Process for preparing polydiene/polylactide copolymers by reactive extrusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11155665-B2
Application number	US-201716472280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2017
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer, the weight percentage of polylactide being between 10% and 45% by weight, relative to the weight of the copolymer, characterized in that lactide, an elastomer functionalized by at least one group bearing at least one function capable of initiating a ring-opening polymerization of the lactide and a catalytic system are introduced into an extruder (A).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer comprising the step of introducing into an extruder:
lactide;
a diene elastomer functionalized by at least one group bearing at least one function capable of initiating a ring-opening polymerization of the lactide to form a functionalized diene elastomer, the functionalized diene elastomer having a number-average molar mass, Mn, of greater than 40,000 g/mol; and
a catalytic system,
wherein a weight percentage of polylactide is between 10% and 45% by weight, relative to a weight of the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step of introducing into an extruder comprises the steps of:
introducing the lactide and the functionalized diene elastomer into an extruder;
mixing the lactide and the functionalized diene elastomer to obtain a mixture; then
introducing the catalytic system into the mixture, the introduction of the catalytic system triggering polymerization; then
introducing a catalyst inhibitor to stop polymerization;
recovering the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer at an outlet of the extruder.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein polymerization is carried out at a temperature ranging from 80° C. to 200° C.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein polymerization time is less than 30 minutes.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a weight percentage of the lactide introduced ranges from 12% to 47% by weight, relative to the total weight of the functionalized diene elastomer introduced and the lactide introduced.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein polymerization is carried out in bulk.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is a continuous process.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the function capable of initiating a ring-opening polymerization of the lactide is a primary amine —NH 2 or a hydroxyl —OH.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein an antioxidant is also introduced.

10. The process according to claim 2 , wherein an antioxidant is also introduced with the lactide and the functionalized diene elastomer.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer is selected from the group consisting of polybutadienes, synthetic polyisoprenes, natural rubber, butadiene copolymers, isoprene copolymers, ethylene/diene copolymers, and blends thereof.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein, in the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer, the weight percentage of polylactide ranges from 15% to 40% by weight, relative to the weight of the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer is functionalized by two end groups to form the functionalized diene elastomer.

14. The process according to claim 13 , wherein the number-average molar mass, Mn, of the diene elastomer ranges from more than 40,000 g/mol to 250,000 g/mol.

15. The process according to claim 13 , wherein the number-average molar mass, Mn, of the diene elastomer ranges from 50,000 g/mol to 200,000 g/mol.

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer is functionalized by several pendant groups along the backbone to form the functionalized diene elastomer.

17. The process according to claim 16 , wherein the number-average molar mass, Mn, of the diene elastomer ranges from 100,000 g/mol to 500,000 g/mol.

18. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer is a triblock, of structure PLA-diene elastomer-PLA, having a number-average molar mass, Mn, ranging from 50,000 g/mol to 300,000 g/mol.

19. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer/polylactide copolymer is a comb copolymer, having a diene elastomer backbone and pendant PLA blocks along the backbone, having a number-average molar mass, Mn, ranging from 100,000 g/mol to 600,000 g/mol.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie

Inventors

• Dronet Severin
• Mioche Gilles
• Maisonneuve Lise
• Coste Nathalie
• Cayuela Julien
• Bonnaud Leila
• Dubois Philippe Ghislain

Classifications

• C08K5/50

  Phosphorus bound to carbon only · CPC title

• C08G63/08

  Lactones or lactides · CPC title

• C08L53/00 Primary

  Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers · CPC title

• C08K5/527

  Cyclic esters · CPC title

• C08F36/14

  containing elements other than carbon and hydrogen · CPC title