Unsaturated Dicarboxylic Acid Polymers for Flame Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current polymer technologies using adipic acid as plasticizers are inefficient and lack enhanced hydrophobicity and flame resistance, while unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, such as muconic acid, offer potential but require modification to introduce beneficial properties like permeability reduction and flame resistance.

Innovation Solution

The use of unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, like muconic acid, is modified by introducing olefinic bonds and reacting them with thiol-containing molecules to create novel polymers and plasticizers with improved properties, including higher hydrophobicity and flame resistance, through reactions such as Diels-Alder reactions and hydrogenation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If traditional adipic acid is used as plasticizer, then the polymer can be manufactured with standard processes, but the polymer lacks enhanced hydrophobicity and flame resistance

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovemanufacturabilityVSAvoidflame resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the chemical structure of dicarboxylic acids by introducing olefinic bonds at specific positions (e.g., 2,4-hexadienedioic acid with double bonds at carbons 2 and 4) to change the physical and chemical properties of the resulting polymers, achieving enhanced flame resistance and hydrophobicity while maintaining manufacturability through standard polymerization processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates composite polymer structures by incorporating modified unsaturated dicarboxylic acid units into polymer chains, combining the benefits of traditional polymer processing with the enhanced properties of unsaturated structures including improved flame resistance, hydrophobicity, and thermal stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If unsaturated dicarboxylic acids are used to improve flame resistance and hydrophobicity, then the polymer properties are enhanced, but additional modification steps are required to introduce olefinic bonds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflame resistanceVSAvoidprocess complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary modification of dicarboxylic acids to introduce olefinic bonds before polymerization, creating pre-functionalized monomers that can then be polymerized using standard processes, thereby reducing overall process complexity by consolidating modification steps into a preliminary preparation phase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses modified unsaturated dicarboxylic acids as intermediary compounds that bridge the gap between simple adipic acid and the desired high-performance polymer, allowing standard polymerization processes to be used while still achieving enhanced properties through the intermediate modified acid structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If olefinic bonds are introduced into dicarboxylic acids, then permeability reduction and flame resistance are achieved, but the synthesis process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepermeability resistanceVSAvoidsynthesis ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent systematically varies the position and number of olefinic bonds in dicarboxylic acid structures (e.g., 2,4-hexadienedioic acid with specific double bond positions) to optimize permeability resistance and flame resistance properties while maintaining reasonable synthesis complexity through established organic chemistry methods

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 resulting polymers exhibit enhanced temperature resistance, flame resistance, and plasticizing potential, outperforming traditional adipic acid-based polymers in thermal stability and hydrophobicity, making them suitable for advanced materials applications.

Implementation Method 1

reacting them with thiol-containing molecules to create novel polymers and plasticizers with improved properties, including higher hydrophobicity and flame resistance, through reactions such as Diels-Alder reactions

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiels-Alder reaction: Chemical Bonding

Implementation Method 2

through reactions such as Diels-Alder reactions and hydrogenation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrogenation: Hydrogenation

Data Source

PatentUS11459289B2Conversion of dicarboxylic acids to monomers and plasticizers

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 ALLIANCE FOR ENERGY INNOVATION LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a first repeat unit defined bywhere R includes a first hydrocarbon chain that includes at least one olefinic bond, R5 includes a second hydrocarbon chain, the second hydrocarbon chain may be saturated, and n may be between 2 and 1,000.