Patent ID: 8809481

Claim:
A method of making a weak-acid neutralized solid or a weak acid-neutralized aqueous solution thereof of an amino-alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane (amino AMS), an amino/mercaptan co-AMS, amino/blocked mercaptan co-AMS or mixtures thereof, the method comprising: (a) combining as a reaction mixture: (i) water, (ii) a solvent for the water, (iii) a hydrolysis and condensation catalyst, (iv) a weak acid, (v) an aminotrialkoxysilane, and (vi) an optional selection from the group consisting of a mercaptoalklytrialkoxysilane, a blocked mercaptoalkyltrialkoxysilane, or another silane reactant that is a compound that can provide a functional group on the amino AMS, and mixtures thereof, wherein the compound that can provide a functional group on the amino AMS is a silane that comprises at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 and the at least one R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is R 6 Z, wherein Z is selected from the group consisting of NH 2 , HNR 7 and NR 7 2 , and the remaining R 1 , R 2 , R 3 or R 4 are the same or different and selected from the group consisting of (i) H or an alkyl group having one to about 20 carbon atoms, (ii) cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, (iii) alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms, (iv) R 6 X, wherein X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, SH, S a R 7 , NR 7 2 , OR 7 , CO 2 H, SCOR 7 , CO 2 R 7 , OH, olefins, epoxides, amino groups, vinyl groups, acrylates and methacrylates, wherein a=1 to about 8, and (v) R 6 YR 8 X, wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of O, S, NH and NR 7 ; wherein R 6 and R 8 are selected from the group consisting of alkylene groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and a single bond; and R 5 and R 7 are selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms; b) allowing the reaction mixture to react and form an amino alkoxysilane-modified silsesquioxane; and (c) recovering the amino alkoxysilane-modified silsesquioxane from the reaction mixture; (d) optionally adding an optional weak acid to the recovered silsesquioxane; wherein the mixture of the amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes liberates about 0.05% to about 10% by weight alcohol when treated by substantially total acid hydrolysis; wherein the weak acid of step (a)(iv) and the optional weak acid has a pK a of about 3.5 to about 6.5.