Antimicrobial and antiviral polymeric master batch, processes for producing polymeric material therefrom and products produced therefrom

Abstract

A polymeric master batch for preparing an antimicrobal and antifungal and antiviral polymeric material comprising a slurry of thermoplastic resin, an antimicrobal and antifungal and antiviral agent consisting essentially of water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide, a polymeric wax and an agent for occupying the charge of the ionic copper oxide.

Claims

1. A process of preparing an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral polymeric material, comprising: preparing a master batch composition, wherein the master batch composition is in the form of an extruded solid and the master batch composition consists essentially of: about 4% to about 83% of a thermoplastic resin; about 10% to about 60% of an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral agent consisting essentially of discrete water insoluble particles of cationic copper oxide; about 1% to about 30% of a polymeric wax; and about 1% to about 6% of an agent for occupying the charge of said ionic copper oxide, wherein wt % is based on the total weight of the composition; and combining the master batch composition with a thermoplastic composition to form a combined thermoplastic composition; and extruding the combined thermoplastic composition to form an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral polymeric material, wherein discrete water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide that release Cu.sup.++ are exposed and protrude from a surface of the polymeric material.

2. A process of preparing an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral polymeric material, comprising: preparing a master batch composition, wherein the master batch composition is in the form of an extruded solid and the master batch composition consists essentially of: about 4% to about 83% of a thermoplastic resin; about 10% to about 60% of an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral agent consisting essentially of discrete water insoluble ionic copper oxide particles of CuO and Cu.sub.2O; about 1% to about 30% of a polymeric wax; and about 1% to about 6% of an agent for occupying the charge of said ionic copper oxide, wherein wt % is based on the total weight of the composition; and combining the master batch composition with a thermoplastic composition to form a combined thermoplastic composition; and extruding the combined thermoplastic composition to form an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral polymeric material, wherein discrete water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide that release Cu.sup.++ are exposed and protrude from a surface of the polymeric material.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the discrete water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide are characterized by a size between 0.2 microns and 10 microns.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the combined thermoplastic composition comprises the discrete water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide in a range from 0.25 wt % and 5 wt %, wherein wt % is based on the total weight of the polymeric material.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymeric wax is selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, oxidized homopolymers, high density oxidized homopolymers and co-polymers of polyethylene, polypropylene, ionomer waxes, micronized polyolefin waxes, and co-polymers of ethylene-acrylic acid, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and a combination of any of the foregoing.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymeric wax is selected from the group consisting of homopolymers and co-polymers of polyethylene, polypropylene, ionomer waxes, and a combination of any of the foregoing.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the combined thermoplastic composition is extrudable without a plating out of the water insoluble particles of ionic copper oxide on metal surfaces of an extrusion apparatus.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the agent for occupying the charge of said ionic copper oxide is selected from the group consisting of a metal deactivating phosphite, a phenolic antioxidant, potassium iodide, potassium bromide, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, aluminum stearate, and a combination of any of the foregoing.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the combined thermoplastic composition comprises a metal deactivator.

Description

EXAMPLES

(1) A. General Procedure

(2) 1. A slurry is prepared from any polymer, the chief raw material preferably being selected from a polyamide, a polyalkylene, a polyurethane and a polyester. Combinations of more than one of said materials can also be used provided they are compatible or adjusted for compatibility. The polymeric raw materials are usually in bead form and can be mono-component, bi-component or multi-component in nature. The beads are heated to melting at a temperature which preferably will range from about 80 to 150 C. 2. At the hot mixing stage, before extrusion, a water insoluble powder of cationic copper oxide is added to the slurry and allowed to spread through the heated slurry. The particulate size will be preferably between 0.2 to 20 microns, however can be larger when the film or fiber thickness can accommodate larger particles. 3. The liquid slurry is then pushed with pressure through holes in a series of metal plates formed into a circle called a spinneret. As the slurry is pushed through the fine holes that are close together, they form single fibers or if allowed to contact one another, they form a film or sheath. The hot liquid fiber or film is pushed upward with cold air forming a continuous series of fibers or a circular sheet. The thickness of the fibers or sheet is controlled by the size of the holes and speed at which the slurry is pushed through the holes and upward by the cooling air flow. 4. In percentage mixtures of up to 5% by weight of cationic copper oxide dust demonstrated, no degradation of physical properties in a polymeric slurry of the finished product.

Comparative Example 1

(3) Using the method described above, the following components were combined and processed:

(4) TABLE-US-00001 1. copper oxide 10-60% on a weight basis 2. a polymer wax type material consisting 1-30% of homopolymers and co-polymers of polyethylene, polypropylene and lonomer waxes, and mixtures thereof 3. thermoplastic resin 10-89%

(5) Said components were subjected to high intensity mixing for 2 to 10 minutes at a temperature of 80 to 150 C. and then extruded through a twin screw extruder.

(6) There was observed a plating out of copper on metal surfaces and a high rise in pressure within the system.

Example 2

(7) The procedure of example 1 was repeated with the following components:

(8) TABLE-US-00002 1. copper oxide 10-60% on a weight basis 2. a polymer wax type material consisting 1 to 30% of homopolymers and co-polymers of polyethylene, polypropylene and lonomer waxes, and mixtures thereof. 3. thermoplastic resin 4-83% 4. Irgafoss 3114 (a phenolic antioxidant) 1-6%

(9) Said components were subjected to high intensity mixing for 2 to 10 minutes at a temperature of 80 to 150 C. and then extruded through a twin screw extruder.

(10) With these ingredients there was no plating out on the screens or on the equipment and the pressure rise was significantly reduced.

Example 3

Preparation of Yarns and Fibers from a Master Batch

(11) A1. A master batch is prepared according to example 2 using the same base material as the desired yarn into which a copper oxide powder is added. For most textile end uses the master batch will preferably have a 10%-60% concentration of the copper oxide powder included in it. This master batch is added to the polymer being extruded and diluted so that only about 0.25% to 5% of the material will be in the finished yarn. A certain amount of this copper will appear on the surface of a polymeric fiber and can be observed in an electron microscope picture. A2. If the fiber is a filament fiber it can be applied to a multiplicity of uses including formation as a yarn which is an extruded filament produced as in A1 from a plurality of fibers through a spinaret. A3. For the manufacture of staple fibers: The same basic process is followed for the creation of a staple (short or long, not continuous) filament fiber as per the formation described above. However, a variation of these fibers can be created to form a staple fiber rather than continuous fiber. The formation of a staple fiber of varying physical qualities can be extruded to any thickness and cut to any length. The creation of these fibers will facilitate blending treated fibers into any spun yarn product whether short staple, as in cotton, or long staple as in wool or any other fiber blends in any proportion desired comprised of different fibers.

(12) Thus as will be realized, the difference between the normal process of manufacturing polymeric products and the process of the present invention, is the addition of microscopic Cu.sup.++ releasing water insoluble particles into the polymeric raw materials in the presence of a polyethylene wax and in the presence of an agent for occupying the charge of the cupric oxide.

(13) It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative examples and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments and examples be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.