Process for the production of isoolefin polymers using a tertiary ether

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022017655-A1
Application number	US-201917311857-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to an efficient process for the preparation of isoolefin polymers such as polyisobutene or butyl rubber by polymerization of isobutene and optionally further monomers in the presence of an initiator system comprising at least one boron or aluminium compound and at least one tertiary alkyl ether.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process for the preparation of isoolefin polymers, the process comprising the step of:
a) providing a reaction medium comprising an organic diluent, at least one monomer being an isoolefin and an initiator system comprising
at least one boron or aluminium compound and
at least one tertiary ether
and b) polymerizing the at least one monomer within the reaction medium in the presence of the initiator system to form a product medium comprising the isoolefin polymer, the organic diluent and optionally residual monomer(s).

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the isoolefin is isobutene.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction medium further comprises one or more multiolefins.

4 . The process according to claim 3 , wherein the multiolefin is isoprene.

5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction medium further comprises monomers that are copolymerized with the at least one isoolefin and are neither isoolefins nor multiolefins.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diluents include hydrochlorocarbon(s), hydrofluorocarbons represented by the formula: CxHyFz wherein x is an integer from 1 to 40 and wherein y and z are integers and at least one, unsaturated hydrofluorocarbons, or hydrocarbons.

7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the boron or aluminium compounds are those represented by formula MX 3 , where M is boron or aluminum and X is a halogen, preferably aluminum trichloride or those represented by formula MR (m) X (3-m) , where M is boron or aluminum, X is a halogen, R is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 12 alkyl and C 7 -C 14 alkylaryl radicals; and m is one or two.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the tertiary ethers are methyl tert.-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert.-butyl ether (ETBE), methyl tert.-amyl ether (MTAE) and phenyl tert.-butyl ether (PTBE) or mixtures thereof.

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the isoolefin polymer comprises a molar ratio of 1,4-isoprene structures to branched unsaturated structures of 14.0 to 20.0.

10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the isoolefin polymer comprises a weight ratio of C 21 to C 13 of from 0.9 to 2.0.

11 . The process according to claim 9 , wherein the isoolefin polymer comprises C 13 and C 21 structures in an amount of less than 800 ppm.

12 . The process according to claim 9 , wherein the isoolefin polymer comprises a polydispersity, as measured by the ratio of weight average molecular weight to number average molecular weight as determined by gel permeation chromatography, of 1.5 to 4.5.

13 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises froming the isoolefin polymer into a rubber product and optionally curing the rubber product.

14 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises blending the isoolefin polymer with at least one secondary rubber.

15 . An isoolefin polymer prepared according to the process of claim 9 .

16 . A rubber product prepared according to the process of claim 13 .

17 . A composition including a blend of an isoolefin polymer and at least one secondary rubber prepared according to the process of claim 14 .

18 . The process according to claim 3 , wherein the multiolefin includes isoprene, butadiene, 2-methylbutadiene, 2,4-dimethylbutadiene, piperyline, 3-methyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2,4-hexadiene, 2-neopentylbutadiene, 2-methyl-1,5-hexadiene, 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene, 2-methyl-1,4-pentadiene, 4-butyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2,3-dibutyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2-ethyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2-ethyl-1,3-butadiene, 2-methyl-1,6-heptadiene, cyclopentadiene, methylcyclopentadiene, cyclohexadiene, 1-vinyl-cyclohexadiene, or mixtures of the aforementioned.

19 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the tertiary ethers includes or consists of methyl tert.-butyl ether (MTBE).

20 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the molar ratio of 1,4-isoprene structures to branched unsaturated structures is 14.0 to 17.0.

Assignees

• Arlanxeo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Thompson David

Classifications

• C08F210/12 Primary

  with conjugated diolefins, e.g. butyl rubber · CPC title

• C08F2500/03

  Narrow molecular weight distribution, i.e. Mw/Mn < 3 · CPC title

• C08F2/14 Primary

  Organic medium · CPC title

• C08F236/08

  Isoprene · CPC title

• C08F4/14

  Boron halides or aluminium halides; Complexes thereof with organic compounds containing oxygen · CPC title