Patent ID: 6914095

Claim:
A process for preparing an aqueous nanocomposite dispersion, wherein the process comprises: providing at least one first ethylenically unsaturated monomer; providing an aqueous clay dispersion comprising an at least partially exfoliated clay and, optionally, at least one second ethylenically unsaturated monomer, wherein said clay has a first exchangeable cation; adding a multivalent second cation to said aqueous clay dispersion, wherein at least a portion of the second cation exchanges with at least a portion of the first cation to form a modified aqueous clay dispersion; combining the first ethylenically unsaturated monomer and the modified aqueous clay dispersion; and polymerizing at least a portion of said first or second monomer to form said aqueous nanocomposite dispersion wherein at least one of the first or the second ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprises a polar monomer.