METHOD FOR ABSORBING LIQUIDS INTO SILICONE-CONTAINING POLYMERS

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for absorbing liquids (P) containing compounds (V) selected from water and alkanols, the oxygen content of which in weight percentage is at least 27%, said content being present in the loan of hydroxy groups or hydroxy and ether groups, into a solid silicone-containing polymer (P) which contains at least one siloxane unit of the general formula I (R.sup.1.sub.b(X).sub.cSiO.sub.[4(b+c)]/2) and no units or at least one unit of the general formula II (R.sup.2.sub.aSiO.sub.4a)/2), in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, x, a, b, and c have the meanings described in claim 1, wherein the liquids (P) are brought into contact with the solid silicone-containing polymer (P).

Claims

1. A method for absorbing liquids (L) comprising: contacting the liquids (L) with solid, silicone-containing polymers (P), wherein the solid, silicone-containing polymers (P) contain at least one siloxane unit of general formula I and optionally at least one unit of general formula II
R.sup.1.sub.b(X).sub.cSiO.sub.[4(b+c)]/2 (I).
R.sup.2.sub.aSiO.sub.(4a)/2 (II), in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently hydrogen or an unbranched, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated alkyl group with 1 to 20 C atoms or aryl group or aralkyl group, wherein individual non-adjacent methylene units may be replaced by O, CO. COO, OCO or OCOO, S or NR.sup.x groups or by an oxyalkylene group of general formula (OCH.sub.2CHR.sup.3).sub.d, R.sup.3 is hydrogen or alkyl. R.sup.x is hydrogen or a C.sub.1-C.sub.10 hydrocarbon residue that is unsubstituted or substituted with substituents selected from CN and halogen, X is a residue bearing at least one amino acid unit and linked to the silicon atom through a carbon atom, having the general formula
YNR.sup.4(CH.sub.2).sub.eCR.sup.5 R.sup.6COOM, M is hydrogen, metal, or an ammonium residue NR.sup.10 .sub.4.sup.+. R.sup.10 is independently hydrogen or C.sub.1-C.sub.12 alkyl, aryl or aralkyl, R.sup.4 is hydrogen or a linear, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated alkyl group with 1 to 20 C atoms or aryl group or aralkyl group, wherein individual non-adjacent methylene unite may be replaced by O, CO, COO. OCO or OCOO, S or NR.sup.x groups or by an oxyalkylene group of general formula (OCH.sub.2CHR.sup.3).sub.d, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are independently hydrogen or linear, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated alkyl groups with 1 to 20 C atoms or aryl groups or aralkyl groups, wherein individual non-adjacent methylene units may be replaced by O, CO, COO, OCO or OCOO, S or NR.sup.x groups, where R.sup.5 or R.sup.6 may be linked lo R.sup.4, Y is a linear, branched, cyclic, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated C.sub.1 to C.sub.100 alkylene residue linked to the organosilicon compound through a carbon atom, in which individual carbon atoms may be replaced by oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur atoms and which may be substituted with non-adjacent hydroxyl groups, a has the values 0,1, 2 or 3, b has the value 0, 1 in 2, c has the values 1, 2 or 3, d has integer values from 1 to 100, b+c has the values 1, 2, 3 or 4, and e has integer values 0 to 50, wherein the liquids (L) include compounds (C) selected front water and alkanols with a proportion by weight of oxygen, present in the form of hydroxy or hydroxy and ether groups, of no less that 27%.

2. The method of claim 1, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently an unbranched, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated alkyl group with 1 to 6 C atoms.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein M is selected from sodium, potassium, and ammonium residue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein e is values from 0 to 5.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicone-containing polymers (P) used for absorbing liquids (L) contain further polymers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the compounds (C) are selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, glycerol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether or diethylene glycol dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid (L) contains at least 80% by weight of compound (C).

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid (L) is an organic fluid.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid (L) is brake fluids.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid (L) is from mineral oil tanks,

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid (L) is bodily fluids.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid, silicone-containing polymers (P) is self-sealing when absorbing the liquid (L).

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0074] 3.04 g of a lysine-modified polymer with the structure

##STR00002##

[0075] was immersed in water. The increase in weight of the polymer material was determined as a function of the storage time. For this purpose, the polymer in each case was filtered off and water adhering to the surface was blown off in an air stream. Table 1 shows the increase in weight due to absorption of water and the factor of the increase in weight in each case. After 12 days the original weight had increased by a factor of about 10.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Increase in weight of the lysine-modified polymer sample from example 1 on contact with water Factor of increase Time (days) Weight (g) in weight 0 3.04 1 1 10.5 3.5 2 15.5 5.1 5 24.0 7.9 12 31.1 10.2

EXAMPLE 2

[0076] 3.03 g of a lysine-modified polymer with the structure

##STR00003##

[0077] was immersed in water. The increase in weight of the polymer material was determined as a function of the storage time. For this purpose, the polymer in each case was filtered off and water adhering to the surface was blown off in an air stream. Table 2 shows the increase in weight due to absorption and the factor of the increase in weight in each case. After 12 days the original weight had increased by a factor of about 3.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Increase in weight of the lysine-modified polymer sample from example 2 on contact with water Factor of increase Time (days) Weight (g) in weight 0 3.08 1 1 5.14 1.7 2 5.29 1.7 6 7.16 2.3 13 9.96 3.2

EXAMPLE 3

[0078] A polymer film was produced from the lysine-modified polymer with the structure

##STR00004##

[0079] by dissolving the material in ethanol and evaporating off the solvent in a mold. The polymer film was mounted on a microscope slide and this was immersed in water. The increase in weight of the polymer material was determined as a function of the storage time. For this purpose, the polymer in each case was filtered off and water adhering to the surface was blown off in an air stream, and the increase in weight was determined. Table 3 shows the increase in weight due to absorption and the factor of the increase in weight in each case. After 21 days the original weight had increased by a factor of more than four.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Increase in weight of the lysine-modified polymer film from example 3 on contact with water Factor of increase Time (days) Weight (mg) in weight 0 422 1 2 771 1.8 4 922 2.2 8 1173 2.8 21 1856 4.4