Multifunctional lubricant additive and selection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12195692-B2
Application number	US-202218277711-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 15, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A blend for lubricating a surface includes a lubricant and a polyepoxide terpolymer additive mixed with the lubricant. The polyepoxide terpolymer additive includes a first block having a group R1, a second block having a group R2, and a third block having a group R3. Group R1 includes C 4 H 9 or C 6 H 13 , group R2 includes CH 3 , and group R3 includes C 6 H 5 .

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blend for lubricating a surface, the blend comprising:
a lubricant; and
a polyepoxide terpolymer additive mixed with the lubricant,
wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive includes a first block comprising group R1, a second block comprising group R2, and a third block comprising group R3, and
wherein the group R1 includes C 4 H 9 or C 6 H 13 , the group R2 includes CH 3 , and the group R3 includes C 6 H 5 .

2. The blend of claim 1 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive is made from first to third monomers, the first monomer M 1 including hexene oxide, HO, or octene oxide, OO, the second monomer M 2 including propylene oxide, PO, and the third monomer M 3 including styrene oxide, SO.

3. The blend of claim 2 , wherein a molecular weight ratio of OO to PO to SO is (100):(50-200):(25-100) when formed with an organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, ROP.

4. The blend of claim 3 , wherein the organocatalytic ROP uses triethyl borane, TEB, and a phosphazene base, t-BuP 2 , as catalysts, and an initiator I, and a full molecular weight ratio of the OO:PO:SO:I:P2:TEB is (100):(50-200):(25-100):1:(0.6+/−0.12):(0.3+/−0.06).

5. The blend of claim 4 , wherein the initiator I is eicosanol and the lubricant is motor oil.

6. The blend of claim 2 , wherein the HO or OO of the first monomer M 1 is selected to have aliphatic side chains, which simultaneously increases a solubility of the polyepoxide co (ter) polymer additive in the lubricant and a viscosity of the lubricant.

7. The blend of claim 6 , wherein the PO of the second monomer M 2 is selected to promote formation of a condensed polymeric film to reduce metallic contacts of rubbing surfaces between two metal surfaces.

8. The blend of claim 7 , wherein the SO of the third monomer M 3 is selected to increase a thermal stability of the lubricant.

9. The blend of claim 1 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive includes only three blocks.

10. The blend of claim 1 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive has a molecular weight within a range of about 10 to 22 kg/mol.

11. The blend of claim 1 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive is 5% or less by mass and the lubricant is the remaining balance.

12. A polyepoxide terpolymer additive for a lubricant, the polyepoxide terpolymer additive comprising:
a group R1 that includes C 4 H 9 or C 6 H 13 and is obtained from a first monomer M 1 that includes hexene oxide, HO, or octene oxide, OO, or lauryl glycidyl ether, LGE, or 2-ethylhexyl glycidyl ether, EHGE;
a group R2 that includes CH 3 and is obtained from a second monomer M 2 that includes propylene oxide, PO; and
a group R3 that includes C 6 H 5 and is obtained from a third monomer M 3 that includes styrene oxide, SO.

13. The additive of claim 12 , wherein a molecular weight ratio of OO to PO to SO is (100):(50-200):(25-100) when formed with an organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, ROP.

14. The additive of claim 13 , wherein the organocatalytic ROP uses triethyl borane, TEB, and a phosphazene base, t-BuP 2 , as catalysts, and an initiator I, and a full molecular weight ratio of the OO:PO:SO:I:P2:TEB is (100):(50-200):(25-100):1:(0.6+/−0.12):(0.3+/−0.06) and the initiator I is eicosanol.

15. A method for making a blend for lubricating a surface, the method comprising:
providing a lubricant;
selecting a first monomer M 1 to have aliphatic side chains, which simultaneously increases a solubility of a polyepoxide terpolymer additive in the lubricant and a viscosity of the lubricant;
selecting a second monomer M 2 to promote formation of a condensed polymeric film to reduce metallic contacts of rubbing surfaces between two metal surfaces;
selecting a third monomer M 3 to increase a thermal stability of the lubricant;
making the polyepoxide terpolymer additive based on the first to third monomers (M 1 to M 3 ) by applying an organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, ROP, process; and
mixing the polyepoxide terpolymer additive with the lubricant to obtain the blend,
wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive is 5% or less by mass and the lubricant is the remaining balance of the blend, and
wherein the terpolymer additive includes a first block, which includes a group R1 of C 4 H 9 or C 6 H 13 , a second block, which includes a group R2 of CH 3 , and a third block, which includes a group R3 of C 6 H 5 .

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a molecular weight ratio of OO to PO to SO is (100):(50-200):(25-100) when formed.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the organocatalytic ROP process uses triethyl borane, TEB, and a phosphazene base, t-BuP 2 , as catalysts, and eicosanol as an initiator I.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a full molecular weight ratio of the OO:PO:SO:I:P2:TEB is (100):(50-200):(25-100):1:(0.6+/−0.12):(0.3+/−0.06).

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive includes only first to third blocks.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polyepoxide terpolymer additive has a molecular weight within a range of about 10 to 22 kg/mol.

Assignees

• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Sarathy Subram Mani
• Hadjichristidis Nikos
• Ladelta Viko
• Hong Tsu-Fang

Classifications

• C10N2070/00

  Specific manufacturing methods for lubricant compositions · CPC title

• C10N2040/25

  Internal-combustion engines · CPC title

• C10M2209/107

  of two or more specified different alkylene oxides covered by groups C10M2209/104 - C10M2209/106 · CPC title

• C10M2209/106

  of alkylene oxides containing four carbon atoms only · CPC title

• C10M2209/105

  of alkylene oxides containing three carbon atoms only · CPC title