Patent ID: 6979702

Claim:
An ionomer composite composition having improved physical properties, the composite consisting essentially of: a glass material containing divalent cations, multivalent cations, or combinations thereof; and at least one copolymer, comprising: at least one hydrophilic monomer containing acid functional groups adapted to react with the divalent cations, multivalent cations, or mixtures thereof to form ionic crosslinks among polymer chains, the hydrophilic monomer present in an amount sufficient to impart a desired degree of aqueous solubility to the copolymer, the hydrophilic monomer amount ranging from about 1% to about 25% of the copolymer; and at least one hydrophobic monomer present in an amount sufficient to impart a desired degree of structural stability to the composite composition when exposed to an aqueous environment, the hydrophobic monomer amount ranging from about 75% to about 99% of the copolymer; wherein the at least one copolymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid), poly(methyl acrylate-acrylic acid), poly(methyl methacrylate-acrylic acid), poly(ethyl acrylate-acrylic acid), poly(ethyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid), poly(butyl acrylate-acrylic acid), poly(ethylene-acrylic acid), poly(ethylene-methacrylic acid), poly(acrylonitrile-maleic anhydride), poly(butadiene-acylonitrile-acrylic acid), poly(butadiene-maleic acid), poly(butadiene-maleic anhydride), poly(propylene-acrylic acid), poly(propylene-ethylene-acrylic acid), poly(vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-maleic acid), and mixtures thereof.