Urea Urethane Thixotropic Agents in Ionic Liquids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thixotropic agents for coating materials face issues with undefined structure, precipitation, limited compatibility, and the use of harmful solvents and lithium salts, which affect storage stability and compatibility with binders.
Innovation Solution
The method involves reacting monohydroxy compounds with tolylene diisocyanate and then with diamines in an ionic liquid to form urea urethanes, eliminating the need for lithium salts and harmful solvents, resulting in thixotropic agents with defined structure and improved compatibility and storage stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lithium salts and harmful solvents are used in the synthesis of thixotropic agents, then the reaction can proceed, but the storage stability deteriorates and harmful effects are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes lithium salts and harmful solvents from the synthesis process entirely. Instead of using traditional aprotic solvents like NMP and lithium salts as catalysts, the invention employs water as the reaction medium with organic ammonium salts as catalysts, thereby extracting the harmful components from the system while maintaining reaction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the reaction system by switching from organic aprotic solvents to water as the reaction medium, and from metal salts to organic ammonium salts as catalysts. This parameter change eliminates the harmful effects of lithium salts and NMP while achieving the desired thixotropic agent synthesis.
2Adaptability or versatility
If monoisocyanate adducts of the same structure are reacted with diamine, then the reaction is simplified, but compatibility in coating systems is limited leading to gel bodies and clouding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric synthesis by reacting mixtures of monoisocyanate adducts with different structures (asymmetric structures) with diamines. This asymmetric approach creates urea urethanes with diverse molecular structures that enhance compatibility with various coating binders, preventing gel bodies and clouding while maintaining defined structural characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces local quality variation by creating mixtures of monoisocyanate adducts with different structural characteristics and reacting them to form urea urethanes with varied local structures. This allows the final product to have regions of different molecular architectures that improve overall compatibility with coating systems.
3Productivity
If highly concentrated product solutions are obtained, then manufacturing and storage are improved, but partial precipitation of salts occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful effect of salt precipitation into a beneficial outcome by using water as the reaction medium. The organic ammonium salt catalysts remain soluble in water at high concentrations without precipitating, enabling the production of highly concentrated stable product solutions that are both manufacturable and storage-stable.
4Reliability
If organically modified bentonites and silicas are used as rheological aids, then rheology control is achieved, but clouding and haze occur in clear transparent coatings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces permanent particulate rheological aids like bentonites and silicas with molecular-level thixotropic agents. These molecular agents provide rheology control through their chemical structure and interaction with the coating matrix, eliminating the need for large particulate additives that cause clouding and haze, thereby maintaining coating transparency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides thixotropic agents with enhanced storage stability and compatibility, avoiding the drawbacks of lithium salts and harmful solvents, leading to consistent performance and safety in coating materials.
Implementation Method 1
monohydroxy compounds are reacted with an excess of tolylene diisocyanate, the unconverted tolylene diisocyanate is removed from the reaction mixture and the resulting monoisocyanate adducts are further reacted with diamines
Implementation Method 2
the resulting monoisocyanate adducts are further reacted with diamines in an ionic liquid to form urea urethanes
Implementation Method 3
the resulting monoisocyanate adducts are further reacted with diamines in an ionic liquid to form urea urethanes
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a solution comprising urea urethanes and acting as a thixotropic agent, wherein at least two structurally different monohydroxy compounds are converted by an excess of toluoylene diisocyanate, forming monoisocyanate adducts having diamines in an ionic fluid, forming urea urethanes. The invention further relates to the use of the solution for thixotroping coating agents and solutions of urea urethanes in ionic fluids.