Alkylene polyethers

The most commonly known siloxane surfactants contain polyoj alkylenes (polyethers) as hydrophilic parts. They have been investigated since the 1960s and silicone polyethers have practically become the definition itself of siloxane surfactants. 

Poly(alI lene glycol)s. While these can be made from polymeri2ation of any alkylene oxide, they are usually prepared either from propylene oxide as the water-insoluble type, or as water-soluble copolymers of propylene oxide and up to 50% ethylene oxide (35,36) (see Polyethers, propylene OXIDE polymers). Current worldwide production is estimated to be about 45,000 t. 

Polyether Polyols. Polyether polyols are addition products derived from cyclic ethers (Table 4). The alkylene oxide polymerisation is usually initiated by alkah hydroxides, especially potassium hydroxide. In the base-catalysed polymerisation of propylene oxide, some rearrangement occurs to give aHyl alcohol. Further reaction of aHyl alcohol with propylene oxide produces a monofunctional alcohol. Therefore, polyether polyols derived from propylene oxide are not truly diftmctional. By using sine hexacyano cobaltate as catalyst, a more diftmctional polyol is obtained (20). Olin has introduced the diftmctional polyether polyols under the trade name POLY-L. Trichlorobutylene oxide-derived polyether polyols are useful as reactive fire retardants. Poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) is produced in the acid-catalysed homopolymerisation of tetrahydrofuran. Copolymers derived from tetrahydrofuran and ethylene oxide are also produced. 

A number of other polyethers derived from polyfunctional hydroxy compounds or alkylene oxides are important intermediates in the manufacture of polyurethanes. These are dealt with in Chapter 27. 

Scheme 4.12 Conventional synthesis of polyether polyols via base-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of alkylene oxides.

The cationic ring-opening polymerization of epichlorohydrin in conjunction with a glycol or water as a modifier produced hydroxyl-terminated epichlorohydrin (HTE) liquid polymers (1-2). Hydroxyl-terminated polyethers of other alkylene oxides (3 4), oxetane and its derivatives (5 6), and copolymers of tetrahydrofuran (7-15) have also been reported. These hydroxyl-terminated polyethers are theoretically difunctional and used as reactive prepolymers. 

Polyethers are prepared by the ring opening polymerization of three, four, five, seven, and higher member cyclic ethers. Polyalkylene oxides from ethylene or propylene oxide and from epichlorohydrin are the most common commercial materials. They seem to be the most reactive alkylene oxides and can be polymerized by cationic, anionic, and coordinated nucleophilic mechanisms. For example, ethylene oxide is polymerized by an alkaline catalyst to generate a living polymer in Figure 1.1. Upon addition of a second alkylene oxide monomer, it is possible to produce a block copolymer (Fig. 1.2). 

Polyethers and polyesters having methoxybenzalazine units with various alkylene groups (C4, C6 and Cg) in the main chain were synthesized from vanillin (7,8). The condensation reaction of 4,4 -alkylenedioxybis (3-methoxybenzaldehyde) [VI] with hydrazine monohydrate was applied to the synthesis of polyethers [VII] (Mn, 7.4 x 103 for C4, 7.3 x 103 for C6 and 4.1 x 103 for Cg derivatives), as shown in Scheme 3. Polyesters [IX] (77jnh, 0.35 dl/g for C4, 0.38 dl/g for C6 and 0.43 dl/g for Cg derivatives) were synthesized from 4,4 -dihydroxy-3,3 -dimethoxybenzalazine [VIII] and di-carboxylic acid chlorides by conventional low temperature solution polycondensation, as shown in Scheme 4. 

The thermal stability of the samples was studied by TG. As shown in Table I, the decomposition temperatures (Tchain length of the alkylene groups in both the polyethers and polyesters. 

Table I. Starting temperatures of decomposition (T

Polyethers are typically products of base-catalyzed reactions of the oxides of simple alkenes. More often than not, ethylene oxides or propylene oxides and block copolymers of the oxides are used. A polypropylene oxide-based polymer is built and then capped with polyethylene oxides. An interesting aspect of this chemistry is the use of initiators. For instance, if a small amount of a trifunctional alcohol is added to the reactor, the alkylene oxide chains grow from the three alcohol end groups of the initiator. Suitable initiators are trimethylol propane, glycerol or 1,2,6 hexanetriol. The initiator is critical if one is to make a polyether foam for reasons that we will discuss shortly. 

Up to this point the discussion has been concerned with alkylene terephthalate/PTME terephthalate copolymers in which the concentration of alkylene terephthalate and the chemical structure of the alkylene groups have been varied. The next section of this report is concerned with polyether-ester copolymers in which aromatic esters other than terephthalate are used in combination with PTME glycol and various diols. The objective is the same, to correlate changes in copolymer structure with changes in copolymerization results and copolymer properties. Once again the 50% tetramethylene terephthalate/PTME terephthalate copolymer (Tables I and II) with its excellent properties and relative ease of synthesis will be used as the point of reference to which the other polymers will be compared. 

Alkylene Isophthalate/PTME Isophthalate Copolymers. Polyether-ester copolymers having the compositions 50% alkylene isophthalate/ PTME isophthalate were prepared using as diols ethylene glycol (2G),... 

Alkylene w-Terphenyl-4,4f -dicarboxylate/PTME w-Terphenyl-4,4"-dicarboxylate Copolymers. Polyether-ester copolymers with the composition 50% alkylene rn-terphenyl-4,4"-dicarboxylate/PTME rn-ter-phenyl-4,4"-dicarboxylate were prepared using as diols 1,3-propanediol (3G) and 1,4-butanediol (4G). Both copolymers exhibit excellent tensile and tear strength as shown in Table IX. They both have very poor resistance to compression set. 

Esterification and transesterification were used for the synthesis of numerous polymeric stabilizers derived from carboxylic as well as inorganic acids. Systems obtained with poly(alkylene ether)diols contain polyether and polyester links. 

Polyether polyols are prepared by the anionic polymerization of alkylene oxides, such as propylene oxide and/or ethylene oxide, in the presence of an initiator and a catalyst, as shown in the following equation ... 

Unfortunately, DMC catalysts are not efficient for EO polymerisation, and it is practically impossible to obtain PO-EO block copolymers with this catalyst. Acidic catalysts are not used on an industrial scale for alkylene oxide polymerisation due to the formation of substantial amounts of cyclic ethers as side products. Acidic catalysts are used industrially only for the synthesis of polytetrahydrofuran polyols or, to a lesser extent, for tetrahydrofuran - alkylene oxide copolyether polyol fabrication (see Sections 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3) Other catalysts have a minor importance for large scale polyether polyol production. 

If trifunctional initiators such as glycerol or trimethylolpropane are used as starters for the alkylene oxides polymerisation, star-like polyether triols are formed [1-13, 15-17, 54, 60, 69, 75] ... 

Tetrafunctional starters (such as pentaerythritol and ethylene diamine) are used to a small extent for the synthesis of high MW poly ethers. An interesting tetrafunctional starter is ethylene diamine. In the first step the alkylene oxide reacts with the -N-H groups forming a tetraol. By the polymerisation reaction of alkylene oxides initiated by the tetraol formed in situ, a high MW polyether tetraol is obtained ... 

In Sections 4.1, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 and 4.1.4, the chemistry of polyether polyol synthesis, the mechanism and kinetics of alkylene oxide polyaddition to hydroxyl groups and the most important structures of polyalkylene oxide polyether polyols for elastic polyurethanes - PO homopolymers, random PO-EO copolymers and PO-EO block copolymers - were discussed. 

The industrial processes currently used worldwide for polyether polyol synthesis by anionic polymerisation of alkylene oxides are discontinuous processes, a fact that is explained by the great number of polyether polyol types produced in the same reactor and by the relatively low reaction rate of the propoxylation reaction. 

In the history of PU, some continuous processes for polyether polyol synthesis by anionic polymerisation were developed, but only at small scale (i.e., pilot plant). Tubular reactors with static mixing systems or a column with plate reactor types were used, but these technologies were not extended to industrial scale levels. The first continuous process for high MW polyether synthesis was developed by Bayer (IMPACT Technology) and is based on the very rapid coordinative polymerisation of alkylene oxides, especially PO, with dimetallic catalysts (DMC catalysts - see Chapter 5). A principle technological scheme of a polyether polyol fabrication plant is presented in Figure 4.30. 

The anionic polymerisation of alkylene oxides initiated by different polyolic starters is the most important step of polyether polyol manufacture. 

Figure 4.30 Scheme for polyether polyol fabrication by anionic polymerisation of alkylene oxides, initiated by glycerol or diols (variant). 1 - Reactor for potassium glycerolate synthesis 2 - Reactor for prepolyether synthesis 3 - Reactor for polyether synthesis 4 - Reactor for purification 5 - Filter press 6 - Storage tank for final purified poly ether 7 - Heat exchangers for removal of the reaction heat 8 - Condensers 9 - Vacuum pumps 10 - Vessels for distilled water 11 - Recirculation pumps 12 - Gear pump or screw (or double screw) pump... 

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