Process of manufacturing polyols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020354383-A1
Application number	US-201816642216-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 14, 2018
Priority date	Sep 14, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of producing a polyether polyol includes reacting a low molecular weight initiator with ethylene oxide in the presence of a polymerization catalyst, and the low molecular weight initiator has a nominal hydroxyl functionality at least 2. The polymerization catalyst is a Lewis acid catalyst having the general formula M(R1)1(R2)1(R3)1(R4)0 or 1, whereas M is boron, aluminum, indium, bismuth or erbium, R1, R2, R3, and R4 are each independent, R1 includes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, R2 incudes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, R3 includes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, and optional R4 includes a functional group or functional polymer group, R1 being different from at least one of R2 and R3.

First claim

1 . A method of producing a polyether polyol, comprising:
reacting a low molecular weight initiator with ethylene oxide in the presence of a polymerization catalyst, the low molecular weight initiator having a nominal hydroxyl functionality at least 2, and the polymerization catalyst being a Lewis acid catalyst having the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas M is boron, aluminum, indium, bismuth or erbium, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are each independent, R 1 includes a first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, R 2 includes a second fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a first fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, R 3 includes a third fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a second fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, and optional R 4 includes a functional group or functional polymer group, R 1 being different from at least one of R 2 and R 3 ; and forming a polyether polyol having a number average molecular weight of greater than the number average molecular weight of the low molecular weight initiator in the presence of the Lewis acid catalyst.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas R 2 is the second fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group that is the same as first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, and R 3 is the second fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas R 2 is the second fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group that is the same as first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, and R 3 is the third fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group that is different from the first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas R 2 is the second fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group that is different from the first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, and R 3 is the third fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group that is different from the first fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group and the second fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas R 2 is the first fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group and R 3 is the second fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group that is that same as the first fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1, whereas at least one of R 2 and R 3 is a fluoro/chloro-fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, difluoro/chloro-fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, trifluoro/chloro-fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, or tetrafluoro/chloro-fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 0 or 1 , whereas at least one of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 is a 3,4- or 3,5-bis(fluoroalkyl)-substituted phenyl group.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has the general formula M(R 1 ) 1 (R 2 ) 1 (R 3 ) 1 (R 4 ) 1 .

9 . The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein R 4 is a cyclic ether having 3-10 carbon atoms.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein R 4 is a ketone having 3-10 carbon atoms.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polyether polyol has a yield of at least 60% based on actual yield of an ethylene oxide capped polyol and a theoretical yield of the ethylene oxide capped polyol.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the low molecular weight initiator is a polyether diol or triol derived from at least one selected from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, and butylene oxide.

13 . A method of producing a polyurethane product, the method comprising:
providing a polyether polyol produced according to the method as claimed in claim 1 , and providing an isocyanate.

14 . A polyether polyol prepared using the method as claimed in claim 1 .

15 . A polyurethane product prepared using the polyether polyol as claimed in claim 14 .

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Raghuraman Arjun
• Heath William H
• Mukhopadhyay Sukrit
• Spinney Heather A
• Wilson David R
• Goodwin Jeffery

Classifications

• C08G65/2684

  Halogens or compounds thereof · CPC title

• C08G65/266

  Metallic elements not covered by group C08G65/2648 - C08G65/2645, or compounds thereof · CPC title

• C08G65/2654 Primary

  Aluminium or boron; Compounds thereof · CPC title

• C08G18/7621

  being toluene diisocyanate including isomer mixtures · CPC title

• C08G18/48

  Polyethers · CPC title