MXPA98009422A - High-chroma orange pearl pigment - Google Patents

Abstract

Object:the development of a highly safe high-chroma orange pearl pigment replacing a cadmium pigment. Solution:a novel high-chroma orange pearl pigment in which a flaky substrate has surfaces coated with spherical metal oxide particles containing iron oxide, or spherical metal oxide particles obtained by adding thereto a specific proportion of one or more oxides selected from among aluminum, calcium and magnesium oxides, and a process for manufacturing the same, and uses thereof.

Description

PIGMENTO ORANGE, NACARADO, OF HIGH CROMAT IC IDAD FIELD OF THE I NVE NC ION This invention relates to a novel orange, pearlescent, high chromaticity pigment that includes fine spherical particles of metal oxide containing iron oxide applied as a coating on the surfaces of a lamellar substrate, pigment that is useful as a coloring material, not only in the fields of industrial products, such as paints, inks and plastics, but also in other fields such as that of cosmetics. ?*Y BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The only known pigment of orange color has been a cadmium pigment. The cadmium pigment is the pigment of a solid solution consisting of cadmium sulfide (CdS) as the main component, and appropriate proportions of zinc sulfide 25 (ZnS), cadmium selenide and mercury sulfide REF .: 28434 (HgS). Cadmium pigment has been widely used since it has been considered as a high clarity coloring agent for which there is virtually no substitute (Tsunashima, et al .: Latest Applied pigment Technology, page 24, C.M.C. Co., Ltd.). However, the use of cadmium pigment has been almost completely discontinued since it began to be avoided when environmental contamination by cadmium became a social problem. On the other hand pigments have been sold or proposed comprising a lamellar substrate coated with iron oxide, or metal oxide containing iron oxide, as described below, but until now no pearlescent pigment having an orange color has been developed. The inventor of the present invention previously described a transparent color pigment comprising mica particles applied on top, as a coating, with iron oxide and / or a hydrate thereof (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Heil 1-60511). However, this pigment is an orange pigment that has a high degree of transparency and low covering power, since its observation by means of a scanning electron microscope reveals that iron oxide is composed of needle-shaped crystals having a diameter as large as 0.1 to 0.2 microns, and that therefore causes a great dispersion of the reflected light. Nacre pigments containing mica, or similar particles coated with iron oxide, are manufactured and sold for practical use by Merck, as a series of products that are under the trade name "IRIODIN 500". However, there are no pearlescent pigments that contain an orange color of high chroma. Regarding these two series of pigments containing mica as a lamellar substrate with two coated systems, titanium oxide and ferric oxide, respectively, as a metal oxide coating, Thurn-Mul 1, et al report the values "a" (indicating red on the side + and green on the side -) and "b" (yellow on the side + and blue on the side -) of the hue of Hunter colors produced by each of those pigments, and by the variation depending on the amount of the coating (or its optical thickness) (Kontakte, No. 2, pages 35-43, 1992). It is understood that the most desirable orange color, which has the highest chroma, is obtained when the maximum values of "a" and "b" coincide with each other. According to this literature, the pigments comprising mica coated with titanium oxide show only interference colors, but, as is obvious from the variations of the values "a" and "b", there is no coincidence between the maximum values of "a" and "b" with respect to any interference color, and there is no interval in which an orange color of interference, of high chroma, is produced. Studies of pigments comprising mica coated with ferric oxide have also been carried out, and include the result of the measurement of the variations of each value "a" and "b" of the combined interference color, with the absorption characteristic of the ferric oxide (complementary colors for the absorption colors). But the colors vary from bronze to copper, and from copper to siena, and these studies fail to show that there is any overlap between the maximum values of "a" and "b" when the pigments found in the system contain oxide. titanium. A red pigment having a color from orange to bluish red has also been proposed, which comprises sheet-like iron oxide particles, or sheet-like particles coated with iron oxide and a layer of an aluminum compound, or a layer of an aluminum compound containing a composite material of iron oxide and alumina, which is coated with a layer having a suitable optical thickness (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-100794). This pigment has a reddish color generated by a double-layer structure such as the combination of (complementary) reflection by the absorption of iron oxide applied as a coating on the sheet-like particles, with the interference color, due to a second Coating structure that controls the thickness of the outer layer of aluminum oxide. It is claimed that the combined interference and reflection colors produce a reddish color of high chromaticity which has a much higher hue than the color (reflection) obtained by a pigment containing only iron oxide. It is also claimed that the pigment is able to develop a color of even more improved chromaticity, if the outer layer of aluminum oxide is replaced by a layer of oxides composed of iron and aluminum oxides. However, these pigments are produced through a known and commonly used process, ie decomposition by neutralization, the process with urea (uniform precipitation reaction), or thermal hydrolysis, using iron and aluminum salts as materials for the metal compounds of coating and no pearlescent pigment having an orange color can be obtained. In this way, only the cadmium pigment is known as an orange pigment, and there is a demand for the development of an orange-colored pigment that is safe and has high chromaticity, to be used in place of the cadmium pigment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As a result of the fervent study to develop a pearlescent, orange pigment, under these circumstances, the inventor of the present invention has succeeded in developing a novel orange, pearly pigment, of high luster and chromaticity, coating the surfaces of a lamellar substrate, with fine particles spherical metallic oxide consisting mainly of spherical iron oxide particles which have a convenient size to produce a yellowish red color. Thus, this invention provides a novel orange pigment, pearly, high chromaticity, a process for the manufacture thereof and the use thereof as set out in paragraphs 1) to 6) below. 1) In a nacreous pigment that includes a metal oxide containing iron oxide, applied as a coating on the surfaces of a lamellar substrate, an orange, pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, characterized in that the metal oxide comprises fine spherical particles containing iron oxide in an amount of 40 to 300 parts by weight, in terms of ferric oxide, in relation to 100 parts by weight of the 1-yellow substrate. 2) An orange, pearlescent, high chromaticity pigment, as set forth in item 1) above, wherein the metal oxide particles are applied as a coating on the lamellar substrate, as a suspension of the lamellar substrate, in the presence of a substrate group and / or persulfate and / or polysulfate. 3) An orange, pearly, high chromaticity pattern, as described in item 1) or 2) above, wherein the fine spherical metal oxide particles also contain no more than 35% by weight of aluminum oxides, in terms of I2O3, and / or not more than 2% by weight of calcium oxides, in terms of CaO, and / or not more than 2% by weight of magnesium oxides, in terms of MgO, relative to the oxide of iron in terms of ferric oxide. 4) A process for the manufacture of an orange pigment, pearly, high chromaticity, comprising preparing an aqueous suspension of a lamellar substrate, adding a sulfate and / or a persulfate and / or a polysulfate, to the suspension, heating the suspension under agitation, pour a) an aqueous solution of a ferric salt and b) an aqueous alkaline solution, into the suspension, while this is maintained at a pH of 2 to 5, then add b) the aqueous alkaline solution back to the suspension until a pH of 8 to 10 is obtained, separate a product by filtration, wash it, dry it, and calcine it at a temperature not lower than 500 ° C. 5) A process for manufacturing an orange, pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, which comprises preparing an aqueous suspension of a lamellar substrate, adding a sulfate and / or a persulfate and / or a polysulfate to the suspension, heating the suspension under agitation, pour a) an aqueous solution prepared from a ferric salt and / or an aluminum salt and / or a magnesium salt and / or a calcium salt, and b) an aqueous alkaline solution, in the suspension, to the Once this is maintained at a pH of 2 to 5, then add b) the aqueous alkaline solution, back to the suspension, until obtaining a pH of 8 to 10, separate a product by filtration, wash it, dry it, and burn it to a temperature not lower than 500 ° C. 6) A paint, ink, plastic, or cosmetic, containing an orange, pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, as established in any of the items from 1) to 3) above. This invention consists in increasing the chromaticity and pearlescent luster or brightness of an orange color by observing it visually, based on the discovery of the fact that an orange, pearly, high chromaticity pigment can be obtained by controlling the size or crystalline form of metal oxide particles containing iron oxide applied as a coating on the surfaces of a lamellar substrate, and controlling the weight of the coating thereof, to produce a suitable optical thickness that is within the range in which a reddish interference color occurs (the interval between the maximum values of "a" and "b"). The following is a detailed description of the invention. The lamellar substrate that is used for the purpose of this invention is a transparent one, such as mica, synthetic mica, lamellae of glass or lamellar silica, having a particle diameter of 1 to 150 microns and a thickness not exceeding 5 microns, and preferably an average thickness not exceeding 1 micron. The following is a process for the manufacture of an orange, pearlescent pigment of high luster or gloss and chromaticity, in accordance with this invention. First of all, a lamellar substrate is suspended in water, and its suspension is heated to 60 ° C or more. It is heated to a temperature which is preferably found, for example, between 70 ° C and its boiling point. Although an aqueous solution of an iron salt, as will be described later, can be added to the suspension to produce a pearlescent pigment coated with iron oxide, it is preferable to add a sulfate and / or a persulfate and / or a polysulfate (to which hereinafter referred to simply as "sulfate gs"). As the sulfate gs, any water-soluble salt can be used, for example, ammonium sulfate ((NH) 2S04), potassium sulfate (K2S04), sodium sulfate (NA2S04) and potassium aluminum sulfate (potassium and aluminum: (A1K (S04) 2)) mentioned as the sulphates, ammonium persulphate ((NH) S208), potassium persulfate (K2S208) and sodium persulphate (Na2S208) as the persulfates, and potassium pyrosulfates (K2S207) and pyrosulphate sodium (NA2S2O7) as the po 1 isul fates. It is important to add the sulphate gs before pouring an iron salt, etc. Although the mechanism of action of the s-Ifato gs is unclear, it is assumed that the addition of these increases the ionic potential in the suspension, and that these gs and the large anions of the sulfate gs take part in the formation stage. of the particles of a hyd metal oxide during the subsequent hydrolysis process of a metal addition salt such as an iron salt, and contribute to controlling its size. It is used in an amount of 0.005 to 0.1 mol relative to one mole of an iron salt that will be poured later, although other conditions must also be considered. The use of less than 0.005 mol is not effective for some satisfactory improvement in the chromaticity of an orange color, as intended. In other words, it is possible to form hyd metal oxide particles, as a precursor for fine spherical metal oxide particles having a convenient diameter to produce an orange color. It is not expected that the use of more than 0.1 mole will produce a better result, but, from the point of view of manufacturing efficiency, it is undesirable, since any excess prolongs the subsequent step of washing, to eliminate any free salt . The smaller the size of the lamellar substrate, the greater the specific surface area it has, and therefore it is preferable to use as many sulphate gs as possible as long as it is within the above range. Then, (a) an aqueous solution of a ferric salt and (b) an aqueous alkaline solution, which are prepared separately, are poured in appropriate amounts, in the suspension, while it is maintained at a pH of 2 to 5. It is possible to obtain a pearlescent pigment, which has even better properties, if (a) the aqueous solution of a ferric salt is replaced by (c) a mixed aqueous solution, prepared by the addition of one or more metal salts selected from the salts of aluminum, magnesium and calcium, to an aqueous solution of a ferric salt. An aqueous solution, for example, of sodium or potassium hydroxide, or ammonia, is used as (b) the aqueous alkaline solution. After pouring, (b) the alkaline aqueous solution is added again to the suspension until a pH of 8 to 10 is obtained, and a calcined, dry product, obtained by successive filtering, washing and drying, is calcined at a temperature of 500 ° C or higher, to produce a pearlescent pigment as desired. As for the ferric salt, it is possible to use any soluble ferric salt, and it is appropriate to use, for example, a chloride, sulfate, or nitrate. Preferably it is used in an amount such that the amount of iron oxide in the pigment can be from 40 to 300 parts by weight, in terms of the ferric oxide, relative to 100 parts by weight of the lamellar substrate. It is possible that some variation occurs within the range, and this depends on the tone of the color and the properties of the lamellar substrate. The use of any amount less than 40% by weight is undesirable, since it fails to form a coating thickness, capable of producing some interference color, and since it is greatly and directly affected by the color of the lamellar substrate itself due to the low covering power of the coated layer. Any amount that is above 300% by weight is also undesirable, since only an interference color is produced that deviates from the desired reddish range. In case the lamellar substrate has a small particle diameter, it is necessary to increase the amount of ferrous salt since the substrate has a large specific surface area. It is possible to produce an orange, pearlescent pigment having even greater chromaticity by using, instead of the ferric salt (c), a mixed aqueous solution prepared from a ferric salt and an aluminum and / or calcium salt and / or magnesium. It is assumed that this is due to the fact that the combination of iron and other metal facilitates the sintering of metal oxide particles containing iron oxide, and the densification of individual fine particles, resulting in a higher refractive index. apparent and therefore a greater re fl ection or reflective power. The appropriate amounts in which these metal salts are used, for the purpose of this invention, are not greater than 35% by weight of aluminum oxides, in terms of AI2O3, not greater than 2% by weight of calcium oxides, in CaO terms, and not greater than 2% by weight of magnesium oxides, e ~er of MgO, in relation to iron oxide (in terms of ferric oxide). Any excess above these ranges is undesirable, since it adversely affects the hue or tone instead of being effective for the separation of the individual fine particles. The aluminum oxide, magnesium, calcium or an oxide composed thereof, is also effective to make a pigment powder having an improved viscosity. As the aluminum, magnesium or calcium salt, for the purpose of this invention, it is possible to use any soluble salt of the relevant metal, and it is possible to mention, for example, a soluble metal chloride, sulfate, nitrate, carbonate or acetate. The manufacturing process of this invention employs a calcination temperature of 500 ° C or higher, which allows the formation of fine spherical metal oxide particles having a diameter of 0.02 to 0.1 microns and which is convenient to produce a yellowish red color , and the preferred crystalline form, while maintaining the size of the hydrous metal oxide particles. The preferred range of calcination temperature is 600 ° C to 900 ° C. If the calcination temperature is too low, iron oxide particles are obtained which contain a large proportion of goethite crystals and which have a strong yellowish tint. If the calcination temperature is high, iron oxide particles are obtained which contain a large proportion of crystals of hematite and which have a strong reddish tinge. If the calcination temperature is too high, the fine spherical particles of metal oxide melt with each other and form particles having a large undesirable diameter, while also causing the cohesion of the particles of the lamellar substrate, resulting in a powder having a di spers ib i 1 idad ins atis fac toria. Although the crystalline forms of the fine spherical metal oxide particles, produced in accordance with this invention, are not clearly clear, it is assumed that the crystals exist as a mixture ranging from goethite to hematite from iron oxide, and also they include aluminum oxide, calcium or magnesium, mixed, or a compound oxide in the event that the pigment is produced by also using a salt of some of those metals. Therefore, the calcination temperature and the amount of heat to be applied are selected in such a way that a crystallization process is carried out by dehydration which allows the fine spherical particles of hydrated metal oxide to retain their size until after drying and calcination, and forming the desired crystalline form to produce an orange color. The pearlescent orange pigment, manufactured as described above, has a high level of chromaticity, since as a result of its colorimetric measurement by CIÉ (values L, a and b) it shows an L value of 55 to 70, an "a" value of 20 to 40 and a "b" value of 35 to 55, on the white background, and an L value of 50 to 65, an "a" value of 10 to 30 and a "b" value of 20 to 35, in the black background. The pigment can be used in paints, plastics, inks or cosmetics. The invention will now be described in more detail by examples, although these examples are not intended to limit the scope of this invention.

E j emp the E j e p lo 1 A suspension is prepared by the addition of 119 g of mica powder, which has a particle diameter of 10 to 60 microns, to 1.5 liters of water, and after the addition of 0.4 g of potassium sulfate the suspension is heated up to 85 ° C under agitation. An aqueous solution is prepared by dissolving 154.7 g of ferric chloride in 0.83 liters of water and this solution is seen in the suspension, while an aqueous alkaline solution is used to maintain it at a pH of about 3.0. The aqueous alkaline solution is then added again to the suspension to a pH of 8.5. A solid product is then separated from the suspension by filtration, washed, dried and calcined at about 880 ° C to produce an orange, pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, as shown in table 1.

E j emp lo 2 A suspension is prepared by the addition of 119 g of mica powder having a particle diameter of 10 to 60 microns, to 1.5 liters of water, and after the addition of 2.0 g of potassium persulfate the suspension is heated to 85 ° C under agitation. An aqueous solution is prepared by dissolving 154.7 g of ferric chloride in 0.83 liters of water and this solution is seen in the suspension, while an aqueous alkaline solution is used to maintain it at a pH of about 3.0. the aqueous alkaline solution is then added again to the suspension to a pH of 8.5. Then a solid product of the suspension is prepared by filtration, washed, dried, and calcined at about 880 ° C to produce an orange, pearly pigment of high chromaticity, as shown in t to 1.

E j emp lo 3 A suspension is prepared by adding 119 g of mica powder, having a particle diameter of 10 to 60 microns, to 1.16 liters of water, and after the addition of 3.9 g of potassium persulfate the suspension is heated to 85 ° C. under agitation. A mixed aqueous solution, prepared by dissolving 1 g of magnesium chloride, 1 g of calcium chloride, 19 g of aluminum chloride and 154.7 g of ferric chloride, in 0.83 liters of water, will see you in the suspension, while an aqueous alkaline solution is used to maintain it at a pH of about 3.0. The aqueous alkaline solution is then added back to the suspension to a pH of 8.5. Then, a solid product is separated from the suspension, by filtration, washed, dried, and calcined at about 850 ° C to produce an orange, pearly, high-chroma pigment, as shown in 1 at a 1.

E j e pl o 4 An orange, pearly, high aromaticity pigment is manufactured, as shown in Table 1, using potassium pyrosulfate instead of potassium persulfate and in the remainder example 3 is repeated.

Comparative example 1 An orange, pearly, reddish pigment of low chromaticity is obtained, as shown in table 1, repeating example 2 without using potassium persulfate.

Table 1 - Quantities of materials used and color tones of the pigments obtained (white background) Examples 1- to 4; Comparative Example 1 Note 1): In Table 1, the amount of each metal salt is shown in grams relative to 100 g of mica.

Note 2): # 500 is a pearlescent pigment comprising mica having a particle diameter of 10 to 60 microns and which is coated with approximately 60% by weight of iron oxide in terms of ferric oxide (IRIODIN 500, Merck product) ).

Method for measuring color tones (L, a and b values): A sample is prepared by mixing 1 part of pigment and 9 parts of PVC (which has a solids content of 20%), and it is applied to a black and white covering paper, by means of a bar coater 20, and after drying it is determined its values L, a and b through a color meter CR-200 (product of Minolta). The values a and b are used to calculate the values of C and ZH ° in accordance with the equations: C (chromaticity) = (a2 + b2) 1 2 and ZH ° (hue angle) = tan-1 (b / a). The results are presented in table 1. The orange pigments, pearlescent, high chromaticity, of this invention, produce an orange color having a higher level of chromaticity than those of conventional pearlescent pigments, as shown in table 1, and can be used in the field of paints for automobiles, or for general industrial purposes, in the field of plastics, not only for mere color decoration but also for cases involving plating, in the field of laser marking, in the field of inks and in the field of cosmetics, to produce a vivid orange color that has a luster or pearly luster.

Table 1 Quantities of materials used and color tones of pigments obtained (white background) Note i): i. amount of each salt of such-and-such in grams with relation to, 00 g of mmiircaa i w? and uc Note 2): # 500 is a pearlescent pigment comprising mica having a particle diameter of 10 to 60 microns and is coated with approximately 61% by weight of iron oxide in terms of ferric oxide (Iriodin 500, produced Merck) Application examples The following is a description of the examples in which the pearlescent pigments that were obtained in the previous examples were used in paints, plastics, inks and cosmetics. (1) Example of use in a painting This is an example of the use in a topcoat paint, for self-cleaning.

. { Composition of the base paint} < Acrylic resin 1 ico-me sheet > Acrydic 47-712 (product of Dainippon Ink Co., Ltd.): 70 parts by weight Super Becamine G812-60 (product of Dainippon Ink Co. , Ltd.): 30 parts by weight Tolaeno: 30 parts by weight Ethyl acetate: 50 parts by weight N-butanol: 10 parts by weight Solvesso # 150 (Tonen Chemical): 40 parts by weight A paint is prepared by mixing 100 parts by weight of the above composition of acrylic resin -melamine and 20 parts by weight of each of the orange, pearlescent, high chromaticity pigments, as obtained in the examples of the to 4, and adding a slurry to the acri li co-mel amine resin in the mixture, to decrease its viscosity to a level suitable for spray coating (15 seconds with Ford Cup No. # 4), and it is applied by spray coating to form a base coat layer. A clear, non-colored paint was applied to the base coat layer for top application, having the following composition: (Clear paint for superior application Acrydic 44-179: 14 parts by weight Superbeca ine L117-60 6 parts by weight Toluene: 4 parts by weight Butilcelosolve parts by weight After the top coating, the paints were exposed to air at 40 ° C for 30 minutes, and heated for curing at 135 ° C for 30 minutes. 2) Example of use in a plastic: The following is an example of a composition in which the pigments were used to color a plastic: Polyethylene resin (pellets): 100 parts by weight Each of the orange, pearlescent, high chromaticity pigments, as obtained in examples 1 to 4: 1 part by weight Zinc stearate: 0.2 parts by weight Liquid paraffin : 0.1 parts by weight The pellets containing the lower solution were dry blended and molded by extrusion. 3) Example of use in a printing ink: The following is an example of an ink composition for printing by gravure: Medium CCST (Ni tro resin 1 ulo sa of Tokio Ink Co., Ltd): 10 parts by weight Each of the high chromaticity nacreous orange pigments as obtained in examples 1 to 4: 8 parts by weight .

To the ink of the previous composition was added a solvent called NC1Q2 (Toyio Ink Co. , Ltd.), to adjust its viscosity to a level of 20 seconds when measured with the Zahn Cup No. 3, and it was used for printing. 4) Example for use in a cosmetic: The following is a composition for a cosmetic used to color the lips: Ozoquerite: 5 parts by weight Cer is ina: 5 parts by weight Paraffin wax: 10 parts by weight Glycerol trioctanate: 20 parts by weight Maleate of di i s oe s t ear i lo: 42 parts by weight Myristat of o c t i ldodeci lo: 10 parts by weight Each of the orange pigments, naxarated, high chromaticity, as obtained in examples 1 to 4, and coloring substance: Suitable amounts of oxidation inhibitor, preservative, and perfume: Small amounts.

From the previous composition a lipstick was formed.

It is noted that with regard to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (4)

1. In a pearlescent or pearl-colored pigment, which includes a metal oxide containing iron oxide, applied as a coating on the surface of a lamellar substrate, an orange pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, characterized in that the metal oxide comprises fine spherical particles containing the iron oxide in the amount of 40 to 300 parts by weight, in terms of ferric oxide, relative to 100 parts by weight of the lamellar substrate.

2. An orange, nacreous pigment of high chromaticity, according to claim 1, characterized in that the metal oxide particles are coated on the lamellar substrate, in a suspension of that lamellar substrate, in the presence of a sulphate and / or persulfate and / or polysulfate.

3. An orange, pearlescent pigment of high chromaticity, in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fine spherical particles of metal oxide also contain no more than 35% by weight of aluminum oxides, in terms of A1203, and / or not more than 2% by weight of calcium oxides, in terms of CaO, and / or not more than 2% by weight of magnesium oxides, in terms of MgO, relative to iron oxide, in terms of of ferric oxide.

4. A process for the manufacture of an orange pigment, pearlescent, of high chromaticity, characterized in that it comprises preparing an aqueous suspension of a lamellar substrate, adding a sulfate and / or a persulfate and / or a polysulfate, to the suspension, heating the suspension under agitation, pour a) an aqueous solution of a ferric salt, and b) an aqueous alkaline solution in the suspension, while maintaining a pH of 2 to 5, then add b) the aqueous alkaline solution back to the suspension until obtaining a pH of 8 to 10, separating a product by filtration, washing, drying, and calcining it at a temperature of not less than 500 ° C. operation of the valve assemblies maintains the operation of each of the pairs of pulse chambers at substantially 90 ° intervals during the mentioned cycle. 7. A pressure transfer module according to claim 3, characterized in that the first valve elements comprise: a first plurality of valve openings connected to the respective inlet and outlet gates of a pair of impulse chambers. , wherein the dividing walls are connected by a first of said arrows; a second plurality of valve openings connected to the respective inlet and outlet gates of the other pair of pulse chambers, wherein the partition walls are connected by a second of said arrows; first slide seal elements mounted on the first of the arrows to move with it in and out of the sealing relationship with the second plurality of the entry and exit gates; and second slide seal elements mounted on the second of said arrows, to move with it in and out of the sealing relationship with the first plurality of entry and exit gates. 8. A pressure transfer module according to claim 1, characterized in that the elements to be configured include elements to coordinate the movement of the arrows, in order to substantially equalize the speed, acceleration, and / or duration of the reciprocal travel of the two arrows. 9. A pressure transfer module according to claim 8, characterized in that the element for coordinating the movement of the arrows comprises: at least one cam fixed to one of the arrows, and defining a cam surface; and one cam follower attached to the other of the arrows; the cam follower being in sliding contact with the aforementioned cam surface, to limit the movement of the arrows according to the contact contours of the cam surface and the follower. A pressure transfer module according to claim 8, characterized in that the element for coordinating the arrows comprises: a first cam fixed to a first of the arrows, and defining a first cam surface; a first cam follower attached to the first arrow; a second cam fixed to a second of the arrows, and defining a second cam surface; a second cam follower attached to the second arrow; the cams and the cam followers are coupled in such a way that the first cam follower is in sliding contact with the second cam surface, and the second cam follower is in contact with the first cam surface, in order to limit the movement of the arrows according to the contact contours of the cam surfaces and the mentioned followers. 11. A pressure transfer module according to claim 8, characterized in that the element for coordinating the arrows comprises a floating crankshaft having a pivotably end mounted substantially at the midpoint along one of the arrows, and the other end pivotably mounted substantially at the midpoint along the other of the arrows. 12. A pressure transfer module according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes second valve elements for controlling the flow of fluid through the inlet and outlet gates of the pump. 13. A pressure transfer module according to claim 12, characterized in that the second valve element comprises one-way valves for unidirectionally controlling the flow of fluid through the inlet and outlet gates of the pump.