A cost-effective process for highly reactive polyisobutylenes via cationic polymerization coinitiated by AlCl3

A theoretical study of the mechanism of cationic polymerization of isobutylene catalysed by EtAlCl2/t-BuCl with bis(2-chloroethyl)ether in hexanes

The mechanism of cationic polymerization of isobutylene catalyzed by t-BuCl/ethylaluminum dichloride (EADC) combined with bis(2-chloroethyl)ether (CEE) in n-hexane solvent has been investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) and metadynamics (MTD) simulations. The results indicated that the polyisobutylene (PIB) initiation stage involves a clear two-step mechanism. Calculation of the free energy landscapes of the other two ether reactions reveals that the energy barriers of diisopropyl ether (i-Pr2O) and 2-chloroethyl ethyl ether (CEEE) are much higher than those of CEE, which is consistent with the experimental results. During the chain propagation phase, the required free energy barrier gradually decreases and tends to reach equilibrium as the chain length increases. Finally, the oxonium mechanism during the chain initiation stage was investigated by calculating the 1H NMR spectra and MTD simulation. Our calculations can confirm that the existence of tert-butyloxonium ions during the reaction is possible. Their contribution to the whole reaction is further discussed.

Polyisobutylenes with Controlled Molecular Weight and Chain-End Structure: Synthesis and Actual Applications

The polymerization of isobutylene allows us to obtain a wide spectrum of polyisobutylenes (PIBs) which differ in their molecular weight characteristics and the chemical structure of chain-end groups. The bulk of the PIBs manufactured worldwide are highly reactive polyisobutylenes (HRPIBs) with -C(Me)=CH2 end-groups and low-molecular weights (Mn < 5 kDa). HRPIBs are feedstocks that are in high demand in the manufacturing of additives for fuels and oils, adhesives, detergents, and other fine chemicals. In addition, HRPIBs and CMe2Cl-terminated PIBs are intensively studied with the aim of finding biomedical applications and for the purpose of developing new materials. Both chain control (molecular weight and dispersity) and chemoselectivity (formation of exo-olefinic or -CMe2Cl groups) should be achieved during polymerization. This review highlights the fundamental issues in the mechanisms of isobutylene polymerization and PIB analysis, examines actual catalytic approaches to PIBs, and describes recent studies on the functionalization and applications of HRPIBs and halogen-terminated PIBs.

A Bibliometric Survey on Polyisobutylene Manufacture

Polyisobutylenes (PIB) constitute a versatile family of polymer materials that have been used mainly as fuel and lubricant additives. Particularly, the current commercial demand for highly reactive polyisobutylene (HR-PIB) products motivates the development of new processes and procedures to produce PIBs with high polymer yields, narrow molar mass distributions and high vinyl contents. For this reason, a bibliometric survey is presented here to map and discuss important technical aspects and technological trends in the field of solution cationic polymerization of isobutylenes. It is shown that investigations in this field are concentrated mainly on developed countries and that industrial initiatives indicate high commercial interest and significant investments in the field. It is also shown that use of catalyst systems based on AlCl3 and ether cocatalysts can be very beneficial for PIB and HR-PIB manufacture. Finally, it is shown that investigations search for cheaper and environmentally friendly catalysts and solvents that can be employed at moderate temperatures, particularly for the production of HR-PIB.

Recent advances in catalytic chain transfer polymerization of isobutylene: a review

This review presents the development of highly reactive polyisobutylene (HRPIB), a major commercial intermediate toward fuel and lubricant additives. Recent years have witnessed very substantial advances in the catalytic chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) of isobutylene/industrial Raffinate-1 (C4 Raffinate) to produce HRPIB, particularly in nonpolar solvents at elevated temperatures. The main subjects of this review are cationic polymerization of isobutylene, progress in HRPIB research and existing challenges, and recent advances of CCTP. New initiating/catalyst systems based on ionic liquids with Lewis acids are detailed, and this approach may open new views in the synthesis of HRPIB. Some current developments in CCTP of industrial Raffinate-1 and mechanistic studies are also described. This review strongly supports that the hydrocarbon soluble Lewis acid·ether (LA·ether) complex catalyzed CCTP will become the most popular technique for preparing HRPIB and could replace the traditional BF₃ catalyzed industrial method.

This review presents the development of highly reactive polyisobutylene (HRPIB), a major commercial intermediate toward fuel and lubricant additives.

Tailoring the AlCl3/iPr2O/Et2O initiation system for highly reactive polyisobutylene synthesis in pure n-hexane

This paper reports the flow synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylenes (HRPIBs) in pure n-hexane using properly prepared AlCl₃·Et₂O crystals in conjunction with AlCl₃·iPr₂O solution as coinitiators. By preparing AlCl₃·iPr₂O solution and AlCl₃·Et₂O crystals separately, the cationic polymerization of isobutylene proceeded smoothly under a wide range of monomer concentrations (0.33-1.30 M) in the presence of H₂O as an initiator, affording a high yield (∼89%) and a moderate exo-olefin terminal group content (60-75%) in 10 min. The various functions of iPr₂O and Et₂O in the initiator solution were comprehensively revealed from the polymerization results, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared and ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, and density functional theory simulations. AlCl₃·iPr₂O was confirmed to be the key component that stabilized carbenium ions. The AlCl₃·Et₂O complex was the key component to promote proton elimination. Free Et₂O should be removed to inhibit its negative effect on isomerization. This new strategy may lead to high commercial interest in HRPIB synthesis in pure green solvent and could potentially be extended to other initiation systems containing solid Lewis acids.

Stereoselective cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers by easily and finely tunable titanium complexes prepared from tartrate-derived diols: isospecific polymerization and recognition of chiral side chains

Isotactic poly(vinyl ether)s were generated by titanium TADDOLates, which can be prepared from naturally abundant tartaric acid in a facile and economical manner with well-defined structures.

A Complexed Initiating System AlCl3·Phenetole/TiCl4·H2O with Dominant Synergistic Effect for Efficient Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Polyisobutylene

A complexed initiating system AlCl₃·phenetole/TiCl₄·H₂O was prepared by simply compounding AlCl₃/phenetole and TiCl₄/H₂O and used for cationic polymerization of isobutylene. It was found AlCl₃·phenetole/TiCl₄·H₂O exhibited activities 1.2–3 times higher than those of AlCl₃/phenetole, and more than an order of magnitude higher than those of TiCl₄/H₂O, which indicated a notable synergistic effect produced in the complexed system. In addition, due to the higher activity of AlCl₃·phenetole/TiCl₄·H₂O, lower coinitiator concentration and polymerization temperature, as well as higher monomer concentration were more favored for this complexed initiating system to produce polyisobutylene (PIB) with reasonable molecular weight (M_w) and molecular weight distribution (MWD). Furthermore, high molecular weight polyisobutylene (HPIB) with M_w = 1–3 × 10⁵ g·mol⁻¹ could be successfully produced by the complexed catalyst system at T_p = −60 to −40 °C. As a whole, the high activity as well as the simple preparation procedures of the complexed initiating system offer us a unique approach for the production of HPIB with improved efficiency.

Synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylenesviacationic polymerization in ionic liquids: characteristics and mechanism

The cationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB) was systematically studied in a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim][PF₆]) ionic liquid at −10 °C.

Effects of Ether on the Cationic Polymerization of Isobutylene Catalyzed by AlCl3

In this work, we prepared different initiator solutions containing ether and AlCl₃ by changing the addition sequence of ingredients, studied the interactions between ether and AlCl₃ from the evolution of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra by comparison, and investigated the catalytic performances of AlCl₃ affected by ether for isobutylene polymerization. We observed that different preparation methods of initiator solutions could lead to two kinds of interactions between ether and H₂O/AlCl₃ in hexane. The strong interaction could stabilize carbenium ions and seriously decrease the catalytic performance, whereas the weak interaction could promote isomerization and proton elimination. Moreover, we found that the preparation method of initiator solutions was not a critical factor in CH₂Cl₂. Finally, a universal mechanism based on the AlCl₃-involved interactions in different solvents was proposed to understand the effects of ether on the cationic polymerization catalyzed by AlCl₃ thoroughly.

Micromixing enhanced synthesis of HRPIBs catalyzed by EADC/bis(2-chloroethyl)ether complex

Better mixing could produce more active centers to accelerate the polymerization by promoting the consumption of carbonium ions.

Synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylene by catalytic chain transfer in hexanes at elevated temperatures; determination of the kinetic parameters

The rate constants of activation/deactivation for dormant oxonium/active carbenium ions have been measured and related to the increasing polymerization rate with increasing temperature.

Cationic polymerization of isobutylene catalysed by AlCl3 with multiple nucleophilic reagents

Adding the multiple nucleophilic reagents, iPr₂O and EB, in the initiation system is an effective way to attain the controlled polymerization of isobutylene.

Fast flow synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylene co-initiated by an AlCl3/isopropyl ether complex

In this work, with AlCl₃ addition in the range from 4 to 10 mmol L⁻¹ and enough isopropyl ether (ⁱPr₂O) addition, we successfully synthesized highly reactive polyisobutylene (HRPIB) using a microflow system within 12 s or less.

New catalysts for the synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylene: chloroaluminate imidazole-based ionic liquids in the presence of diisopropyl ether

The use of [emim]Cl–AlCl₃ in combination with ⁱPr₂O allowed the synthesis of HR PIB with high exo-olefin end group content (≥90%) and a relatively narrow MWD (Mw/Mn ≤ 2.0) at a high reaction temperature (>0 °C) and monomer concentration (5.2 M–7.8 M).

Recent progress in the Lewis acid co-initiated cationic polymerization of isobutylene and 1,3-dienes

This article reviews recent approaches towards the synthesis of exo-olefin terminated polyisobutylenes and well-defined poly(1,3-diene)s based on their scientific and industrial relevance.

Polymerization of isobutylene catalyzed by EtAlCl2/bis(2-chloroethyl) ether complex in steel vessels

Stainless steel reactors are unsuitable for polymerizations catalyzed by EtAlCl₂ due to a side reaction between Cr₂O₃ in stainless steel and EtAlCl₂.

Synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylene with FeCl3/ether complexes in hexane; kinetic and mechanistic studies

In this study, the kinetics and mechanism of the polymerization of isobutylene catalyzed by FeCl₃·ether complexes in hexane at 0 °C were investigated.

Univalent Gallium Complexes of Simple and ansa-Arene Ligands: Effects on the Polymerization of Isobutylene

Using [Ga(C6 H5 F)2 ]+ [Al(ORF )4 ]- (1) (RF =C(CF3 )3 ) as starting material, we isolated bis- and tris-η6 -coordinated gallium(I) arene complex salts of p-xylene (1,4-Me2 C6 H4 ), hexamethylbenzene (C6 Me6 ), diphenylethane (PhC2 H4 Ph), and m-terphenyl (1,3-Ph2 C6 H4 ): [Ga(1,4-Me2 C6 H4 )2.5 ]+ (2+ ), [Ga(C6 Me6 )2 ]+ (3+ ), [Ga(PhC2 H4 Ph)]+ (4+ ) and [(C6 H5 F)Ga(μ-1,3-Ph2 C6 H4 )2 Ga(C6 H5 F)]2+ (52+ ). 4+ is the first structurally characterized ansa-like bent sandwich chelate of univalent gallium and 52+ the first binuclear gallium(I) complex without a GaGa bond. Beyond confirming the structural findings by multinuclear NMR spectroscopic investigations and density functional calculations (RI-BP86/SV(P) level), [Ga(PhC2 H4 Ph)]+ [Al(ORF )4 ]- (4) and [(C6 H5 F)Ga(μ-1,3-Ph2 C6 H4 )2 Ga(C6 H5 F)]2+ {[Al(ORF )4 ] - }2 (5), featuring ansa-arene ligands, were tested as catalysts for the synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylene (HR-PIB). In comparison to the recently published 1 and the [Ga(1,3,5-Me3 C6 H3 )2 ]+ [Al(ORF )4 ]- salt (6) (1,3,5-Me3 C6 H3 =mesitylene), 4 and 5 gave slightly reduced reactivities. This allowed for favorably increased polymerization temperatures of up to +15 °C, while yielding HR-PIB with high contents of terminal olefinic double bonds (α-contents=84-93 %), low molecular weights (Mn =1000-3000 g mol-1 ) and good monomer conversions (up to 83 % in two hours). While the chelate complexes delivered more favorable results than 1 and 6, the reaction kinetics resembled and thus concurred with the recently proposed coordinative polymerization mechanism.

Alkylaluminum dichloride–ether complexes which are fully soluble in hydrocarbons as catalysts for the synthesis of exo-olefin terminated polyisobutylene at room temperature

Highly reactive polyisobutylenes with a desirable low M_n were obtained with RAlCl₂ × OⁱPr₂ initiating systems with high monomer concentrations at room temperature.