Patent ID: 8841379

Claim:
A method to produce an aqueous dispersion comprising water and about 0.001 to about 50 weight % of a mixture of an ionomer and an ethylene ester copolymer, the method comprising (1) providing a solid blend composition comprising (a) about 75 to about 99.9 weight %, based on the combination of (a) and (b), of an ionomer composition comprising a parent acid copolymer consisting of copolymerized units of ethylene and about 18 to about 30 weight % of copolymerized units of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, based on the total weight of the parent acid copolymer, the acid copolymer having a melt flow rate from about 200 to about 1000 g/10 min., measured according to ASTM D1238 at 190° C. with a 2160 g load, wherein about 50% to about 70% of the carboxylic acid groups of the copolymer, based on the total carboxylic acid content of the parent acid copolymer as calculated for the non-neutralized parent acid copolymer, are neutralized to carboxylic acid salts comprising potassium cations, sodium cations or combinations thereof; and (b) about 0.1 to about 25 weight %, based on the combination of (a) and (b), of an ethylene ester copolymer consisting of copolymerized units of ethylene and about 10 to about 45 weight % of copolymerized units of an alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, based on the total weight of the ethylene ester copolymer; (2) mixing the solid blend composition with water heated to a temperature from about 80 to about 100° C. to provide a heated aqueous blend dispersion; and (3) optionally cooling the heated aqueous blend dispersion to a temperature of about 20 to 30° C., wherein the blend remains dispersed in the liquid phase.