Hyperbranched Polyethers via Acid Catalysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing polyethers result in products with high glass transition temperatures, limited solubility, and undesirable coloration, making them unsuitable for wide-ranging applications such as printing inks and coatings.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the reaction of tris(hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate (THEIC) with difunctional alcohols and modifying reagents using acidic catalysts to produce highly functional, hyperbranched polyethers with a Hazen color number of less than 500, ensuring optical clarity, solubility, and defined structural properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If polyethers are produced by homocondensation of THEIC using acid catalysis, then high functionality is achieved, but the products become glass-like solids with high glass transition temperature and limited solubility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the polyether structure by incorporating difunctional alcohol units between THEIC core units, creating a block copolymer architecture. This segmentation prevents the formation of extensive crosslinked networks while maintaining high functionality, resulting in materials with lower glass transition temperatures and improved solubility compared to homocondensed THEIC.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite polyether structures by combining THEIC units with difunctional alcohol units in a controlled copolymerization. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit properties of both components: the high functionality of THEIC and the solubility-enhancing characteristics of the difunctional alcohol segments.
2Quantity of substance
If polyethers are produced by reacting THEIC with various epoxides using boron trifluoride catalysis, then multifunctional polyethers are obtained, but the synthesis becomes technically complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complexity by using a single catalyst system (acid catalysis) that can mediate both the condensation of THEIC and the incorporation of difunctional alcohols in one pot, eliminating the need for multiple catalysts and sequential steps required in epoxide-based methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a universal acid catalyst system that can facilitate multiple reaction types (condensation, etherification) under the same conditions, making the synthesis process more versatile and less complex compared to method-specific catalyst requirements.
3Strength
If polyethers are produced by semi-permeable membrane polycondensation of THEIC on a substrate, then crosslinked insoluble products are obtained, but they become unsuitable for further reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates dynamic, adjustable polyether structures where the degree of crosslinking and solubility can be controlled by varying the ratio of THEIC to difunctional alcohol and reaction conditions. This dynamic control allows optimization between structural stability and reactivity for different applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in composition (molar ratios of monomers), temperature, and catalyst concentration to control the balance between crosslinking and solubility, enabling the production of materials with tailored properties that maintain both structural integrity and chemical reactivity.
4Quantity of substance
If polyethers are produced according to WO 2009/101141 using acidic catalysts, then high functionality is achieved, but the products exhibit noticeable brownish discoloration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes reaction parameters including temperature profile, catalyst type and concentration, and monomer ratios to minimize discoloration. By conducting the reaction at controlled temperatures and using specific acid catalysts, the patent achieves high functionality while maintaining optical clarity and minimizing brownish discoloration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses readily available, inexpensive difunctional alcohols as comonomers that not only provide structural benefits but also act as stabilizers against discoloration during the acid-catalyzed polycondensation process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process yields polyethers that are optically clear, soluble in various media, and possess high functionality and reactivity, suitable for use as adhesion promoters, thixotropic agents, and in printing inks and coatings, offering improved adhesion and color brilliance.
Implementation Method 1
Polyetherols are usually produced from the reaction of water, alcohols or amines by ring-opening polymerization with alkylene oxides... with the aid of acidic catalysts implemented
Implementation Method 2
EP 44 872 and US 4,557,949 describe the production of semi-permeable membranes in which the polycondensation of THEIC, optionally in combination with other alcohols, in the presence of acidic catalysts
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a process for preparing high-functionality polyethers having a colour number of less than 500 Hazen, by converting tris(hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate (THEIC) and one or more difunctional alcohols and/or modifying reagents with the aid of acidic catalysts. The present invention further relates to high-functionality polyethers having a colour number of less than 10, obtainable by such a process, and to the use of these high-functionality polyethers as adhesion promoters, thixotropic agents, rheology modifiers of polymers, in printing inks, varnishes and coatings, or as monomers for production of polyaddition or polycondensation polymers.