METHOD FOR PRODUCING ALIPHATIC POLYCARBONATE

• US 20120123066A1
• Filed: 05/06/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Nobutaka, Okamoto, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,779,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 525/461
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 64/34 and cyclic ethers
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 64/42 Chemical after-treatment

Abstract

The present invention provides an aliphatic polycarbonate production method which, using carbon dioxide and an epoxide, easily produces aliphatic polycarbonates having a low metal catalyst content.

The invention relates to an aliphatic polycarbonate production method which includes a step of polymerization by reacting carbon dioxide with an epoxide in the presence of a metal catalyst; and a step of treating a polymer obtainable in the polymerization step with a surfactant. High-purity aliphatic polycarbonate having a low metal catalyst content can be easily provided by the aliphatic polycarbonate production method of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate, which comprising:

a step of polymerization by reacting carbon dioxide with an epoxide in the presence of a metal catalyst; and

a step of treating a polymer obtainable in the polymerization step with a surfactant.

2. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 1,

wherein the metal catalyst is an organozinc catalyst.

3. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 2,

wherein the organozinc catalyst is an organozinc catalyst obtained by reacting a zinc compound with an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid.

4. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 3,

wherein the aliphatic monocarboxylic acid is used in a proportion of from 0.0001 to 0.1 mole per mole of the aliphatic dicarboxylic acid.

5. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 1,

wherein the surfactant is an anionic surfactant.

6. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 5,

wherein the anionic surfactant is one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, ammonium dimethylsulfosuccinate and sodium dimethylsulfosuccinate.

7. The method for producing an aliphatic polycarbonate according to claim 1,

wherein the amount of surfactant is from 0.001 to 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the epoxide.