Moreover, core-crosslinked PSMA 36–PNAEP 60–PEGDA 10 spheres also produced o/w Pickering emulsions, suggesting that such Pickering emulsions must be formed by nanoparticle adsorption at the inner surface of the oil droplets. Unexpectedly, addition of an equal volume of water followed by high-shear homogenization always produced oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions, rather than water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions. Finally, hydrophobic linear PSMA 36–PNAEP 70 spheres were evaluated as a putative Pickering emulsifier for n-dodecane–water mixtures. This assignment was confirmed by small angle X-ray scattering studies of the linear diblock copolymer nanoparticles. However, introducing ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) as a third block to covalently crosslink the nanoparticle cores enabled a spherical morphology to be identified by transmission electron microscopy studies. Differential scanning calorimetry studies confirmed a relatively low glass transition temperature ( T g) for the core-forming PNAEP block, which hindered accurate sizing of the nanoparticles by TEM. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies indicated that the resulting PSMA 36–PNAEP x ( x = 60 to 500) spheres were relatively well-defined (DLS polydispersity <0.10) and the z-average diameter increased linearly with PNAEP DP up to 261 nm. A relatively long PSMA precursor (mean degree of polymerization, DP = 36) was required to ensure colloidal stability, which meant that only kinetically-trapped spheres could be obtained. This relatively high polymerization temperature was required to ensure sufficient background solubility for the highly polar NAEP monomer, which is immiscible with the non-polar continuous phase. More specifically, the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of N-(2-acryloyloxy)ethyl pyrrolidone (NAEP) is conducted in n-dodecane using a poly(stearyl methacrylate) (PSMA) precursor to produce sterically-stabilized spherical nanoparticles at 90 ☌. Herein a highly unusual non-aqueous emulsion polymerization formulation is reported. While Flexible Solutions carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), both Globe Specialty and Minerals Technologies hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is widely recognized to be a powerful technique for the preparation of diblock copolymer nano-objects in various solvents. Other companies in the specialty chemical space worth considering include Flexible Solutions International Inc.

With the closure of the Water Technologies unit sale, Ashland now has three commercial units – Specialty Ingredients, Performance Materials and Valvoline. The divestment allows Ashland to focus on its core specialty chemicals business and boost shareholder returns.

The company, in Aug 2014, completed the sale of its Water Technologies unit to a fund managed by private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice for roughly $1.8 billion. It markets Valvoline, the world’s first lubricating oil.

The acquisition is a strategic fit for Lion Copolymer as the size of the Port Neches facility, access to feedstock and excellent storage capacity and specialty products offer it a compelling growth opportunity.Īshland offers specialty chemicals in more than 100 countries. The move to divest the elastomers business is in tandem with Ashland’s strategy of disposing non-core assets and reinvesting in higher-margin, specialty chemical businesses that offer attractive growth opportunities.

Imail ashland inc