Polyether polymerization process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745174-B2
Application number	US-201816610563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2018
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a method of producing a modified double metal cyanide complex, a method of producing a monol or polyol that includes providing the modified double metal cyanide complex, an alkylene oxide polymerization process that includes providing the modified double metal cyanide complex, a batch, semi-batch, or continuous manufacturing process that includes providing the modified double metal cyanide complex, and a polyether polyol prepared using the batch, semi-batch, or continuous manufacturing process that includes providing the modified double metal cyanide complex.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a polyether, the method forming a reaction mixture comprising a hydroxyl-containing starter, at least one alkylene oxide and a catalyst complex, and polymerizing the alkylene oxide onto the hydroxyl-containing starter to produce the polyether in the presence of no more than 0.01 moles of a carbonate precursor per mole of alkylene oxide, wherein the catalyst complex is a mixture of a zinc hexacyanocobaltate catalyst and a particulate M 3 metal or semi-metal oxide wherein the M 3 metal or semi-metal is one or more of aluminum, iron, hafnium, gallium and indium and the M 3 metal or semi-metal oxide is present in an amount sufficient to provide 0.002 to 10 moles of M 3 metal or semi-metal per mole of cobalt provided by the zinc hexacyanocobaltate catalyst, and further wherein the hydroxyl concentration during at least a portion of the polymerization is in the range of 4.25 to 20% by weight of the reaction mixture.

2. The method of claim 1 which is semi-batch process in which the catalyst complex and hydroxyl-containing starter are charged to a reaction vessel, the catalyst complex is activated and at least a portion of the alkylene oxide is thereafter added to the reaction vessel containing the activated catalyst complex and hydroxyl-containing starter under polymerization conditions without removal of product until all of the alkylene oxide has been added.

3. The method of claim 1 which is continuous process in which the catalyst complex, hydroxyl-containing starter and alkylene oxide are fed continuous to a reaction vessel under polymerization conditions and product is continuously removed from the reaction vessel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydroxyl-containing starter has a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 30 to 200.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Steelman David K
• Babb David A
• Depicker Joost
• Kuijper Jasmijn
• Rosen Mari S

Classifications

• C08G2220/00

  Compositions for preparing gels other than hydrogels, aerogels and xerogels · CPC title

• C07F15/065

  without a metal-carbon linkage · CPC title

• B01J37/04 Primary

  Mixing {(B01J37/0009, B01J37/0018 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J37/08

  Heat treatment {(B01J37/0009, B01J37/0018 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J37/036

  to form a gel or a cogel · CPC title