Method for producing polymer and device for producing polymer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346915-B2
Application number	US-201314372621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2013
Priority date	Feb 14, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A method for producing a polymer, including: (i) continuously supplying and bringing at least a first monomer, which is ring-opening polymerizable, and a compressive fluid into contact with each other, to thereby allow the first monomer to carry out ring-opening polymerization to continuously generate an intermediate; and (ii) bringing the intermediate and a second monomer, which is identical to or different from the first monomer in kind, into contact with each other, to thereby allow the intermediate and the second monomer to carry out polymerization.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a polymer, comprising:
(i) continuously supplying and bringing a first monomer, which is ring-opening polymerizable, a catalyst, and a first compressive fluid into contact with each other, to thereby allow the first monomer to carry out ring-opening polymerization and to continuously generate a composition comprising an intermediate; and
(ii) continuously supplying and bringing a second monomer, which is identical to the first monomer, and a second compressive fluid which is identical to the first compressive fluid into contact with the composition comprising the intermediate, to thereby allow the intermediate and the second monomer to carry out polymerization and produce said polymer.

2. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein in (i) the first monomer and the compressive fluid are continuously supplied under the following conditions, to thereby bring the first monomer and the first compressive fluid into contact with each other:

Feeding
⁢

⁢
speed
⁢

⁢
of
⁢

⁢
the
⁢

⁢
first
⁢

⁢
monomer
⁢

⁢

(

g
⁢

/

⁢
min

)

Feeding
⁢

⁢
speed
⁢

⁢
of
⁢

⁢
the
⁢

⁢
first
⁢

⁢
compressive
⁢

⁢
fluid
⁢

⁢

(

g
⁢

/

⁢
min

)

≥
1.

3. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the continuously supplying and bringing the first monomer and the first compressive fluid into contact with each other makes the first monomer melt.

4. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is an organic catalyst free from a metal atom.

5. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein a lower limit of a temperature during the ring-opening polymerization in (i) is 40° C., and an upper limit of the temperature during the ring-opening polymerization in (i) is 150° C., or a temperature that is higher than a melting point of the first monomer by 50° C., whichever higher.

6. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein a monomer conversion amount of each of the first monomer and the second monomer is 98 mol % or higher.

7. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer has a number average molecular weight of 12,000 or greater.

8. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the compressive fluid comprises carbon dioxide.

9. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 4 ,
wherein the organic catalyst free from a metal atom is a basic nucleophilic nitrogen compound.

10. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the first monomer is a monomer having a ring structure containing an ester bond therein.

11. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the compressive fluid is carbon dioxide and the first and second monomer is L-lactide, D-lactide, or a mixture thereof, and wherein the polymer produced has a number average molecular weight of 12,000-200,000.

12. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer produced is substantially free from an organic solvent, and comprises less than 2 mol % of said monomers.

13. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer produced is substantially free from an organic solvent, and comprises 1,000 ppm or less of said monomers.

14. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 11 , wherein the polymer produced is substantially free from an organic solvent, and comprises less than 2 mol % of said monomers.

15. The method for producing a polymer according to claim 11 , wherein the polymer produced is substantially free from an organic solvent, and comprises 1,000 ppm or less of said monomers.

Assignees

• Nemoto Taichi
• Tanaka Chiaki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nemoto Taichi
• Tanaka Chiaki

Classifications

• C08G63/785

  characterised by the apparatus used · CPC title

• B01J19/243

  spirally, concentrically or zigzag wound · CPC title

• B01J2219/2401

  Reactors comprising multiple separate flow channels · CPC title

• B01J19/242

  in series · CPC title

• B01J2219/00135

  Electric resistance heaters · CPC title