Patents by Inventor Thomas Smolka

Thomas Smolka has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Polymerizing vinyl chloride in carbon dioxide
    Patent number: 6258910
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of polymerizing vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride monomer. A mixture is prepared of (1) a monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, and mixtures thereof with up to about 20 wt % of a comonomer, (2) supercritical carbon dioxide, subcritical carbon dioxide, or liquid carbon dioxide in a weight ratio to the monomer of about 0.5 to about 5; and (3) about 0.1 to about 1 phr of a free radical initiator that is soluble in said supercritical carbon dioxide or a solution of said a free radical initiator in a solvent that is miscible with the carbon dioxide. The mixture is heated to a temperature of about 40 to about 70° C. to polymerize the monomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Occidental Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Habib Hichri, Ramesh Krishnamurti, Thomas Smolka