A PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING THICKENERS AND THE USE OF THUS PRODUCED THICKENERS IN HIGH-VISCOSITY EPOXY RESIN FORMULATIONS

摘要

The invention relates to the use of at least one mixed mineral organoclay rheology additive in a liquid composition comprising at least one epoxy resin, the additive comprises or consists of a quaternary alkyl-ammonium salt treated mineral clay mixture prepared by forming an aqueous hormite clay slurry (a), forming an aqueous smectite clay slurry (b) combining the aqueous hormite clay slurry (a) with the aqueous smectite clay slurry (b) to form a combined clay slurry (c), treating the combined clay slurry (c) with one or more quaternary alkyl-ammonium salts, in which the aqueous hormite clay slurry (a) being formed by (i.1) dispersing a fraction of one or more hormite clays selected from the group of sepiolites and palygorskites in an aqueous medium to form a dispersion, and wherein the hormite clay fraction employed contains less than 3.0 % by weight of AI₂O₃, less than 1.0 % by weight of Fe₂O₃, and less than 3.5 % by weight of the combination of AI₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃, and the aqueous smectite clay slurry (b) being formed by (ii.1) dispersing a fraction of one or more smectite clays in an aqueous medium to form a dispersion, and in that the weight of the hormite clay content exceeds the weight of the smectite clay content in the combined clay slurry I; and subjecting the dispersions formed in (i.1) and (ii.1) to high speed fluid shear before carrying out step iii. and/or after having carried out step iii, in a liquid composition comprising at least one epoxy resin. The invention also relates to a process for producing a mixed mineral organoclay rheology additive and the use of the thus produced additive as a thickening agent in liquid compositions.