Nanocomposite ethylene copolymer compositions for golf balls

Abstract

A method for making a golf ball comprising the steps of providing a nanoparticulate; providing a first monomer comprising an olefin; providing a second monomer comprising an α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid; in-situ polymerizing the first monomer and the second monomer in the presence of the nanoparticulate to form a first polymer; providing a cation source; post neutralizing the polymer composition with the cation source to form a nanocomposite ionomer; and forming a cover layer from the nanocomposite ionomer.

1 . A method for making a golf ball comprising the steps of: 
 providing a nanoparticulate;    providing a first monomer comprising an olefin;    providing a second monomer comprising an α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid;    in-situ polymerizing the first monomer and the second monomer in the presence of the nanoparticulate to form a first polymer;    providing a cation source;    post neutralizing the polymer composition with the cation source to form a nanocomposite ionomer; and    forming a cover layer from the nanocomposite ionomer.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first monomer comprises ethylene or propylene.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second monomer comprises acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticulate is pre-dispersed in the second monomer.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing a third monomer comprising ethylenically-unsaturated alkyl acrylate or ethylenically-unsaturated alkyl methacrylate prior to the step of in-situ polymerization.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cation source comprises a first metal salt of an organic acid, inorganic base, or an organic base.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the cation source is present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid by 10% to 90%.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising a second organic acid or a metal salt thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the cation source is present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid by 90% to 100%.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising a fatty acid or a metal salt thereof.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the fatty acid salt is formed from a fatty acid comprising stearic acid, lauric acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, pelargonic acid, or dimerized derivatives thereof.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the fatty acid salt is formed from a metal cation comprising barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, or calcium.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cation source comprises metal cations of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, barium, lead, tin, zinc, or aluminum.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of providing a core and forming the layer about the core.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticulate comprises swellable layered materials; micaceous minerals; smectite minerals; carbon nanotubes; fullerenes; nanoscale titanium oxides; iron oxides; ceramics; modified ceramics; metal and oxide powders; titanium dioxide particles; single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes; polymer nanofibers; carbon nanofibrils; nitrides; carbides; sulfides; gold nanoparticles; ormocers; glass ionomers; resin-modified glass ionomers; silicon ionomers; polymerizable cements; metal-oxide polymer composites; lipid-based nanotubules, graphite sheets, or polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxanes.  
     
     
         16 . A method for making a golf ball comprising the steps of: 
 providing a nanoparticulate;    providing a first monomer comprising an olefin;    providing an ionic co-monomer;    in-situ polymerizing the first monomer and the ionic co-monomer in the presence of the nanoparticulate to form a polymer;    providing a cation source;    post neutralizing the polymer with the cation source to form a nanocomposite ionomer; and    forming a golf ball layer from the nanocomposite ionomer.    
     
     
         17 . A golf ball comprising: 
 a core; and    a cover disposed about the core, the cover comprising a nanocomposite ethylene copolymer comprising: 
 a polymer formed from the in-situ polymerization of a first monomer comprising an olefin and a second monomer comprising an α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid, in the presence of a nanoparticulate; and  
 a cation source in an amount sufficient to neutralize the α,β-ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid by 10% to 100%.  
   
     
     
         18 . The golf ball of  claim 17 , wherein the nanocomposite ethylene copolymer comprises a fatty acid or a metal salt thereof.  
     
     
         19 . The golf ball of  claim 17 , wherein the cover is an intermediate layer and the golf ball further comprises an outer cover layer disposed about the intermediate layer.  
     
     
         20 . The golf ball of  claim 19 , wherein the cover comprises polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyurethane-ureas, ionomeric materials, vinyl resins, polyolefins, polyamides, acrylic resins, thermoplastics, polyphenylene oxide resins, thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic rubbers, or fully-neutralized ionomers.