A process including providing a three-dimensional printing powder dispersion comprising a three-dimensional printing powder, an optional dispersing agent, and water; providing an emulsion of an organic polymeric additive; combining the three-dimensional printing powder dispersion and the emulsion of organic polymeric additive to form a mixture comprising the three-dimensional printing powder dispersion and the emulsion of organic polymeric additive; and drying the mixture of the three-dimensional printing powder dispersion and the emulsion of organic polymeric additive.

A method of synthesizing polyamide microparticles may comprise: dehydrating and shearing a mixture comprising a matrix fluid, an emulsion stabilizer at about 0.01 wt % to about 50 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid, a solvent at about 13 wt % to about 75 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid, and a cyclic amide monomer at about 20 wt % to about 90 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid to yield an emulsion having a water content of about 1 wt % or less based on the total weight of the emulsion; adding a deprotonating agent to the emulsion at a concentration of about 0.01 wt % to about 1 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid; and contacting the emulsion with a polymerization initiator under conditions effective to polymerize the cyclic amide monomer into a plurality of polyamide microparticles.

Methods for producing highly spherical particles that comprise: mixing a mixture comprising: (a) nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprising a nanoclay dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer, (b) a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite, optionally (c) a thermoplastic polymer not filled with a nanoclay, and optionally (d) an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature at or greater than a melting point or softening temperature of the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer and the thermoplastic polymer, when included, to disperse the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite in the carrier fluid; cooling the mixture to below the melting point or softening temperature to form nanoclay-filled-polymer particles; and separating the nanoclay-filled-polymer particles from the carrier fluid.

Methods for producing highly spherical particles that comprise: mixing a mixture comprising: (a) nanoclay-filled-polymer composite comprising a nanoclay dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer, (b) a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite, optionally (c) a thermoplastic polymer not filled with a nanoclay, and optionally (d) an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature at or greater than a melting point or softening temperature of the thermoplastic polymer of the nanoclay-filled-polymer and the thermoplastic polymer, when included, to disperse the nanoclay-filled-polymer composite in the carrier fluid; cooling the mixture to below the melting point or softening temperature to form nanoclay-filled-polymer particles; and separating the nanoclay-filled-polymer particles from the carrier fluid.

The present invention relates to a powder for the preparation of three-dimensional objects comprising, or consisting of, supraparticles (8,9,10) comprising at least a first population of first primary particles, wherein the first primary particles are thermo-plastic polymeric particles, wherein the first primary particles have a volume-averaged median particle diameter of from 10 to 2000 nm; wherein the primary particles are agglomerated and/or partially sintered together to form the supraparticles, and/or wherein the supra-particles have a volume-averaged median particle diameter of from 2.5 to 100 pm. The invention also relates to a method for preparing in a powder for the preparation of three-dimensional objects comprising a1) providing an at least first population of first primary particles in a first dispersion medium, thereby forming a first dispersion (1); and/or a2) providing an at least second population of second primary particles in a second dispersion medium, thereby forming a second dispersion (2); and/or a3) mixing the first dispersion and the second dispersion, thereby forming a mixture (3) of the first and second dispersion; and b) atomizing (5) the first, second or mixture of the first and second dispersion thereby forming droplets of the first, second or mixture of the first and second dispersion; and c) removing all dispersion media, preferably evaporating all dispersion media by spray drying (7), thereby obtaining supraparticles (8,9,10).

Disclosed is a preparation method for corncob-shaped HNT-PANI/PP, specifically comprising: polymerizing aniline in situ on cleaned HNTs in an ice-water bath; mixing corncob-shaped HNT-PANI composite powder obtained by vacuum drying and PP plastic in a high-speed mixer in a certain ratio, performing extrusion granulation by using a twin-screw extruder, and performing injection molding by using an injection molding machine to prepare standard sample strips of an HNT-PANI/PP composite material. The corncob-shaped HNT-PANI composite material prepared according to the present invention has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and flame retardance, the mechanical properties of the composite material can be improved, electrical and flame-retardant properties of PP engineering materials can be improved, and thus the application field of PP is greatly broadened.

Disclosed is a preparation method for corncob-shaped HNT-PANI/PP, specifically comprising: polymerizing aniline in situ on cleaned HNTs in an ice-water bath; mixing corncob-shaped HNT-PANI composite powder obtained by vacuum drying and PP plastic in a high-speed mixer in a certain ratio, performing extrusion granulation by using a twin-screw extruder, and performing injection molding by using an injection molding machine to prepare standard sample strips of an HNT-PANI/PP composite material. The corncob-shaped HNT-PANI composite material prepared according to the present invention has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and flame retardance, the mechanical properties of the composite material can be improved, electrical and flame-retardant properties of PP engineering materials can be improved, and thus the application field of PP is greatly broadened.

Embodiments of an invention disclosed herein relate to devices, processes, and systems for processing one or more polymers.

A process for producing particles of a thermoplastic polymer in spherical form involves providing at least one thermoplastic polymer in a molten state and providing an aqueous solution of at least one surface-active substance. The aqueous solution is in a temperature range from 100 to 300° C. The process also involves dispersing the thermoplastic polymer in the aqueous solution to obtain an aqueous solution containing dispersed thermoplastic polymer, which is cooled down to a temperature below the solidification point of the thermoplastic polymer to obtain a suspension containing an aqueous solution and particles of the thermoplastic polymer suspended in a solid state and in spherical form. The particles can be separated from the suspension and, optionally, dried. The particles obtained from the process have a particle size distribution having a d[4,3] value of more than 10 μm and a d.sub.90.3 value of more than 20 μm.

A process for producing particles of a thermoplastic polymer in spherical form involves providing at least one thermoplastic polymer in a molten state and providing an aqueous solution of at least one surface-active substance. The aqueous solution is in a temperature range from 100 to 300° C. The process also involves dispersing the thermoplastic polymer in the aqueous solution to obtain an aqueous solution containing dispersed thermoplastic polymer, which is cooled down to a temperature below the solidification point of the thermoplastic polymer to obtain a suspension containing an aqueous solution and particles of the thermoplastic polymer suspended in a solid state and in spherical form. The particles can be separated from the suspension and, optionally, dried. The particles obtained from the process have a particle size distribution having a d[4,3] value of more than 10 μm and a d.sub.90.3 value of more than 20 μm.