U.S. patent application number 13/991293 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-13 for near infrared reflecting composition and coverings for architectural openings incorporating same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Nilmini K. Abayasinghe, Philippe E. Paugois. Invention is credited to Nilmini K. Abayasinghe, Philippe E. Paugois.
Application Number | 20140335329 13/991293 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45349588 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140335329 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Abayasinghe; Nilmini K. ; et
al. |
November 13, 2014 |
Near Infrared Reflecting Composition and Coverings for
Architectural Openings Incorporating Same
Abstract
Disclosed are compositions that can be used in forming products
with increased near infrared (IR) reflective capability. A
composition can include IR reflective and/or IR transmissive
non-white pigments and can be formed with suitable viscosity so as
to successfully coat substrates, e.g., yarns, suitable for use in
forming coverings for architectural openings, e.g., window
coverings. Also disclosed are textile substrates coated with the
compositions, including textile substrates coated with compositions
that include abrasive, inorganic IR reflective dark pigments.
Inventors: |
Abayasinghe; Nilmini K.;
(Spartanburg, SC) ; Paugois; Philippe E.; (Duncan,
SC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Abayasinghe; Nilmini K.
Paugois; Philippe E. |
Spartanburg
Duncan |
SC
SC |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
45349588 |
Appl. No.: |
13/991293 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
December 2, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US11/63022 |
371 Date: |
July 22, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61419481 |
Dec 3, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/212 ;
427/160; 442/132; 442/75; 524/296 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 21/10 20130101;
C08J 7/06 20130101; C08K 5/0041 20130101; B32B 27/12 20130101; E04F
10/02 20130101; Y10T 428/24942 20150115; B32B 5/26 20130101; B32B
2262/101 20130101; B32B 2262/14 20130101; C08J 2327/06 20130101;
A47H 23/10 20130101; C08K 3/013 20180101; Y10T 442/2598 20150401;
E06B 9/24 20130101; B32B 2419/00 20130101; C09D 127/06 20130101;
Y10T 442/2131 20150401; B32B 2262/0276 20130101; B32B 2262/062
20130101; C08K 5/12 20130101; B32B 21/08 20130101; B32B 15/08
20130101; D06M 14/32 20130101; B32B 15/14 20130101; B32B 2262/0253
20130101; C08J 2467/02 20130101; C09D 5/004 20130101; B32B 15/20
20130101; D06M 14/34 20130101; C08K 3/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/212 ;
442/132; 442/75; 427/160; 524/296 |
International
Class: |
A47H 23/10 20060101
A47H023/10; C08K 3/22 20060101 C08K003/22; C09D 127/06 20060101
C09D127/06; C08K 5/12 20060101 C08K005/12; D06M 14/32 20060101
D06M014/32; D06M 14/34 20060101 D06M014/34 |
Claims
1. A covering for an architectural opening comprising: a cured
polymeric composition comprising a polymeric resin and a non-white
pigment, the pigment being an infrared reflective pigment or an
infrared transparent pigment, the cured polymeric composition
having a CIELAB L* value of less than about 90 measured at an
observation angle of 25.degree., the covering reflecting more than
about 15% of impinging solar radiation between about 700 and about
2500 nm.
2. The covering of claim 1, wherein the cured polymeric composition
is a first coating layer on a substrate selected from a fibrous
construct, a wood, metal or polymer substrate or a textile.
3. The covering of claim 1, wherein the cured polymeric composition
is a second coating on a substrate, the covering further comprising
a first coating between the substrate and the second coating.
4. The covering of claim 3, wherein the first coating comprises one
or more white or non-white IR reflective pigments.
5. The covering of claim 3, wherein the first coating is more IR
reflective than the second coating.
6. The covering of claim 4, wherein the non-white pigment of the
second coating is an inorganic infrared reflective pigment.
7. The covering of claim 2, wherein the fibrous construct includes
a mono filament or multi filament yarn or staple yarn and/or
includes one or more fibers comprising a glass fiber, a polyester
fiber, a polyolefin fiber, a natural fiber, or a combination
thereof, wherein the one or more fibers are mono- or multi-filament
fibers or a combination thereof.
8. The covering of claim 1, wherein the covering is a window
covering.
9. The covering of claim 1, wherein the covering reflects more than
about 50% of impinging solar radiation between about 700 and about
2500 nm and/or reflects more than about 25% of all impinging solar
radiation.
10. The covering of claim 1, wherein the non-white pigment is a
black pigment and/or comprises aluminum.
11. A method for forming the covering of claim 1, the method
comprising: mixing the polymer resin with the non-white pigment to
form a composition, the pigment being an infrared reflective
pigment or an infrared transparent pigment; adjusting the viscosity
of the composition such that the composition has a viscosity of
less than about 5000 cP as measured with a Brookfield RTV at 20
rpm; coating a substrate with the composition; and curing the
composition.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composition
includes the non-white pigment in a concentration equal to or less
than about 50 parts per hundred parts of the polymeric resin.
13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising including
a viscosity reducing agent in the composition.
14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the polymer resin
comprises reactive monomeric or oligomeric components, the
monomeric or oligomeric components polymerizing during the step of
curing the composition.
15. A composition for coating a component of an architectural
opening, the composition comprising: a polymeric resin; and a
non-white pigment, the pigment being an infrared reflective pigment
or an infrared transparent pigment; wherein the composition has a
viscosity of less than about 5000 cP as measured with a Brookfield
RTV at 20 rpm, and the cured composition has a CIELAB L* value of
less than about 90 measured at an observation angle of
25.degree..
16. The composition according to claim 15, further comprising one
or more of a plasticizer, a viscosity reducing agent, or a flame
retardant.
17. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the resin is in
the form of an emulsion in an aqueous medium.
18. The composition according to claim 15, claims wherein the
polymeric resin is a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyolefin resin,
a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, a polylactide resin, an
acrylic resin, or a mixture thereof.
19. The composition according to claim 15, further comprising
additional pigments.
20. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the non-white
pigment is black and/or comprises aluminum.
21. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the polymeric
resin is in the form of a plurality of reactive monomers,
oligomers, or mixtures thereof, the reactive monomers, oligomers,
or mixtures thereof reacting with one another to form a
polymer.
22. The covering of claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises
aluminum or poly(vinyl chloride).
23. The method according to claim 11, wherein the viscosity of the
composition is adjusted such that the composition has a viscosity
of less than about 2500 cP.
24. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the composition
has a viscosity of less than about 2500 cP.
25. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the composition
has a CIELAB L* value of less than about 70.
26. The composition according to claim 19, wherein the additional
pigments include an interference pigment or carbon black.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims filing benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/419,481 having a filing
date of Dec. 3, 2010, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Various different types of coverings exist for placement in
architectural openings such as windows, doors, archways, and the
like. Such coverings include window blinds and shades. Window
shades often include a textile woven with polymer-coated yarns that
provide strength, flexibility, and abrasion resistance. The core
yarns are generally formed of polyester, glass, polyolefin, and the
like. The polymer coatings of the yarns can include a polymer resin
such as poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyolefins, polyesters, and so
forth. Coatings have also been formulated to include a variety of
additives including pigments, flame-retardant materials, and UV
light absorbers.
[0003] There is a growing interest in improving coverings for
architectural openings so as to better control solar energy
impinging upon a structure. Through passive thermal management of
solar radiation, energy consumption can be dramatically decreased.
Moreover, increasing global economic development is expected to
lead to growing demand for dwindling energy reserves. This combined
with increasing global temperatures is expected to elevate the
search for improved passive thermal management techniques from an
option to a necessity.
[0004] Improved energy management through design of architectural
coverings is not new. For instance, the above described textile
materials have been recognized as providing good heat insulating
properties. White pigments, such as titanium dioxide-based
pigments, have been utilized to improve solar control. For example,
an article formed with titanium dioxide-based pigment can reflect
more than 70% of the near infrared (NIR) radiation. As the heat
generated on an article depends primarily upon the NIR reflective
properties of the article, use of a highly reflective white pigment
can minimize heat generation.
[0005] Unfortunately, in order to form a non-white covering for an
architectural opening, a price has been paid in passive solar
management. Darker colored materials including conventional carbon
black-based pigments will reflect only about 5% of the impinging
solar radiation. The increased absorbance of NIR leads to increased
surface temperature of the covering itself, as well as increased
temperatures of the surroundings. Moreover, the thermal stress
placed on the darker materials over time leads to a shorter life
span for the coverings.
[0006] Infrared (IR) reflective pigments and IR transparent
pigments have been known for some time (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,174,360, 6,521,038, and 7,416,601, which are incorporated herein
by reference). These materials have been suggested for use in
military applications, in roofing, and in inks. Unfortunately,
these materials present processing and use difficulties in other
applications. For instance, IR reflective inorganic pigments are
highly abrasive, and as such they have not been utilized as
coloring agents for yarns/textiles. In addition, the pigment add-on
level necessary to form desired dark colors often makes the
composition too highly viscous for processing conditions necessary
to coat certain substrates. For instance, in order to obtain a
black coating, a black pigment will often be added to a pigment
composition at a concentration of about 20 parts per hundred parts
resin (phr), with the resulting formulation having a viscosity of
about 10,000 cP, making certain processing methods (e.g., fiber
coating methods) impractical if not impossible.
[0007] In view of the above, a need currently exists for
compositions that can be used to form materials in non-white,
deeper tones for covering architectural openings. More
specifically, a need exists for non-white compositions and products
such as window coverings that exhibit good solar management
properties.
SUMMARY
[0008] According to one embodiment, disclosed is a composition for
coating a component of an architectural opening, e.g., for coating
fibers used to form a window covering. A composition can include a
polymeric resin and a non-white pigment. More specifically, the
pigment can be an IR reflective pigment or an IR transparent
pigment. In order to adequately coat a component, the composition
can have a viscosity of less than about 5000 cP as measured with a
Brookfield RTV at 20 rpm. The composition can be used to form
non-white IR reflective coverings. For instance, the cured
composition can have a CIELAB L* value of less than about 90
measured at an observation angle of 25.degree..
[0009] Also disclosed are coverings for architectural openings that
incorporate the cured compositions. For instance, a covering
incorporating the above cured composition can reflect more than
about 15% of impinging solar radiation between about 700 and about
2500 nm. A covering can be a window covering such as a window
shade, a window blind, a curtain, an awning, an awning shade, or
the like.
[0010] Also disclosed are methods for forming a covering for an
architectural opening. For instance, a method can include mixing a
polymer resin with a non-white pigment to form a composition, the
pigment being an IR reflective pigment or an IR transparent
pigment. The method can also include adjusting the viscosity of the
composition such that the composition has a viscosity of less than
about 5000 cP as measured with a Brookfield RTV at 20 rpm, coating
a substrate with the composition, and curing the composition. For
example, a composition can coat a yarn, and the coated yarn can
then be utilized in forming a woven or nonwoven textile for use in
forming a window covering, e.g., a window shade.
[0011] According to another embodiment, a method can include
coating a substrate with multiple layers, at least one of which is
a composition that includes one or more IR reflective or IR
transparent pigments or combinations thereof. According to the
method, a first layer can be a highly reflective IR layer. For
example, the first layer can include white pigment. In one
embodiment the first layer can be more IR reflective than the
second layer. Both the first and the second layer or alternatively
only the second layer can include one or more non-white IR
reflective and or transparent pigments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention,
including the best mode thereof to one skilled in the art, is set
forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification,
including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 graphically illustrates the total solar reflection of
three different fabrics all formed with black yarns in both the
warp and weft, one of which includes NIR reflective yarns as
described herein in the warp, one of which includes NIR reflective
yarns as described herein in both the warp and weft, and one of
which includes traditional yarns made including carbon black
pigments as described herein in both the warp and weft.
[0014] FIG. 2 graphically illustrates the total solar reflection of
three different fabrics formed with black yarns in the warp and
dark brown yarns in the weft, one of which includes NIR reflective
yarns as described herein in the warp, one of which includes NIR
reflective yarns as described herein in both the warp and weft, and
one of which includes traditional yarns as described herein in both
the warp and weft.
[0015] FIG. 3 graphically illustrates the total solar reflection of
three different fabrics formed with black yarns in the warp and
gray yarns in the weft, one of which includes NIR reflective yarns
as described herein in the warp, one of which includes NIR
reflective yarns as described herein in both the warp and weft, and
one of which includes traditional yarns as described herein in both
the warp and weft.
[0016] FIG. 4 includes IR images of several different fabrics,
including fabrics formed of fibers coated with a composition as
disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art
that the present discussion is a description of exemplary
embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader
aspects of the present disclosure.
[0018] In general, the present disclosure is directed to a
composition that can be used in forming products with increased NIR
reflective capability. More specifically, disclosed compositions
can include IR reflective and/or IR transmissive non-white
pigments. Beneficially, the compositions can be formed with
suitable viscosity so as to successfully coat substrates suitable
for use in forming coverings for architectural openings. For
example, a composition can coat fibers or yarns that can be used in
forming IR reflective non-white woven window coverings. A fabric
including a coated yarn can exhibit greatly increased reflectivity
across the NIR and IR spectra as compared to a similar fabric
utilizing traditional non-white pigments in the yarn coating.
[0019] Also disclosed are textile substrates coated with a
composition that includes inorganic IR reflective pigments.
Traditionally, such pigments have been considered unsuitable for
textile substrates such as yarns due to the abrasive nature of the
pigments. These problems have been overcome in the present
disclosure by providing an intermediate coating layer between the
substrate and the composition that includes the abrasive
pigments.
[0020] A coating composition can include a polymeric resin that can
be either a thermoset or a thermoplastic resin. By way of example,
a coating composition can include a resin that is a polyvinyl
chloride, acrylic, polyester, polyamide, aramid, polyurethane,
polyvinyl alcohol, polyolefin, polylactide and the like. A resin
polymer can be a homopolymer or a copolymer. In addition, a
copolymer can be a random or a block copolymer. A polymeric resin
can include one or more polymers, for instance two or more polymers
in a polymeric blend.
[0021] When considering a thermoset polymer resin, a composition
can also include a crosslinking agent. By way of example, a
thermoset polymer resin can be crosslinked by use of an isocyanate
crosslinking agent, an organometallic crosslinking agent, and the
like.
[0022] In one preferred embodiment, the composition can include an
emulsion formed from a polymer in an aqueous medium. In general, an
emulsion can include a high molecular weight resin; typically a
polyurethane, acrylic or methacrylic resin can be utilized in
forming an emulsion-based coating composition.
[0023] The polymer of the composition can be polymerized at any
point during processing of the composition. For instance, a
composition can be formed including monomers and/or oligomers, and
these substituents can be polymerized during or following formation
of the composition. By way of example, a composition can be
utilized to coat a substrate following which the coating can be
cured during which polymerization can take place. According to one
embodiment, a composition comprising a mixture of monomers can be
applied to the substrate, and polymerization can be initiated
following the coating process and in conjunction with the cure.
Such an embodiment may be particularly beneficial when considering
formation of a thermoset coating.
[0024] In one preferred embodiment, the composition can include a
plastisol formed from a vinyl polymer and a plasticizer. In
general, a plastisol can include a plasticizer and a high molecular
weight resin, typically a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or an acrylic,
and can form a flexible, permanently plasticized coating
composition.
[0025] As stated, polymers encompassed herein include homopolymers
and copolymers. For example, a PVC polymer in a coating composition
can be a PVC homopolymer or a copolymer. A PVC copolymer can be
formed from vinyl chloride monomer and at least one other monomer
chosen from the group consisting of methacrylate, acrylonitrile,
styrene, phenyleneoxide, acrylic acid, maleic anhydride, vinyl
alcohol and vinyl acetate.
[0026] A plasticizer is generally a compound with low volatility
that has the ability to disperse polymeric resin particles of the
plastisol. A plasticizer can also facilitate adherence of the
polymeric resin to a substrate. Typical plasticizers include,
normal and branched chain alcoholic esters and glycol esters of
various mono-, di- and tri-basic acids, for example esters of
phthalic, adipic, sebacic, azelaic, citric, trimellitic (and
anhydride) and phosphoric acids; chlorohydrocarbons; esters of long
chain alcohols; liquid polyesters; and epoxidized natural oils,
such as linseed and soya oils.
[0027] Representative phthalate plasticizers include:
di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, n-C6-C8-C10 phthalate, n-C7-C9-C11
phthalate, n-octyl-n-decyl phthalate, ditridecyl phthalate,
diisonyl phthalate, diisooctyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate,
butylbenzylphthalate, dihexyl phthalate, butyl ocytyl phthlate,
dicapryl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl isophthalate, alkyl benzene
phthalates, dimethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl
phthalate, butyl isodecyl phthalate, butyl iso-hexyl phthalate,
dinonyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, hexyl
octyl decyl phthalate, didecyl phthalate diisodecyl phthalate,
diundecyl phthalate, butyl-ethylhexyl phthalate, butylbenzyl
phthalate, octylbenzyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, diphenyl
phthalate, alkylaryl phthalates, and 2-ethylhexylisodecyl
phthalate.
[0028] Additional plasticizers include: abietic derivatives, acetic
acid derivatives, adipic acid derivatives (e.g., di-2-ethylhexyl
adipate, diisononyl adipate, diisodecyl adipate), azelaic acid
derivatives (e.g., di-2-ethylhexyl azelate), benzoic acid
derivatives, polyphenyl derivatives, citric acid derivatives, epoxy
derivatives (e.g., epoxidized soybean oil and epoxidized linseed
oil), formal derivatives, fumaric acid derivatives, glutaric acid
derivatives, glycol derivatives (e.g., dipropylene glycol
dibenzoate), and so forth.
[0029] The amount of plasticizer included in a composition can
depend upon the desired characteristics of the product to be
formed. For instance, a higher plasticizer level can lead to a
lower cold flex temperature of the composition, with accompanying
decrease in strength and hardness. In general, a plasticizer, when
included in the composition, can be present in an amount between
about 30 and about 60 parts per hundred parts of the resin
(phr).
[0030] A composition can also include at least one of an IR
reflective pigment and an IR transparent pigment. The IR reflective
pigment or IR transparent pigment will exhibit a color, i.e., it
will have an absorption peak in the visible spectrum, between about
390 and about 750 nm. In addition, the composition will include an
IR reflective or IR transparent pigment that is a non-white
pigment. In one embodiment, the IR reflective pigment or IR
transparent pigment can be a black pigment. The composition can
also include multiple different pigments. For instance, the
composition can also include mixtures of pigments including both
non-white and white pigments.
[0031] Of course, the composition can include mixtures of IR
reflective pigments and/or IR transparent pigments to provide a
coating having a desired color and solar control characteristics.
Moreover, a composition can include one or more IR reflective
pigment(s) and/or IR transparent pigment(s) that are colorless, in
addition to the one or more pigments that have a color. Pigments
can likewise be transparent in the visible spectrum or opaque.
[0032] In general, a coating can include pigments such that a
coating formed of the composition can be a non-white coating. By
way of example, a cured coating formed of the composition can have
a CIELAB L* value of less than about 90, less than about 70, less
than about 50, less than about 30, less than about 20, or less than
about 10, measured at an observation angle of 25.degree..
[0033] As utilized herein, the term IR reflective pigment generally
refers to a pigment that, when included in a composition, provides
a cured coating with a reflectance of NIR radiation, i.e.,
electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of from about 700 to
about 2500 nanometers. By way of example, a coating formed of a
composition including one or more IR reflective pigments can
exhibit a solar reflectance that is about 10%, about 15%, or about
20% higher than a similar coating but for the inclusion of the IR
reflective pigment. In one embodiment, the UV/VIS/IR spectra of the
coating and/or a composite including the coating on a substrate can
be measured according to ASTM E 903-96. The solar reflectance can
in one embodiment be calculated according to ASTM E-891 in the
wavelength range of about 250 to about 2500 nanometers.
[0034] An IR reflective pigment can exhibit less than, the same as
or greater reflectivity in the NIR wavelength region than it does
in the visible region. For example, the ratio of reflectivity in
the NIR region to the reflectivity in the visible region can be
greater than 1:1, such as about 2:1, greater than about 3:1,
greater than about 10:1, or greater than about 15:1.
[0035] Any IR reflective pigment as is generally known in the art
is encompassed herein. For instance, an IR reflective pigment can
be an inorganic oxide pigment. Exemplary IR reflective pigments can
include, without limitation, titanium dioxide, zinc sulfide,
titanium brown spinel, chromium oxide green, iron oxide red, chrome
titanate yellow, and nickel titanate yellow.
[0036] IR reflective pigments can include metals and metal alloys
of aluminum, chromium, cobalt, iron, copper, manganese, nickel,
silver, gold, iron, tin, zinc, bronze, brass. Metal alloys can
include zinc-copper alloys, zinc-tin alloys, and zinc-aluminum
alloys, among others. Some specific examples include nickel
antimony titanium, nickel niobium titanium, chrome antimony
titanium, chrome niobium, chrome tungsten titanium, chrome iron
nickel, chromium iron oxide, chromium oxide, chrome titanate,
manganese antimony titanium, manganese ferrite, chromium
green-black, cobalt titanates, chromites, or phosphates, cobalt
magnesium, and aluminites, iron oxide, iron cobalt ferrite, iron
titanium, zinc ferrite, zinc iron chromite, copper chromite, as
well as combinations thereof. Commercially available inorganic IR
reflective pigments include those sold under the trade names
Sicopal.RTM., Meteor.RTM., and Sicotan.RTM., all available from
BASF Corporation, Southfield, Mich. Other inorganic IR reflective
pigments are available from The Shepherd Color Company of
Cincinnati, Ohio and Ferro of Cleveland, Ohio.
[0037] As mentioned, transparent and/or translucent IR reflective
pigments can also be incorporated in disclosed compositions. For
example, Solarflair 9870 pigment (commercially available from Merck
KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany) can be used, which is translucent and
essentially colorless when utilized in small amounts.
[0038] IR reflective pigments can be homogeneous or heterogeneous.
For instance, an IR reflective pigment can be a composite material
including a coating on a core material, for instance a silica core
coated with a metal, such as copper, or a titanium dioxide-coated
mica particle. Exemplary composite pigments including a coloring
pigment adsorbed on the surface of a metallic particle are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,475, to Chida, et al., which is
incorporated herein by reference. Such colored metallic pigments
are commercially available from U.S. Aluminum, Inc., Flemington,
N.J., under the trade name FIREFLAKE.
[0039] Specific examples of IR reflective pigments can include
Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 1010, Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 1011/K 1011FG,
Sicopal.RTM. Yellow K 1120 FG, Sicopal.RTM. Yellow K 1160 FG,
Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 2001 FG, Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 2011 FG,
Sicotan.RTM. Yellow NBK 2085, Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 2111 FG,
Sicotan.RTM. Yellow K 2112 FG, Meteor.RTM. Plus Buff 9379,
Meteor.RTM. Plus Buff 9379 FF, Meteor.RTM. Plus Buff 9399 FF,
Meteor.RTM. Buff 7302, Meteor.RTM. Plus Golden 9304, Sicotan.RTM.
Orange K 2383, Sicotrans.RTM. Red K 2819, Sicotrans.RTM. Red K
2915, Meteor.RTM. Plus Red-Buff 9384, Sicopal.RTM. Brown K 2595,
Sicotan.RTM. Brown K 2611, Sicotan.RTM. Brown K 2711, Sicopal.RTM.
Brown K 2795 FG, Meteor.RTM. Plus Brown 9730, Meteor.RTM. Plus
Brown 9770, Sicotan.RTM.Brown NBK 2755, Sicopal.RTM. Blue K 6310,
Meteor.RTM. Plus Blue 9538, Sicopal.RTM. Green K 9110, Sicopal.RTM.
Green K 9710, Meteor.RTM. Plus Green 9444, Meteor.RTM. Plus Black
9875, Meteor.RTM. Plus Black 9880, Meteor.RTM. Plus Black 9887,
Meteor.RTM. Plus Black 9891, Sicopal.RTM. Black K 0095 from BASF;
Blue 211, Blue 214, Blue 385, Blue 424, Green 187B, Green 223,
Green 410, Green 260, Yellow 10P110, Yellow 10P225, Yellow 10P270,
Brown 10P857, Brown 10P835, Brown 10P850, Black 10P922, Black 411A
from Shepard Color Company; and 22-5091 PK, 22-5096 PK, 22-4050 PK,
21-4047 PK, 23-10408 PK, 26-10550 PK, 24-775 PK, 24-10204 PK,
24-10430 PK, 24-10466 PK, V-9415 Yellow, V-9416 Yellow, 10415
Golden Yellow, 10411 Golden Yellow, 10364 Brown, 10201 Eclipse
Black, V-780 IR BRN Black, 10241 Forest Green, V-9248 Blue, V-9250
Bright Blue, F-5686 Turquoise, 10202 Eclipse Black, V-13810 Red,
V-12600 IR Cobalt Green, V-12650 Hi IR Green, V-778 IR Brn Black,
V-799 Brn Black, 10203 Eclipse Blue Black from Ferro.
[0040] The shape and size of the IR reflective pigments are not
particularly limited. For instance, a pigment can be spherical,
rod-shaped of amorphous shape, or any other geometric shape.
[0041] Often, IR reflective pigments define a flat flake shape. A
flake-shaped pigment can have a thickness of, e.g., up to about 10
micrometers (.mu.m), for instance between about 0.5 .mu.m and about
10 .mu.m, or between about 1 .mu.m and about 5 .mu.m. In one
embodiment, a thin flake particle can have a maximum width of
between about 10 .mu.m and about 150 .mu.m, for instance, between
about 20 .mu.m and about 100 .mu.m. An individual flat flake can
have any shape, e.g., flat surfaces, uneven surfaces, round or
jagged edges, and so forth.
[0042] When present, a composition can include one or more IR
reflective pigment(s) in an amount of up to about 50 phr. For
example, a composition can include one or more IR reflective
pigments in an amount between about 3 phr and about 40 phr or
between about 5 phr and about 15 phr.
[0043] A composition can include one or more IR transparent
pigments, in addition to or alternative to one or more IR
reflective pigments. As used herein, the term IR transparent
pigment generally refers to a pigment that is substantially
transparent in the near-infrared wavelength region (about 700 to
about 2500 nanometers), such as is described in United States
Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0191540 to Jakob', et al.,
which is incorporated herein by reference. An IR transparent
pigment can generally have an average transmission of at least
about 70% in the NIR spectrum.
[0044] An IR transparent pigment can be colored or colorless and
can be opaque or transparent. In general, however, an IR
transparent pigment can absorb in the visible spectrum in at least
one wavelength and can provide color to a cured coating formed with
the composition. For instance, an IR transparent black pigment can
be incorporated in a composition.
[0045] In one embodiment, an IR transparent pigment can exhibit
reflectance in the NIR spectrum. This reflectance can vary
depending upon the wavelength. For instance, the overall amount of
reflectance can increase with increasing wavelength. By way of
example, an IR transparent pigment can reflect about 10% of the
incoming radiation at a wavelength of about 750 nm and can reflect
about 90% or more of the incoming radiation at a wavelength of
about 900 nm.
[0046] An IR transparent pigment can include, without limitation, a
perylene based pigment, a phthalocyanine based pigment, a
naphthalocyanine based pigment, and the like.
[0047] A perylene based pigment refers to a pigment including the
general structure:
##STR00001##
[0048] The term perylene based pigment is intended to include
perylene and rylene as well as ions and derivatives thereof that
comprise a perylene or rylene core. The term rylene derivative, as
used herein, refers to any compound having a rylene core. Stated
alternatively, rylene derivatives include any molecule comprising a
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) moiety and having any number
of peripheral substituents in place of any of the peripheral
hydrogen atoms of the rylene. When more than one peripheral
substituent is present, they may be the same or different.
[0049] Commercially available examples of perylene pigments
include, Lumogen.RTM., Paliogen.RTM., and Heliogen.RTM. pigments
from BASF Corporation. Additional examples of IR transparent
pigments are described in United States Patent Application
Publication No. 2009/0098476 to Denton, et al., which is
incorporated herein by reference, and include those having a
perylene isoindolene structure, an azomethine structure, and/or an
aniline structure.
[0050] A phthalocyanine based pigment refers to a pigment having
the general structure:
##STR00002##
[0051] The term phthalocyanine based pigment is intended to include
phthalocyanine as well as ions, metallophthalocyanines,
phthalocyanine derivatives and their ions, and metallated
phthalocyanine derivatives. The term phthalocyanine derivative
refers to any compound having a phthalocyanine core. Stated
alternatively, phthalocyanine derivatives include any molecule
comprising a tetrabenzo[b, g, l, q]-5,10,15,20-tetraazaporphyrin
moiety and having any number of peripheral substituents in place of
any of the peripheral hydrogen atoms bound to the carbon atoms at
the 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, or 25
positions of the phthalocyanine moiety. When more than one
peripheral substituent is present, the peripheral substituents may
be the same or different.
[0052] The term naphthalocyanine compound refers to a pigment
having the general structure:
##STR00003##
[0053] The term naphthalocyanine based pigment is intended to refer
to naphalocyanine and its ions, metallonaphthalocyanines,
naphthalocyanine derivatives and their ions, and metallated
naphthalocyanine derivatives. The term naphthalocyanine derivative
refers to any compound having a naphthalocyanine core. Stated
alternatively, naphthalocyanine derivatives include any molecule
comprising a tetranaphthalo[b, g, l,
q]-5,10,15,20-tetraazaporphyrin moiety and having any number of
peripheral substituents in place of any of the peripheral hydrogen
atoms bound to the carbon atoms of the naphthalocyanine moiety.
When more than one peripheral substituent is present, the
peripheral substituents may be the same or different.
[0054] Phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine and rylene compounds
suitable for use in the invention include any infrared absorbing
phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine or rylene compound.
[0055] Phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine compounds may be
metallated, for example with monovalent metals including sodium,
potassium and lithium; with divalent metals including copper, zinc,
iron, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, platinum,
manganese, tin, vanadium and calcium; or with trivalent metals,
tetravalent metals, or metals of even greater valency.
[0056] In general, the charge of any metallated phthalocyanine or
naphthalocyanine compound, aside from those containing a divalent
metal, will be balanced by a cation or anion of appropriate charge
that is often coordinated axially to the metal ion. Examples of
suitable ions include, without limitation, halogen anions, metal
ions, hydroxide anion, oxide anion (O.sup.2-) and alkoxide
anions.
[0057] Phthalocyanine compounds can include, without limitation,
aluminum 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine
triethylsiloxide; copper(II)
1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine; nickel(II)
1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine;
1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine; zinc
1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine; copper(II)
2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine;
2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine;
silicon
2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine
dihydroxide; zinc
2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine; and
mixtures thereof.
[0058] Naphthalocyanine compounds can include, without limitation,
aluminum 5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxy-2,3-naphthalocyanine
triethylsiloxide, copper(II)
5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxy-2,3-naphthalocyanine, nickel(II)
5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxy-2,3-naphthalocyanine,
5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxy-2,3-naphthalocyanine, zinc
5,9,14,18,23,27,32,36-octabutoxy-2,3-naphthalocyanine and mixtures
thereof.
[0059] Rylene compounds include, without limitation, those
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,405,962; 5,986,099; 6,124,458;
6,486,319; 6,737,159; 6,878,825; and 6,890,377; and U.S. Patent
Application Publication Nos. 2004/0049030 and 2004/0068114, all of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0060] Additional examples of phthalocyanine, naphthalaocyanine,
and rylene IR transparent pigments as may be included in a
composition are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication
No. 2007/0228340 to Hayes, et al., which incorporated herein by
reference.
[0061] Other ER transparent pigments can include, without
limitation, copper phthalocyanine pigment, halogenated copper
phthalocyanine pigment, anthraquinone pigment, quinacridone
pigment, perylene pigment, monoazo pigment, disazo pigment,
quinophthalone pigment, indanthrone pigment, dioxazine pigment,
transparent iron oxide brown pigment, transparent iron oxide red
pigment, transparent iron oxide yellow pigment, cadmium orange
pigment, ultramarine blue pigment, cadmium yellow pigment, chrome
yellow pigment, cobalt aluminate blue pigment, cobalt chromite blue
pigment, iron titanium brown spinel pigment, manganese antimony
titanium buff rutile pigment, zinc iron chromite brown spinel
pigment, isoindoline pigment, diarylide yellow pigment, brominated
anthranthron pigment and the like.
[0062] Specific examples of IR transparent pigments as may be
incorporated in a composition include Paliotol.RTM. Yellow K 0961
HD, Paliotol.RTM. Yellow K 1700, Paliotol.RTM. Yellow K 1841,
Paliotol.RTM. Yellow K 2270, Diarylide Yellow (opaque) 1270,
Rightfit.RTM. Yellow K 1220, Rightfit.RTM. Yellow 8G 1222,
Rightfit.RTM. Yellow R 1226, Rightfit.RTM. Yellow K 1994,
Rightfit.RTM. Yellow 1292, Rightfit.RTM. Yellow 1293, Rightfit.RTM.
Yellow 1296, Rightfit.RTM. Yellow 3R 1298, Synergy.RTM. Yellow HG
6202, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6204, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6205,
Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6207, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6210, Synergy.RTM.
Yellow 6213, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6222, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6223,
Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6225, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6226, Synergy.RTM.
Yellow 6233, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6234, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6235,
Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6261, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6268, Synergy.RTM.
Yellow 6290, Synergy.RTM. Yellow 6298, Paliotol.RTM. Orange K 2920,
Dianisidine Orange 2915, Synergy.RTM. Orange 6103, Synergy.RTM.
Orange 6106, Synergy.RTM. Orange 6112, Synergy.RTM. Orange 6113,
Synergy.RTM. Orange Y 6114, Synergy.RTM. Orange RL 6118,
Synergy.RTM. Orange Y 6135, Synergy.RTM. Orange HL 6136,
Synergy.RTM. Orange 6139, Synergy.RTM. Orange G 6164, Synergy.RTM.
Orange 6170, Paliogen.RTM. Red K 3580, Paliogen.RTM. Red K 3911 H,
Citation.RTM. Red Light Barium 1058, Naphthol Red Light 3169,
Naphthol Red 3170, Naphthol Red 3172, Naphthol Red 3175, MadderLake
conc. 1092, Pigment Scarlet 1060, Rightfit.RTM. Red K 3790,
Rightfit.RTM. Red K 4350, Rightfit.RTM. Red 1117, Rightfit.RTM.
Pink 1118, Synergy.RTM. Scarlet 6012, Synergy.RTM. Red 6016,
Synergy.RTM. Red 6019, Synergy.RTM. Red 6054, Synergy.RTM. Red
6065, Synergy.RTM. Red 6069, Synergy.RTM. Red 6075, Transbarium 2B
Red 1057, Synergy.RTM. Magenta 6062, Synergy.RTM. Red 6027,
Supermaroon ST 1090, Paliogen.RTM. Red K 4180, Rightfit.COPYRGT.
Violet 1120, Paliogen.RTM. Red Violet K 5011, Heliogen.RTM. Blue K
6850, Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 6902, Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 6903,
Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 6907, Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 6911 D,
Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 6912 D, Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 7090,
Heliogen.RTM. Blue K 7104 LW, Heliogen.RTM. Green K 8605,
Heliogen.RTM. Green K 8683, Heliogen.RTM. Green K 8730 Z,
Heliogen.RTM. Green K 8740 LW, Heliogen.RTM. Green K 9360,
Lumogen.RTM. Black FK 4280, Lumogen.RTM. Black FK 4281 from
BASF.
[0063] There is no particular limitation as to the size or shape of
IR transparent pigment particles included in a composition. In one
embodiment, an IR transparent pigment having an average primary
particle size of less than about 200 nm, for instance less than
about 100 nm, less than about 50 nanometers or less than about 30
nanometers can be utilized. Such pigment particles have been
described in United States Patent Application Publication No.
2008/0187708 to Decker, et al. which is incorporated herein by
reference. Such small particle pigments may be useful in forming a
coating with low haze. IR transparent pigment particles are not
limited to small nanometer-sized particles, however, and in other
embodiments, larger IR transparent pigment particles can be
utilized.
[0064] In general, when present, a composition can include one or
more IR transparent pigments) in an amount of up to about 50 phr.
For example, a composition can include one or more IR transparent
pigments in an amount between about 3 phr and about 40 phr or
between about 5 phr and about 15 phr.
[0065] A composition can include additional pigments, in addition
to the one or more IR reflective or IR transparent pigments as
discussed above. For instance, in one embodiment, a composition can
include an interference pigment. As used herein, the term
interference pigment refers to a pigment having a multi-layer
structure including alternating layers of material of different
refractive index. Examples of interference pigments include, for
example, pigments comprising a substrate of mica, SiO.sub.2,
Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, zinc, copper, chromium, mirrorized
silica, glass that is coated with one or more layers of e.g.
titanium dioxide, iron oxide, titanium iron oxide or chrome oxide
or combinations thereof, or pigments comprising combinations of
metal and metal oxide, such as aluminum coated with layers of iron
oxide layers and/or silicon dioxide or mixtures thereof.
[0066] Interference pigments can also exhibit IR reflective
properties. When present, an interference pigment can be included
in a composition in an amount up to about 50 phr, for instance up
to about 40 phr, or between about 3 and about 15 phr.
[0067] Other, more traditional pigments can also be incorporated in
a composition. For example, one or more conventional pigments
including, but not limited to, ZnS, carbon black, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3
red pigment ferric oxides, and compounds of diarylide,
isoindolinone, benzimidazolones, azo condensation, quinophthalone,
primrose chrome, iron oxides, molybdates, quinacridones, and
diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrols, and the like can be included in a
composition, in addition to one or more IR reflective or IR
transparent pigments.
[0068] The total amount of pigments in a composition can vary,
depending upon the final application. For example, in one
embodiment, the total loading level for all pigments in a coating
composition can be up to about 50 phr. Higher or lower total
pigment loading levels are also encompassed herein, however.
[0069] A composition can include additional additives as are
generally known in the art. For example, a composition can include
one or more fillers, stabilizers, adhesion promoters, surfactants,
lubricants, flame retardants, UV absorbers, antioxidants, and the
like. Other additives may include processing aids, flow enhancing
additives, lubricants, impact modifiers, dispersants, surfactants,
chelating agents, coupling agents, adhesives, primers and the
like.
[0070] The amount of a particular additive used will depend upon
the type of additive and the particular composition and desired
application. For example, a UV stabilizer level could be used at
levels as low as 0.1 weight percent based on the total weight of
the composition. Methods for selecting and optimizing the
particular levels and types of additives are known to those skilled
in the art.
[0071] In one preferred embodiment, a composition can include a
viscosity reduction agent. As discussed previously, IR transparent
and IR reflective pigments often present difficulties due to the
high add-on levels necessary to obtain the desired colors.
Specifically, viscosity levels of resulting compositions are too
high for utilization in coating certain substrates, for instance a
fiber, yarn, thread, or formed woven or nonwoven fabric.
Accordingly, a composition can include one or more viscosity
reducing agents to provide a composition having a viscosity of less
than about 5000 cP, as measured with a Brookfield RTV at 20 rpm,
less than about 2500 cP, or less than about 1500 cP.
[0072] Any suitable viscosity reducing agent or combination thereof
can be utilized. For instance, a viscosity reducing agent can
include a mineral oil, hydrogenated polyalphaolefin oil and/or a
saturated fatty acid as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,266 to
Crews, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0073] In one embodiment, a mineral oil viscosity reducing agent
can be utilized. Mineral oil (also known as liquid petrolatum) is a
by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It
is a chemically inert transparent colorless oil composed mainly of
linear, branched, and cyclic alkanes (paraffins) of various
molecular weights, related to white petrolatum. Mineral oil
products are typically highly refined, through distillation,
hydrogenation, hydrotreating, and other refining processes, to have
improved properties, and the type and amount of refining varies
from product to product. Other names for mineral oil include, but
are not necessarily limited to, paraffin oil, paraffinic oil,
lubricating oil, white mineral oil, and white oil. One specific
example of a viscosity reducing agent as may be included in a
composition is Isopar.TM. isoparaffinic fluids.
[0074] Other viscosity reducing agents can include ethers,
alcohols, tertiary amines, aldehydes, ketones, and similar
compounds that suitably reduce the viscosity of the composition
without destroying the composition or any component thereof.
Viscosity reducing agents include, without limitation, aliphatic
and cycloaliphatic ethers of 2 to 20 carbon atoms such as the
straight chain ethers, e.g., di-n-alkyl ethers of 2 to 10 carbon
atoms including diethyl ether and dibutyl ether, and cycloalkyl
ethers of 5 to 6 carbon atoms, e.g., tetrahydrofuran and
tetrahydropyran. Also included are aliphatic and aromatic alcohols
such as ethanol, isopropanol and butanol as well as phenyl,
benzylalcohol and the others having 20 or fewer carbon atoms. Other
suitable agents include organic compounds having no more than about
20 carbon atoms, such as tertiary alkyl amines of 3 to 20 carbon
atoms; aldehydes such as acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde; ketones
such as methyl ethyl ketone and diethyl ketone as well as
acetophenone.
[0075] When present, a viscosity reducing agent can generally be
included in a composition in an amount of up to about 30 phr, for
instance between about 5 and about 20 phr, or between about 10 and
about 15 phr. Other add-on levels are likewise encompassed herein,
however. A preferred amount of viscosity reducing agent can be
determined according to the final desired viscosity of the
composition, as is known.
[0076] In one embodiment, a composition can include a stabilizer,
e.g., a thermal stabilizer. Any known thermal stabilizer or mixture
of thermal stabilizers is encompassed herein. Useful thermal
stabilizers include phenolic antioxidants, alkylated monophenols,
alkylthiomethylphenols, hydroquinones, alkylated hydroquinones,
tocopherols, hydroxylated thiodiphenyl ethers,
alkylidenebisphenols, O-, N- and S-benzyl compounds,
hydroxybenzylated malonates, aromatic hydroxybenzyl compounds,
triazine compounds, aminic antioxidants, aryl amines, diaryl
amines, polyaryl amines, acylaminophenols, oxamides, metal
deactivators, phosphites, phosphonites, benzylphosphonates,
ascorbic acid (vitamin C), compounds which destroy peroxide,
hydroxylamines, nitrones, thiosynergists, benzofuranones,
indolinones, and the like. Generally, when used, thermal
stabilizers will be present in the composition in an amount of
0.001 to 10 weight percent based on the total weight of the
composition, or less than about 10 phr, for instance between about
2 and about 5 phr.
[0077] A composition may contain a UV absorber or a mixture of UV
absorbers. General classes of UV absorbers include benzotriazoles,
hydroxybenzophenones, hydroxyphenyl triazines, esters of
substituted and unsubstituted benzoic acids, and the like and
mixtures thereof. Any UV absorber known within the art is
encompassed herein. When present, a composition can incorporate
from about 0.001 to about 10.0 weight percent UV absorbers, based
on the total weight of the composition.
[0078] A composition may also incorporate an effective amount of a
hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS). Generally, HALS are
understood to be secondary, tertiary, acetylated, N-hydrocarbyloxy
substituted, hydroxy substituted N-hydrocarbyloxy substituted, or
other substituted cyclic amines which further have some degree of
steric hindrance, generally derived from aliphatic substitution on
the carbon atoms adjacent to the amine function. When present, HALS
can be included in a composition in an amount of from about 0.001
to about 10.0 weight percent, based on the total weight of the
composition.
[0079] Flame retardants as are generally known can also be
incorporated in a composition. For example, A. H. Landrocki,
"Handbook of Plastic Flammability Fuel and combustion Toxicology,"
(Noyes Publication, 1983) disclosures fire/flame retardants. Flame
retardants for plastics function under heat to yield products that
would be more difficult to ignite than the virgin plastics, or that
do not propagate flame as readily. They function in one or more
ways, either they absorb heat, thereby making sustained burning
more difficult, or they form nonflammable char or coating that
insulates the substrate from the heat, excludes oxygen, and slows
the rate of diffusion of volatile, flammable pyrolysis fragments
from the substrate. Flame retardants for plastics may also function
by enhancing the decomposition of the substrate, thereby
accelerating its melting al lower temperatures so that it drips or
flows away from the flame front and by evolving products that stop
or slow flame propagation. Still other flame retardants for
plastics may function by forming free radicals that convert a
polymer to less combustible products and by excluding oxygen from
possible burning sites by coating resin particles.
[0080] Useful fire retardant agents may vary widely. Illustrative
of useful agents are such materials as metal hydroxides and
hydrated materials, carbonates, bicarbonates, nitrate hydrates,
metal halide hydrates, sulfate hydrates, perchlorate hydrates,
phosphate hydrates, sulfites, bisulfites, borates, perchlorates,
hydroxides, phosphate salts, and nitrogen containing compounds
which thermally decompose to form nitrogen.
[0081] A composition can also include a dispersant. For example, a
pigment of the composition can be provided as a dispersion that can
then be combined with other components of the composition.
Dispersants can include, for example, customary dispersants, such
as water-soluble dispersants based on one or more arylsulfonic
acid/formaldehyde condensation products or on one or more
water-soluble oxalkylated phenols, non-ionic dispersants or
polymeric acids. The arylsulfonic acid/formaldehyde condensation
products are obtainable, for example, by sulfonation of aromatic
compounds, such as naphthalene itself or naphthalene-containing
mixtures, and subsequent condensation of the resulting arylsulfonic
acids with formaldehyde. Such dispersants are known and are
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,056 to Babler, and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,846 to Brueckmann, et al., which are
incorporated herein by reference. Suitable oxalkylated phenols are
likewise known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
4,218,218 to Daubach, et al., which is incorporated herein by
reference. Suitable non-ionic dispersants are, for example,
alkylene oxide adducts, polymerisation products of
vinylpyrrolidone, vinyl acetate or vinyl alcohol and co- or
ter-polymers of vinyl pyrrolidone with vinyl acetate and/or vinyl
alcohol.
[0082] The dispersant can be a random or structured polymeric
dispersant. Random polymers include acrylic polymers and
styrene-acrylic polymers. Structured dispersants include AB, BAB
and ABC block copolymers, branched polymers and graft polymers.
Useful structured polymers are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,085,698 to Ma, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,131 to Chu, et
al. and in European Patent Application EP 0556649 to Ma, et al.,
all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Examples of
typical dispersants for non-aqueous pigment dispersions include
those sold under the trade names: Disperbyk (BYK-Chemie, USA),
Solsperse (Avecia) and EFKA (EFKA Chemicals) polymeric
dispersants.
[0083] The components of a composition can be combined according to
standard methods as are generally known in the art. For instance, a
composition of a melt or solution including the resin, pigments,
and any additional additives (plasticizer, viscosity reducing
agent, flame retardant, etc.) can be formed according to standard
formation processes. In one embodiment, an energy intensive mixing
means can be utilized, optionally at increased temperature, to form
the composition. The components of the composition can be combined
in any order, as is known. For example, solid components including
resin beads or flakes, pigments, etc., can first be combined, as in
a ball mill, prior to forming a melt or solution of the components
and adding any liquid components, e.g., viscosity reducing
agents.
[0084] Following formation, a composition can be further processed
to form a covering for an architectural opening including, without
limitation, a window, an arch, a doorway, and so forth.
[0085] In one embodiment, a composition can be molded or otherwise
shaped to form a material for use in forming a covering. For
instance, a composition can be extruded in film or sheet form,
optionally laminated with other films, and applied to a substrate,
e.g., a window or a window covering.
[0086] A film or sheet of the composition may be made by any
suitable process. Thin films, for example, may be formed by
compression molding as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,614 to
Barham, et al., by melt extrusion as described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,880,592 Martini, et al., by melt blowing as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,525,281 to Locks, at al., all of which are incorporated
herein by reference, or by other suitable processes such as knife
coating. Polymeric sheets may be formed by extrusion, calendering,
solution casting or injection molding, for example. One of ordinary
skill in the art will be able to identify appropriate process
parameters based on the polymeric composition and on the method
used for sheet or film formation.
[0087] When a melt processing method, such as extrusion or
injection molding, is used the melt processing temperature of the
composition can be from about 50.degree. C. to about 300.degree.
C., for instance from about 100.degree. C. to about 250.degree.
C.
[0088] A film construct can be further processed following
formation. Post-formation processing can include, without
limitation, shaping, blowing the film to different dimensions,
machining, punching, stretching or orienting, rolling, calendering,
coating, embossing, printing and radiation such as E-beam treatment
to increase the Vicat softening point. For example, films and
sheets formed by any method may be oriented, uniaxially or
biaxially, by stretching in one or both of the machine and
transverse directions after formation according to any suitable
methods.
[0089] A film or sheet formed of a composition can have a hard coat
layer formed on one or both surfaces to protect the layer(s) from
scratching, abrasion, and like insults. Any suitable hard coat
formulation may be employed. One hard coat is described in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,027,073 to Clark, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0090] A film or sheet of a composition can be combined with other
films to form a multilayer laminate. A multilayer structures may be
formed by any suitable means, such as, for example, coextrusion,
blown film, dipcoating, solution coating, blade, puddle, air-knife,
printing, Dahlgren, gravure, flexo, powder coating, spraying,
laminating, or other art processes. The individual layers may be
joined together by heat, adhesive and/or tie layer, for
example.
[0091] Films for use as additional film layers include oriented and
unoriented polyester films, polycarbonate films, polyurethane films
and polyvinyl chloride films. In one embodiment, the additional
film layer is biaxially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate).
Sheets for use as additional sheet layers can include sheets
comprising polyvinyl butyral compositions, acoustic polyvinyl
acetal compositions, acoustic polyvinyl butyral compositions,
ethylene vinyl acetate compositions, thermoplastic polyurethane
compositions, polyvinyl chloride copolymer compositions and
ethylene acid copolymer compositions and ionomers derived
therefrom.
[0092] In one embodiment, a film or sheet can by layered on a glass
sheet. The term "glass" as used herein includes window glass, plate
glass, silicate glass, sheet glass, float glass, colored glass,
specialty glass which may, for example, include ingredients to
control solar heating, glass coated with sputtered metals such as
silver, for example, glass coated with antimony tin oxide (ATO)
and/or indium tin oxide (ITO), E-glass, Solex.TM. glass (PPG
Industries of Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Toroglass.TM.. A typical glass
sheet is a 90 mil thick annealed flat glass.
[0093] Alternatively, a rigid sheet may be a rigid polymeric sheet
comprised of a polycarbonate, acrylics, polyacrylate, cyclic
polyolefins, metallocene-catalyzed polystyrene and mixtures or
combinations thereof. In general, a rigid sheet can be transparent
to visible radiation.
[0094] Also disclosed herein are NIR reflective textiles that
beneficially incorporate the disclosed compositions. The term
`textile` is herein defined to encompass any structure produced by
the interlacing of yarns, multi-filament fibers, monofilament
fibers, or some combination thereof. A textile can be generally
planar or can be manipulated to form higher dimensional geometries.
A textile can include fibers that incorporate a composition as
disclosed herein in a predetermined, organized, and interlaced
pattern, herein referred to as a weave or knit fabric (i.e., a
fabric formed according to a weaving and/or knitting process), or
optionally can include the fibers in a random pattern (a nonwoven
fabric), or in a unidirectional prepreg fabric, in which multiple
unidirectional fibers are aligned and held in a matrix of a
polymeric binding agent.
[0095] According to one embodiment, continuous or stapled fibers of
a textile can be formed from an NIR reflective composition. The
fibers can then form a woven or nonwoven textile (optionally with
other types of fibers) suitable for use in a covering for an
architectural opening. For instance, a composition can be melt
processed or solution processed to form fibers according to known
fiber-forming technologies, which can then be utilized in forming a
textile. Alternatively, a film or sheet of the composition, as
described above, can be stripped to form filaments, fibers, or
continuous yarn which can be used as formed or optionally combined,
e.g., twisted, to form a yarn. A woven or nonwoven textile can then
be formed to include the fibers.
[0096] According to another embodiment, rather than a homogeneous
fiber or film formed of the composition, a composition can be
utilized to coat a substrate. In particular, a composition can coat
a substrate for use in forming a covering in an architectural
opening. Substrates can include, for example, those formed of
polymeric compositions (e.g., polyesters), wood, metal (e.g.,
aluminum) and textile substrates. Examples of textiles substrates
can include, without limitation, filaments, fibers, yarns, threads,
knits, wovens, nonwovens, and products formed from one or more
individual textile portions attached to one another.
[0097] In one embodiment, a substrate can be formed of a high IR
reflective material, such as glass, wood, or polyester. For
example, a composition including one or more IR transparent or IR
reflective pigments can be coated on an IR reflective yarn, such as
a yarn formed of glass fibers, and a textile formed of the coated
yarn can exhibit improved NIR reflection and a non-white color. In
another embodiment, a composition can be coated on a door, a blind,
a shutter, or the like formed of an IR reflective material, such as
wood, IR reflective polymeric materials, metal, and so forth, and
the product can exhibit improved NIR reflection.
[0098] In one preferred embodiment, a composition can coat a core
fibrous structure that can be utilized to form a woven or nonwoven
textile.
[0099] The core of a coated fibrous construct can include any
conventional material known to the art including, without
limitation, metal fibers; glass fibers, fiberglass yarn such as
E-glass, A-glass, C-glass, D-glass, AR-glass, R-glass, SI-glass,
S2-glass; carbon fibers such as graphite; boron fibers; ceramic
fibers such as alumina or silica; aramid fibers such as Kevlar.RTM.
marketed by E. I. duPont de Nemours, Wilmington, Del.; synthetic
organic fibers such as polyester, polyolefin, polyamide,
polyethylene, paraphenylene, terephthalamide, polyethylene
terephthalate and polyphenylene sulphide; and various other natural
or synthetic inorganic or organic fibrous materials known to be
useful for forming coverings for architectural openings, such as
cellulose, asbestos, cotton and the like.
[0100] A core of a composite fibrous structure can be a mono
filament, e.g., a single glass filament, or can be a multi-filament
construct including a plurality of individual filaments combined
together. For instance a core filament can be a yarn formed of a
plurality of glass or polymeric filaments.
[0101] As utilized herein, the term `yarn` refers to a continuous
strand of one or more textile fibers, filaments, or material in a
form suitable for knitting, weaving, or otherwise intertwining to
form a textile fabric. Yarn can occur in any of the following
forms: a number of fibers or filaments twisted together; a number
of filaments laid together without a twist; a number of filaments
laid together with a degree of twist; a single filament with out
without a twist; or a narrow strip of material (e.g., paper,
polymer film, metal) with or without a twist. The term `yarn` also
encompasses spun yarn formed of staple fibers. Staple fibers are
natural fibers or cut lengths of filaments. Manufactured staple
fibers are cut to a length, generally from about 1 inch to about 8
inches.
[0102] As utilized herein, the term `filament` generally refers to
a single strand of an elongated material, and the term `fiber`
generally refers to any elongated structure that can be formed of a
single or multiple filaments. Hence, in certain embodiments, the
terms filament and fiber may be used interchangeably, but this is
not necessarily the case and in other embodiments, a fiber can be
formed of multiple individual filaments.
[0103] A multi-filament yarn can be formed according to any
standard practice. For instance each of the formed filaments can be
treated with sizing, etc. prior to combination to form a
multi-filament construct. By way of example, surface treatment of
individual glass filaments used to form a twisted glass
multi-filament yarn has been carried out with specific sizings to
prevent breakage of the filaments during processing (see, e.g.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,555 to Wu, et al., which is incorporated herein
by reference).
[0104] Once formed, a yarn (either multi-filament or mono-filament)
can be coated with a composition as disclosed herein according to
known methods including, without limitation, extrusion, strand
coating, and so forth. For instance, a core yarn can be passed
through a die, with peripheral delivery around the core of a sheath
of the composition. One such coating method is described in U.S.
Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0015426 to Ahmed, et al.,
which is incorporated herein by reference. The coated yarn can be
cured by a variety of techniques known in the art including,
thermal, IR radiation, photoactivation, e-beam or other radiation
type curing, and others. A preferred curing method can generally
depend upon the resin of the composition. Following cure, the
coated yarn can be pulled through nip rollers prior to being wound
on a winder for later processing.
[0105] A coating process can be repeated with the same or different
coating compositions to form a multi-layered product. For instance,
a yarn can be coated multiple times with the same coating
composition to increase solar characteristics and/or to provide
thicker overall coatings. Different compositions can also be
utilized in multiple coating layers, for instance to effect the
perceived color of the finished product, to provide the desired
concentration of coating materials in several low viscosity
composition applications, and the like.
[0106] According to one embodiment, a first coating layer can be
formed on a substrate that exhibits high reflectivity and a second
coating layer can be formed on the substrate over the first coating
layer that can exhibit desirable color and a lower IR reflectivity
and/or higher IR transparency as compared to the first layer. For
example, the first coating layer can include a relatively large
amount of highly reflective pigment, for example a white pigment,
and the second, outer coating layer can include IR transparent and
or IR reflective pigments (as well as other, more traditional
pigments) to provide the desired color to the composite.
[0107] The inclusion of a first, inner layer that exhibits a high
IR reflectivity can increase the overall reflectivity of the
substrate. The second layer, which can also exhibit IR
reflectivity, and can include one or more IR reflective and/or IR
transparent pigments, at least one of which is a non-white pigment,
can provide a desired color to the coated substrate, and can
enhance the IR reflectance and/or transparency of the coated
substrate.
[0108] For example, when considering a fibrous substrate such as a
yarn or fiber, an inner, first layer that has a high IR
reflectivity can increase the highly reflective surface area of the
fiber. The inner layer can also exhibit little or no IR
transparency. The addition of a second layer on the substrate that
is IR reflective and/or IR transparent, and that also includes IR
reflective and/or transparent pigments that are non-white can
provide a highly IR reflective and/or IR transparent composite in
any of a wide variety of non-white colors.
[0109] As previously mentioned, many of the pigments for use in a
composition, e.g., many IR reflective pigments, are highly
abrasive, which has prevented the use of such pigments as coatings
for textile substrates, such as yarn, fibers and formed fabrics:
Also disclosed herein are methods and coated substrates that solve
this problem. According to this embodiment, a substrate can include
at least two coating layers thereon, such that a coating layer that
includes an abrasive additive, e.g., an abrasive IR reflective
pigment, is not immediately adjacent to the substrate core. For
instance, a glass fiber yarn can be coated with a first composition
that can include a non-abrasive IR transparent pigment. Following,
this fiber can be coated with a second composition that can include
an abrasive IR reflective pigment.
[0110] The first composition can include IR transparent and/or
reflective pigments, can include more traditional pigments, or can
include no pigments at all. More specifically, it should be
understood that the inner layer, for instance the layer immediately
adjacent the core substrate (e.g., the fiber, woven, or nonwoven
textile) can be formed of a composition as disclosed herein or a
different composition, as desired. For instance, a first layer can
be formed of a plastisol that includes traditional pigments or
alternatively no pigment at all, and a subsequent layer can include
an abrasive pigment. In one embodiment, the first layer can be
formed of a highly reflective composition, with little or no darker
colored IR reflective and/or transparent pigments, and the second
composition can include one or more abrasive IR reflective and/or
transparent pigments.
[0111] When considering formation of a composite that includes
multiple coating layers on a substrate, the second, outer coating
layer (or any additional layers) can be formed according to the
same coating process as the first, inner coating layer, or
according to a different method, as desired. For instance, a
multi-strand fiber glass yarn can be coated with a first layer
according to a peripheral extrusion process and following cure a
second layer can be coated on the fiber according to a dip-coating
method.
[0112] A similar multi-layer coating process can be carried out
with any substrate, including a fiber or a formed nonwoven or woven
textile product. For example, following formation of a textile that
incorporates a yarn, the textile can be coated with multiple layers
such that a composition that incorporates abrasive pigments is not
immediately adjacent the formed textile, such that one or more
inner layers exhibit high IR reflectivity, or with multiple coating
layers of the same coating composition.
[0113] Yarn incorporating disclosed compositions can be woven to
form a textile. A woven textile can include such yarn in the warp,
weft, or both directions of the formed textile. Moreover, the warp
and/or weft yarn can include other yarn, in addition to the
disclosed yarn types. Individual steps in an exemplary woven fabric
manufacturing process will be described in more detail. Beaming (or
warping) is a common intermediate step in woven fabric formation in
which a large number of individual yarns are pulled together in
parallel and wrapped onto a cylinder, known as a warp beam, in
preparation for transportation to a loom. Sectional warping is a
two part process. In the first part, a relatively small number of
ends are wound onto a rotating drum for a specified distance. As
the yarn is wrapped around the drum, the drum moves laterally,
i.e., perpendicular to the direction of the incoming yarn, and
allows the yarn to build up against a tapered surface on one end of
the drum. After a specified length of yarn is wrapped, the yarn is
cut and tied off, and a small section of yarn remains. This process
is repeated for a number of iterations until the desired width of
yarn is pulled from the creel. During the second part, known as
beaming off, the sections are pulled from the drum and wound on a
warp beam. Sectional warping makes practical and economic sense
when relatively short lengths of fabric, or densely woven fabric
having a wide width, is produced, because it reduces the total
number of bobbins required and increases the size of the
bobbins.
[0114] In the warping and beaming steps, yarn is positioned on a
sectional warping creel (e.g., a Benninger model No. 100522)
utilizing a centrally controlled spring-loaded roller system for
yarn tensioning and electronic end stop detection capability (e.g.,
an Eltex model No. 17820 Mini-SMG 121). Yarn pulled from the creel
is threaded through the tensioners, stop motion detectors, and
reed, and wound onto the drum of a sectional warper (e.g., a Hacoba
model No. USK 1000E-SM). The yarn is beamed off onto a warp beam. A
range of processing conditions as known in the art may be used to
produce a warp beam for fabric production, and other types of
warping equipment, lubricants, or warping techniques (direct
warping, etc.) may be used depending on the exact nature of the
yarn (such as size, shape, coating material, etc.), fabric
specifications, and weaving equipment.
[0115] An IR reflective knit fabric can be formed via warp knit or
weft knit, as desired. As is known, linear warp-knitting machines
are provided with a plurality of bars designed to carry a plurality
of thread-holding elements, commonly known as thread-guides. The
bars can be moved so as to enable the threads associated with such
thread-guides to be correctly fed onto the needles of the knitting
machine for the formation of new fabric. In order to achieve its
knitting task, the thread-guide bar makes two basic movements: a
linear movement in front of or behind the hook of each needle,
commonly known as "shog", and an oscillating movement on the side
of each needle for bringing the threads alternatively before and
behind the needle hook, commonly known as "swing". Jacquard-type
thread-guide bars are also known, which are provided with jacquard
devices allowing each thread-guide to move individually of an
additional needle space, in the same or opposite direction, with
respect to the shog movement of the bars.
[0116] In a weft knitting machine the loops are produced in a
horizontal direction. A weft knitting machine is generally provided
with a yarn feeder mounted, e.g., on a side cover on one end side
in a longitudinal direction of a needle bed, so the knitting yarn
is fed from a yarn feeding port of a yarn feeding member to a
knitting needle. The yarn feeder includes a buffer rod that can
temporarily store a knitting yarn and can apply a tension to the
knitting yarn.
[0117] Any type of knitting machine can be utilized including,
without limitation, a weft knitting fabric machine, in which fabric
is knitted in a continuous, uninterrupted length of constant width;
a garments length machine that has an additional control mechanism
to co-ordinate the knitting action in the production of structured
repeat sequence in a wale direction; a flat machine; a circular
machine; and so forth.
[0118] A nonwoven textile encompassed herein encompasses any type
of nonwoven fabric, e.g., a meltblown web, a spunbond web, and so
forth. A meltblown nonwoven web can be formed by a process in which
a molten thermoplastic material (e.g., a composition as disclosed
herein) is extruded through a plurality of fine, usually circular,
die capillaries as molten fibers into converging high velocity gas
(e.g., air) streams that attenuate the fibers of molten
thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to
microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried
by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting
surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such
a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to
Butin, et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by
reference thereto for all purposes.
[0119] A spunbond web generally refers to a nonwoven web that
includes small diameter substantially continuous fibers. The fibers
can be formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material from a
plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of a spinnerette
with the diameter of the extruded fibers then being rapidly reduced
as by, for example, eductive drawing and/or other well-known
spunbonding mechanisms. The production of spunbond webs is
described and illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563
to Appel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner, et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,992
to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,394 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No.
3,502,763 to Hartman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,538 to Levy, U.S. Pat.
No. 3,542,615 to Dobo, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike,
et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by
reference thereto.
[0120] A covering formed to include a composition as disclosed
herein can reflect more NIR as compared to conventional pigment
compositions and can improve the energy use for a building that
utilizes the covering. For instance, a window covering including
the disclosed compositions can reflect more than about 15% of the
impinging NIR, for instance greater than about 25%, greater than
about 50% or greater than about 70%. In one embodiment, a window
covering can reflect between about 25% and about 75%, or between
about 50% and about 75% of the NIR radiation of impinging solar
radiation. A window covering can reflect more than about 30% of the
total impinging solar radiation, or greater than about 40% in one
embodiment. Coverings encompassed herein that can incorporate the
disclosed compositions can include, without limitation, window and,
door shades, window blinds, awnings, awning screens, skylight
shades, sunroom/solarium shades, draperies and curtains, and so
forth.
[0121] The present disclosure may be better understood with
reference to the Examples, below.
Example 1
[0122] PVC-based plastisols were prepared as described below in
Table 1. All concentrations are provided as phr (parts per hundred
parts of resin). Six different compositions were formed in three
different colors. For each color, one composition included at least
one IR transparent or IR reflective pigment, and the other included
only conventional pigments.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Run No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Color Gray Black Dark
Brown PVC resin 100 100 100 100 100 100 Plasticizer 45 45 45 45 45
45 stabilizer 5 5 5 5 5 5 Pigment - TPK 103 0.85 -- 9.1 -- 2.3 --
Pigment - TPK 104 0.32 -- 1.4 -- -- -- Pigment - TPR 143 0.32 --
0.26 -- 3.4 -- Pigment - TPY 82 -- -- 0.3 -- 3.5 -- Pigment - TPW
12 4.5 -- -- 1.2 3.5 Pigment - TPK 82 -- -- -- 4 -- -- Pigment -
TPS 196 1.85 -- -- -- -- Pigment - TPN 174 -- -- -- -- -- 5.9
lubricant 1 1 1 1 1 1 Flame retardant 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
Viscosity 12 12 12 12 12 12 Reducing Agent
[0123] Specific components utilized included: [0124] PVC resin--a
40/60 w/w mixture of Lacove PS 1070 and Lacovyl.RTM. PB 1302, both
available from Arkema. [0125] Plasticizer Palatinol.RTM. L9P, a
linear phthalate plasticizer available from BASF. [0126]
Stabilizer--Ba, Zn mixed stabilizer available from Acros [0127]
Pigments--All available from Toncee, Inc. of Smyrna, Ga., USA
[0128] TPK 103--black IR transparent pigment dispersed in
diisononyl phthalate (DINP) [0129] TPK 104--black IR transparent
pigment dispersed in D1NP [0130] TPR 143--red IR transparent
pigment dispersed in DINP [0131] TPY 82--yellow IR transparent
pigment dispersed in DINP [0132] TPW 12--white pigment dispersed in
DINP [0133] TPK 82--pigment with carbon black dispersed in D1NP
[0134] TPS 196--pigment with carbon black dispersed in DINP [0135]
TPN 174--pigment with carbon black dispersed in DINP [0136]
Lubricant--SiAk from Wacker Chemie AG [0137] Flame retardant--White
Star N antimony trioxide, available from the Campine Company of
Belgium [0138] Viscosity reducing agent--Isopar.RTM. available from
ExxonMobil Chemical
[0139] To prepare the compositions, the materials listed for each
run in Table 1 were mixed for 2 hours. Following, ECG 150 multi
filament fiberglass available from Saint-Gobain Vetrotex was coated
by a strand coating process. The coating thickness was 50-100 .mu.m
and was regulated by sending the yarn through a die. Following
coating, curing was carried out at 180.degree. C. by sending the
coated yarn through an oven. The fibers were woven using a Rapier
loom to form a fabric and heat set at 160.degree. C. A basket weave
was used with a 5% openness factor.
[0140] Fabrics were formed utilizing fiberglass yarn coated with
the composition of Run 3 or Run 4 as the warp and fiberglass yarn
coated with a composition of one of Runs 1-6 as the weft. The solar
spectra of each of these six fabrics was measured using a Perkin
Elmer LAMDA 950 UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer with an integrating
sphere with a white background and the solar reflectance was
calculated according to ASTM E-891 in the wavelength range of about
300 to about 2500 nanometers. Results are shown in Table 2,
below.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Warp-Weft fibers (Run No. from Table 1) 3-1
3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 4-2 4-4 4-6 NIR Reflectance 74.0 41.9 71.3 20.9
74.2 24.3 10.1 5.6 6.7 Total Solar Reflect. 1 41.5 26.0 38.6 13.7
41.9 15.8 9.5 5.6 6.5
[0141] FIG. 1 compares the total solar reflectance from 300 to 2500
nm for three different fabrics:
[0142] (a) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0143]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3
[0144] (b) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0145]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 4
[0146] (c) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 4 [0147]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 4
[0148] FIG. 2 compares the total solar reflectance from 300 to 2500
nm for three different fabrics:
[0149] (a) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0150]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 5 [0151] (b) warp
yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0152] weft yarn--coated
with the composition of Run 6
[0153] (c) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 4 [0154]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 6
[0155] FIG. 3 compares the total solar reflectance from 300 to 2500
nm for three different fabrics:
[0156] (a) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0157]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 1
[0158] (b) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 3 [0159]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 2
[0160] (c) warp yarn--coated with the composition of Run 4 [0161]
weft yarn--coated with the composition of Run 2
[0162] As can be seen, a dark fabric formed exclusively of
fiberglass coated with a composition as disclosed herein can
exhibit an NIR reflectance of over 80%. A fabric utilizing
exclusively conventional yarn exhibits much lower NIR reflectance,
while a fabric combining both types of yarn exhibits reflectance
between the other two.
Example 2
[0163] PVC-based plastisols were prepared as described below in
Table 3. All concentrations are provided as phr.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Color Gray Violet PVC resin 100 100
Plasticizer 45 45 stabilizer 5 5 Pigment - Lumogen .RTM. FK 4280
1.5 1 Pigment - RED K 3580 2.2 -- Pigment - Black S 0084 4 --
lubricant 1 1 Flame retardant 3.5 3.5 Viscosity Reducing Agent 12
12
[0164] Specific components utilized were the same as indicated
above in Example 1, except the pigments which were as follows
Pigments--All available from BASF [0165] Lumogee FK 4280--black IR
transparent pigment [0166] RED K 3580--red IR transparent pigment
[0167] Black S 0084--black IR transparent pigment
[0168] FIG. 4 illustrates IR images of several different fabrics
including, from left to right as numbered in the FIG. [0169] 1.
Polyester yarn in warp and weft. [0170] 2. Polyester yarn in warp
and weft. [0171] 3. White yarns in both the warp and weft where
white pigment is ZnS. [0172] 4. Black yarns in both warp and weft
where black pigment is carbon black. [0173] 5. Black yarns in both
warp and weft where both yarn includes NIR reflective yarns. [0174]
6. Black fabric with aluminum coated backing Black yarns wherein
both warp and weft is using carbon black as the pigment. [0175] 7.
Black fabric with aluminum coated backing wherein both warp and
weft is using carbon black as the pigment.
[0176] As can be seen, a black fabric formed with fiberglass yarn
coated in the disclosed composition (fabric 5 in FIG. 4) can remain
much cooler under IR as compared to other, more conventional fabric
made from carbon black.
Example 3
[0177] PVC-based plastisols were prepared as described below in
Table 4. All concentrations are provided as phr (parts per hundred
parts of resin). Six different compositions were formed in three
different colors. For each color, one composition included at least
one IR transparent or IR reflective pigment, and the other included
only conventional pigments.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Composition No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Color Gray
Black Dark Brown Black PVC resin 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Plasticizer 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 stabilizer 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Pigment -
TPK 103 0.85 -- 9.1 -- 2.3 -- -- Pigment - TPK 104 0.32 -- 1.4 --
-- -- 2.4 Pigment - TPK 105 -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 Pigment - TPR 143
0.32 -- 0.26 -- 3.4 -- -- Pigment - TPY 82 -- -- 0.3 -- 3.5 -- --
Pigment - TPW 12 4.5 -- -- 1.2 3.5 22 Pigment - TPK 82 -- -- -- 4
-- -- -- Pigment - TPS 196 1.85 -- -- -- -- -- Pigment - TPN 174 --
-- -- -- -- 5.9 -- lubricant 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Flame retardant 3.5 3.5
3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Viscosity 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Reducing
Agent
[0178] Specific components utilized included: [0179] PVC resin--a
40/60 w/w mixture of Lacovyl.RTM. PS 1070 and Lacovyl.RTM. PB 1302,
both available from Arkema. [0180] Plasticizer--Palatinol.RTM. L9P,
a linear phthalate plasticizer available from BASF. [0181]
Stabilizer--Ba, Zn mixed stabilizer available from Acros [0182]
Pigments--All available from Toncee, Inc. of Smyrna, Ga., USA
[0183] TPK 103--black IR transparent pigment dispersed in
diisononyl phthalate (DINP) [0184] TPK 104--black IR transparent
pigment dispersed in DINP [0185] TPK105--black IR transparent
pigment dispersed in D1NP [0186] TPR 143--red IR transparent
pigment dispersed in DINP [0187] TPY 82--yellow IR transparent
pigment dispersed in DINP [0188] TPW 12--white pigment dispersed in
DINP [0189] TPK 82--pigment with carbon black dispersed in DINP
[0190] TPS 196--pigment with carbon black dispersed in DINP [0191]
TPN 174--pigment with carbon black dispersed in DINP [0192]
Lubricant--SiAk from Wacker Chemie AG [0193] Flame retardant--White
Star N antimony trioxide, available from the Campine Company of
Belgium [0194] Viscosity reducing agent--Isopar.RTM. available from
ExxonMobil Chemical
[0195] To prepare the compositions, the materials listed for each
composition in Table 3 were mixed for 2 hours. Following, ECG 150
multi filament fiberglass available from Saint-Gobain Vetrotex was
coated to give two layers of coating by a strand coating process
using one or more of the compositions in Table 4 in each layer. The
coating thickness was 50-100 .mu.m and was regulated by sending the
yarn through a die. In coating, the first coating layer was applied
and then cured in an oven at 180.degree. C. by sending the coated
yarn through the oven. At the oven exit, the second layer was
applied and then cured in a second oven at 180.degree. C.
Following, the hard cured yarn was cooled down in a chilled water
bath and wound on to bobbins. The yarns were woven using a Rapier
loom to form a fabric and heat set at 160.degree. C. A basket weave
was used with a 3% openness factor.
[0196] Fabrics were formed utilizing fiberglass yarn coated with
the composition nos. 7 and 3 in the first and second layer,
respectively, or two layers of composition no. 4 as the warp
fibers, and fiberglass yarn coated with one or more compositions of
Table 4 with compositions 1-7 as the weft. The composition of the
warp and weft yarn was varied according to the composition used for
the layer 1 and layer 2 in coating process, and is given as x-x in
table 5, where x can vary from 1-7. For example, where the warp
yarn is reported as 7-3, the first layer was formed with
composition 7 as described in Table 4, and the second layer was
formed with composition 3 as described in Table 4. The solar
spectra of each of these fabrics was measured according to ASTM E
903-96 using a Perkin Elmer LAMBDA 950 UV/Vis/NIR Spectrophotometer
with an integrating sphere using a black trap, and the solar
reflectance was calculated according to ASTM E-891 in the
wavelength range of about 300 to about 2500 nanometers. Results are
shown in Table 5, below.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Warp:Weft fibers 7-3:1-1 7-3:2-2 7-3:7-3
7-3:4-4 7-3:5-5 7-3:6-6 4-4:2-2 4-4:4-4 4-4:6-6 NIR Reflectance 57
42 63 27 63 30 11 5 7 Total Solar Reflect. 1 34 26 35 17 36 19 10 5
7
[0197] These and other modifications and variations to the present
invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art,
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended
claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the
various embodiments may be interchanged either in whole or in part.
Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate
that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is
not intended to limit the invention so further described in such
appended claims.
* * * * *