washed and unwashed advancing contact angles such as by controlling the HO level within the treater based on these analyses of the treated polymer.

[object Object]

An electret article that includes a polymeric material that has electric charge imparted thereto, that has one or more heteroatoms, that has a fluorosaturation ratio of less than 200, and that has an atomic percent fluorine of greater than about 40%. The inventive electret article is resistant to charge degradation upon exposure to high temperatures for prolonged time periods.

Electret article having heteroatoms and low fluorosaturation ratio

An electret article that includes a polymeric material that has electric charge imparted thereto, that has a CF:CFratio of at least 0.15 and that has a fluorosaturation ratio greater than about 200. The electret article may be in the form of a porous web of polymeric fibers suitable for use as a filter. The inventive electret article is resistant to charge degradation upon exposure to high temperatures for prolonged time periods.

Electret article having high fluorosaturation ratio

A prismatic retroreflective article has a transparent body portion and a layer of internally reflecting cube-corner optical elements having an open air-exposed rear surface at least a portion of which is more hydrophobic, more oleophobic, or both more hydrophobic and more oleophobic than the underlying cube-corner optical element. The article may be made by providing a transparent body portion bearing a layer of internally reflecting open air-exposed cube-corner optical elements; treating or coating at least a portion of the cube-corner elements to make the treated or coated portion more hydrophobic, more oleophobic, or both more hydrophobic and more oleophobic than the underlying cube-corner optical elements; and leaving such treated or coated portion exposed to the open air.

Prismatic retroreflective article and method

The present invention provides a method for the formation of an organic coating on a substrate. The method includes: providing a substrate in a vacuum; providing at least one vaporized organic material comprising at least one component from at least one source, wherein the vaporized organic material is capable of condensing in a vacuum of less than about 130 Pa; providing a plasma from at least one source other than the source of the vaporized organic material; directing the vaporized organic material and the plasma toward the substrate; and causing the vaporized organic material to condense and polymerize on the substrate in the presence of the plasma to form an organic coating.

Flash evaporation-plasma coating deposition method

Described is an apparatus for the removal of organic substances and/or nitrogen sources from an aqueous medium by exposing the aqueous medium to the action of microorganisms supported on a gas permeable, water impermeable layer, or on and/or in a three dimensional microbial support layer, that is proximate a gas delivery layer through which gas, preferably, oxygen-containing gas, is supplied to the gas permeable layer such that it diffuses through the gas permeable layer and is supplied to the microorganisms.

Layered sheet construction for wastewater treatment

Methods for enhancing adhesion between at least two surfaces, preferably of at least two different materials, using a powdered surface preparation composition.

Methods of enhancing adhesion

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Seth M Kirk