Process and apparatus for producing polyol polymers and polyol polymers so produced
First Claim
1. A continuous polymerization process to produce a graft polymer having at least one main chain and a plurality of side chains attached thereto, the continuous polymerization process comprising the steps of:
- combining in a reaction zone an (1) addition-polymerizable monomer that is also a free-radical initiator together with an (2) ethylenically-unsaturated monomer having a nucleophilic or an electrophilic moiety at a reaction temperature that is effective for initiating addition copolymerization of the addition-polymerizable monomer with the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, wherein propagation by the addition-copolymerization reaction forms the main chain of the graft polymer;
while also combining in the reaction zone a polymerizable, carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule at a superatmospheric pressure effective, at the elevated temperature, to cause the ring portion of the ringed molecule to open in the vicinity of the carbonyl carbon thereof in response to the presence of the nucleophilic or the electrophilic moiety of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, for initiating ionic-copolymerization of the polymerizable ringed molecule with the nucleophilic-containing or electrophilic-containing moiety of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, wherein propagation by the ionic-copolymerization reaction forms the side chains of the graft polymer; and
terminating both of the addition-copolymerization and the ionic-copolymerization reactions when the thus-produced graft polymer attains a predetermined number-average and/or weight-average molecule weight, the polymerization process being characterized in that each of the main-chain and side-chain propagations occurs substantially simultaneously, relative to the other, and wherein the polymerization process is further characterized in that the ionic-copolymerization reaction occurs expressly excluding utilization of a catalyst for the carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule.
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Abstract
A process and an apparatus for producing a novel polyol polymer is disclosed. The process comrises combining at an elevated reaction temperature and for a predetermined period of time an (1) addition-polymerizable monomer that is also a free-radical initiator together with an (2) ethylenically-unsaturated monomer that has a nucleophilic or an electrophilic moiety. The elevated temperature is so chosen as to be effective for initiating desired "addition copolymerization" of the addition-polymerizable monomer with the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer. The process further comprises combining with the addition-polymerizable monomers, at a preselected superatmospheric pressure, a polymerizable carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule. The superatmospheric pressure is so chosen, at the elevated temperature, as to cause the ring portion of the ringed molecule to open in the vicinity of the carbonyl carbon thereof in response to the presence of the nucleophilic or the electrophilic moiety of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer expressly excluding utilization of a catalyst for the carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule.
31 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A continuous polymerization process to produce a graft polymer having at least one main chain and a plurality of side chains attached thereto, the continuous polymerization process comprising the steps of:
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combining in a reaction zone an (1) addition-polymerizable monomer that is also a free-radical initiator together with an (2) ethylenically-unsaturated monomer having a nucleophilic or an electrophilic moiety at a reaction temperature that is effective for initiating addition copolymerization of the addition-polymerizable monomer with the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, wherein propagation by the addition-copolymerization reaction forms the main chain of the graft polymer; while also combining in the reaction zone a polymerizable, carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule at a superatmospheric pressure effective, at the elevated temperature, to cause the ring portion of the ringed molecule to open in the vicinity of the carbonyl carbon thereof in response to the presence of the nucleophilic or the electrophilic moiety of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, for initiating ionic-copolymerization of the polymerizable ringed molecule with the nucleophilic-containing or electrophilic-containing moiety of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer, wherein propagation by the ionic-copolymerization reaction forms the side chains of the graft polymer; and terminating both of the addition-copolymerization and the ionic-copolymerization reactions when the thus-produced graft polymer attains a predetermined number-average and/or weight-average molecule weight, the polymerization process being characterized in that each of the main-chain and side-chain propagations occurs substantially simultaneously, relative to the other, and wherein the polymerization process is further characterized in that the ionic-copolymerization reaction occurs expressly excluding utilization of a catalyst for the carbonyl carbon-containing ringed molecule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification