Process for preparing polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin.

Abstract: A polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin contains an antimony compound as a polycondensation catalyst, and has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g, a terminal carboxyl group content of 32 eq/ton or less, an acetaldehyde content of 8 ppm or less and a diethylene glycol component content of 0.8 to 3.0 wt%. A preform and a bottle made of the resin are also described.

Description: Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for preparing a polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin and to a preform for a bottle and a bottle, which are molded thereof. More specifically, it relates to a process for preparing a polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin which is excellent in hue, transparency, thermal stability and moldability, to a preform for a bottle and to a bottle molded thereof that is excellent in hue, transparency and thermal stability. Plastic bottles are mainly used as bottles for beverages such as juice, water, beer or the like. Materials for these plastic bottles need to be excellent in hue, transparency, gas barrier properties and flavor retention properties in view of increasing commercial product value when a bottle and its contents are seen as a unitary commodity. For the purpose of saving resources and the like, recycling of plastic bottles, that is, the re-use of bottles has been recently studied. A recycle system for the bottles comprises the step of cleaning a bottle with an alkali at a high temperature. Therefore, the bottle must have a resistance to hydrolysis to stand this step. Polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate (may be abbreviated as PEN hereinafter) can be basically produced using the same catalyst as that for polyethylene terephthalate (may be abbreviated as PET hereinafter), but from a viewpoint of hue, germanium dioxide is used as a polymerization catalyst for PEN, in particular. According to studies conducted by the inventors of the present invention, whitening occurs more readily at the time of blow molding PEN than PET, and a bottle having satisfactory transparency cannot be obtained from PEN with the prior art. The present inventors have further studied the cause of whitening a bottle and have found that whitening of a bottle is caused by deposited particles derived from a catalyst contained in a polymer. That is, the deposited particles derived from a catalyst induce crystallization and increase internal haze. Particularly, in the case of PEN, stress at the time of molding (stretching) a bottle is larger compared with PET and hence, the influence of crystallization largely results. Therefore, to suppress the whitening of a bottle, the amount of a deposit derived from a catalyst or the like must be reduced. There is proposed a method for reducing the deposit in which a specific catalyst is used in a specific amount and a specific ratio. It is for sure that the transparency of PEN is improved by this method. However, even with this method, PEN having satisfactory hue and thermal stability could not be obtained. It has been found that the reason for this is that the decomposition rate of a polymer becomes high when the polymer is melt molded because the catalyst is not deactivated completely due to a small amount of a phosphorus compound added used to deactivate the ester exchange catalyst so as to suppress the production of a deposit in the prior art. It has been also revealed that when the melt viscosity of the polymer is not appropriate at the time of melt molding PEN, such problems arise that the resulting bottle cannot have a smooth surface and uniform thickness or has an extremely deteriorated haze value, thereby causing the generation of a haze or a large amount of acetaldehyde is regenerated. When the amount of acetaldehyde contained in the raw material polymer is large in addition to the amount of regenerated acetaldehyde at the time of molding, the amount of acetaldehyde contained in a preform and a bottle is large, whereby an offensive odor derived from acetaldehyde is generated from the contents of the bottle. Since PEN has low impact strength, a PEN bottle is easily cracked or delaminated when dropped. JP-A 6-340734 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") discloses a method for producing polyester naphthalate that can provide a film having excellent surface flatness and that shows a good electrostatic adhesion. In this method, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and antimony compounds are added to a reaction system in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions (11) to (14) when a lower alkylester of naphthalene dicarboxylic acid is reacted with ethylene glycol to produce polyethylene naphthalate: 2.6 ≦ Ca + Mg ≦ 3.7 1.3 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 2.3 ≦ (Ca + Mg)/P ≦ 7.0 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 2.0 wherein Mg, Ca, Sb and P indicate the number of mols of element magnesium, element calcium, element antimony and element phosphorus, based on 10 6 g of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid component constituting the aromatic polyester, respectively. JP-A 7-82464 discloses a polyethylene naphthalate composition for sensitized material for photograph, which contains element magnesium, element calcium, element phosphorus and element antimony, each of which is derived from a magnesium compound, a calcium compound, a phosphorus compound and an antimony compound respectively, in polyethylene naphthalate in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions (21) to (24): 2.6 ≦ Mg + Ca ≦ 4.0 10 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 0.5 ≦ (Mg + Ca)/P ≦ 1.5 0.5 ≦ Sb ≦ 2.0 wherein Mg, Ca, P and Sb are the same as defined in the above expressions (11) to (14). JP-A 7-258395 discloses a polyethylene naphthalene dicarboxylate composition that contains magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and antimony compounds (in this case, only antimony acetate is acceptable as an antimony compound) in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions (31) to (34): 2.6 ≦ (Mg + Ca) ≦ 4.1 1.3 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 1.0 ≦ P/(Mg + Ca) ≦ 1.5 1.0 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein Mg, Ca, P and Sb are the same as defined in the above expressions (11) to (14), and that further contains an ammonium compound represented by the following formula (35) in an amount of 0.04 to 0.4 mol based on 10 6 g of an acid component constituting the polyester: (R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 N + )A - wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group or a derivative group thereof or R 3 and R 4 may form a ring, and A - is a residual anion group. JP-A 8-104744 discloses a method in which magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and antimony compounds are added in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions (41) to (44) when a lower alkylester of naphthalene dicarboxylic acid is reacted with ethylene glycol to produce polyethylene naphthalate: 1.0 ≦ Ca + Mg < 2.6 3.0 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 2.3 ≦ (Ca + Mg) /P ≦ 7.0 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 2.0 wherein Ca, Mg, P and Sb are the same as defined in the above expressions (11) to (14). JP-A 7-258394 discloses a polyester, which comprises naphthalene dicarboxylic acid as a main acid component and ethylene glycol as a main glycol component and contains manganese, phosphorus and antimony compounds in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions (51), (52) and (53): 0.7 ≦ Mn ≦ 1.7 0.5 ≦ Mn/P ≦ 1.2 1.0 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein P and Sb are the same as defined in the above expressions (11) to (14) and Mn indicates the number of mols of element manganese in a manganese compound, based on 1 ton of an acid component constituting the polymer. The polyester has the transmittance (T 400 ) at a wavelength of 400 nm of 95 %/cm when it is dissolved in a mixed solvent of hexafluoroisopropanol and chloroform (proportion: 2:3) at the concentration of 10 mg/ml, and the difference between transmittance (T 400 ) and the transmittance (T 420 ) at a wavelength of 420 nm is 3 %/cm or less. The polyester is used for molding a bottle. However, the polyesters disclosed by each of the above prior arts are not yet necessarily satisfactory as a raw material for a bottle. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate for molding a bottle which is of high grade and excellent in hue, transparency, thermal stability and moldability. A preform for a bottle and a bottle are formed from the above polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention, bottle which can be recycled as it is and retains hue and transparency even after dozens of recycle uses. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. According to the present invention, there is provided a process for producing a polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin for molding a bottle which comprises 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as a main acid component and ethylene glycol as a main glycol component and contains an antimony compound as a polycondensation catalyst, has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g, a terminal carboxyl group content of 32 eq/ton or less, an acetaldehyde content of 8 ppm or less and a diethylene glycol component content of 0.8 to 3.0 wt%, as described in claim 1. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention is a polyester comprising 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as a main acid component and ethylene glycol as a main glycol component. The 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as a main acid component is preferably contained in an amount of 70 mol% or more, preferably 80 mol% or more, particularly preferably 85 mol% or more, based on the total of all dicarboxylic acid components. A subsidiary acid component other than the 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid can be preferably contained in an amount of less than 30 mol%, more preferably less than 20 mol%, particularly preferably less than 15 mol%, of the total of all dicarboxylic acid components. Specific examples of the subsidiary acid component other than 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid include 2,7-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 1,5-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 1,7-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and other isomers of naphthalenedicarboxylic acid; aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, diphenyldicarboxylic acid, diphenoxyethanedicarboxylic acid, diphenyletherdicarboxylic acid and diphenylsulfonedicarboxylic acid; alicyclic dicarboxylic acids such as hexahydroterephthalic acid and hexahydroisophthalic acid; aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, sebacic acid and azelaic acid; and the like. These dicarboxylic acid components may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Ethylene glycol as a main glycol component is preferably contained in an amount of 70 mol% or more, more preferably 80 mol% or more, particularly preferably 85 mol% or more, based on the total of all glycol components. A subsidiary glycol component other than ethylene glycol can be preferably contained in an amount of less than 30 mol%, more preferably less than 20 mol%, particularly preferably less than 15 mol%, of the total of all glycol components. Specific examples of the subsidiary glycol component other than ethylene glycol include trimethylene glycol, tetramethylene glycol, hexamethylene glycol, decamethylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, diethylene glycol, 1,1-cyclohexane dimethanol, 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol; 2,2-bis(4'-β-hydroxyphenyl)propane; bis(4'-β-hydroxyethoxyphenyl)sulfone, and the like. These glycol components may be used alone or in combination of two or more. An oxyacid such as p-β-hydroxyethoxybenzoic acid or ε-oxycaproic acid may be used in place of all or part of the above subsidiary dicarboxylic acids. As a copolymerizable component constituting a copolymer in the present invention, a polyfunctional compound can be further used in such an amount that the copolymer is substantially linear, for example, 2 mol% or less based on the total of the whole acid component. Specific examples of the polyfunctional compound include polycarboxylic acids and polyhydroxy compounds having 3 or more functional groups, such as trimellitic acid and pentaerythritol. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention includes not only a homopolymer but also a copolymer, as described above. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g. When the intrinsic viscosity is smaller than 0.55 dl/g, the polymer is liable to be crystallized and whitened in molding it into a preform or a bottle. In addition, due to its too low melt viscosity, its blow moldability is poor, thereby causing the decentering and nonuniform thickness of a bottle. On the other hand, when the intrinsic viscosity is large than 0.75 dl/g, a molding failure occurs at the time when it is molded into a preform at a normal molding temperature, or the amount of acetaldehyde produced by heat generated by shearing increases, thereby causing a great reduction of intrinsic viscosity. The intrinsic viscosity is preferably 0.58 to 0.73 dl/g. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention must contain terminal carboxyl groups in the polymer in an amount of 32 eq/ton or less. When the amount is more than 32 eq/ton, hydrolysis is accelerated during washing with an alkali, thereby reducing the strength of the resulting bottle or degrading the outer appearance including decrease in transparency. The amount of terminal carboxyl groups is preferably 30 eq/ton or less, more preferably 2 to 30 eq/ton. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention must have an acetaldehyde content in the polymer of 8 ppm or less. When the content is more than 8 ppm, the total amount of acetaldehyde generated by melt molding and acetaldehyde present before molding becomes excessive in the resulting preform or bottle, thereby giving an offensive odor to its contents. The content of acetaldehyde is preferably 6 ppm or less, more preferably 0 to 5 ppm. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention must have a diethylene glycol content in the polymer of 0.8 to 3.0 wt%. If the content is less than 0.8 wt%, the transparency is deteriorated and the strength of the resulting bottle is reduced by the acceleration of crystallization. When the content is more than 3.0 wt%, thermal stability is lowered by thermal decomposition. The content of a diethylene glycol component is preferably 1.0 to 2.8 wt%, more preferably 1.2 to 2.5 wt%. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention preferably has a b value in the range of +0.6 to -6.0, more preferably 0 to -5.0. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention can be produced by a customary method of melt polycondensation using (i) a cobalt compound, a magnesium compound and a calcium compound as ester exchange catalysts or (ii) a cobalt compound and a manganese compound as ester exchange catalysts and an antimony compound as a polycondensation catalyst. A phosphorus compound is preferably used as a stabilizer. Therefore, the polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention further contains, as the first option, a cobalt compound, a magnesium compound, a calcium compound and a phosphorus compound in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions: 0.08 ≦ Co ≦ 1.2 2.0 ≦ Mg + Ca ≦ 6.0 1.3 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 1.0 ≦ P/(Co + Mg + Ca) ≦ 1.5 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.3 wherein Co, Mg, Ca, P and Sb indicate the number of mols of cobalt atoms in the cobalt compound, the number of mols of magnesium atoms in the magnesium compound, the number of mols of calcium atoms in the calcium compound, the number of mols of phosphorus atoms in the phosphorus compound and the number of mols of antimony atoms in the antimony compound, based on 1 ton of acid components constituting the polymer, respectively, or, as the second option, a cobalt compound, a manganese compound and a phosphorus compound in such amounts that satisfy the following expressions: 0.04 ≦ Co ≦ 2.4 0.6 ≦ Mn ≦ 2.1 0.7 ≦ P/(Co + Mn) ≦ 1.5 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.3 wherein Co, P, and Sb are the same as defined above, and Mn indicates the number of mols of manganese atoms in the manganese compound, based on 1 ton of acid components constituting the polymer, respectively. Hereinafter will be described the preferable embodiment of the above first option. The cobalt compound functions as an ester exchange reaction catalyst and besides, suppresses yellowing which causes the degradation of the hue of the polymer. When the amount of the cobalt compound added is less than 0.08 mol, the effect on improvement of hue can be hardly expected, and when the amount is more than 1.2 mols, the hue of the polymer degrades, that it, the polymer becomes gray. The content of the cobalt compound preferably satisfies the following expression: 0.12 ≦ Co ≦ 1.2 wherein Co is the same as defined in the above expression (1). When the total amount of the calcium compound and the magnesium compound is more than 6.0 mols, the resulting preform or bottle is whitened by deposited particles derived from the residual catalysts during molding, whereby the transparency of the bottle is impaired. On the other hand, when the total amount is less than 2.0 mols, disadvantageously, an ester exchange reaction becomes incomplete and the subsequent polymerization reaction becomes slow. The molar ratio of the magnesium compound to the calcium compound is in a range of 1.3 to 6.0. If the molar ratio is more than 6.0 or less than 1.3, the deposition of particles derived from the residual catalysts occurs, the resulting preform or bottle is whitened when it is molded, and the transparency of the bottle is impaired. Further, to deactivate the ester exchange catalyst, it is preferable that the amount of the phosphorus compound to be added as a stabilizer is in a molar ratio of 1.0 to 1.5, based on the total of the cobalt compound, calcium compound and magnesium compound. When the molar ratio is less than 1.0, the ester exchange catalyst is not deactivated completely and the thermal stability of the polymer is poor, whereby the polymer is colored or its physical properties in the molding deteriorate. On the other hand, when the molar ratio is more than 1.5, the thermal stability of the polymer also lowers. The cobalt compound, calcium compound and magnesium compound used in the present invention can be used, for example, as oxides, chlorides, carbonates or carboxylates. Out of these, acetates, i.e., cobalt acetate, calcium acetate and magnesium acetate are preferred. Specific examples of the phosphorus compound include organic phosphoric acids and inorganic phosphoric acids. Organic phosphoric acids are phosphoric acid esters such as trimethyl phosphate, triethylene phosphate or tri-n-butyl phosphate. Inorganic phosphoric acids are hypophosphorous acid, phosphorous acid or orthophosphoric acid. Of these, trimethyl phosphate, orthophosphoric acid, phosphorous acid are preferred, and trimethyl phosphate is particularly preferred. Preferred as a polymerization catalyst is an antimony compound, particularly antimony trioxide, in view of the hue. When the amount of the antimony compound added is too small, polymerization reactivity lowers with the result of low productivity. On the other hand, when the amount is too large, thermal stability is impaired with the result that physical properties and hue are liable to deteriorate at the time of molding. The content of the antimony compound preferably satisfies the following expression: 0.8 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein Sb is the same as defined in the above expression (5). As for the time for adding the above catalysts, all of the cobalt compound, calcium compound and magnesium compound are preferably added from the start of the ester exchange reaction up to the end of the initial stage thereof. Meanwhile, the phosphorus compound can be added after the ester exchange reaction is substantially completed and before the intrinsic viscosity reaches 0.3. The antimony compound is preferably added 10 minutes or more before the phosphorus compound is added and before the intrinsic viscosity reaches 0.2. Hereinafter will be described the preferable embodiment of the above second option. The cobalt compound not only functions as an ester exchange reaction catalyst but also suppresses yellowing which causes the degradation of the hue of the polymer. When the amount of the cobalt compound added is less than 0.04 mol/10 6 g, the effect on improvement of hue can be hardly expected, while when the amount is more than 2.4 mols /10 6 g, the hue of the polymer degrades, that it, the polymer becomes gray and transparency is deteriorated by deposition. The content of the cobalt compound preferably satisfies the following expression: 0.04 ≦ Co ≦ 1.3 wherein Co is the same as defined in the above expression (6). When the content of the manganese compound is more than 2.1 mols/10 6 g, the resulting preform or bottle is whitened by deposited particles derived from the residual catalysts during molding, whereby the transparency of the bottle is impaired. On the other hand, when the content is less than 0.6 mols/10 6 g, disadvantageously, an ester exchange reaction becomes insufficient and the subsequent polymerization reaction becomes slow. Further, to deactivate the ester exchange catalyst, it is required that the amount of the phosphorus compound to be added as a stabilizer be 0.7 to 1.5 (in a molar ratio), based on the total of the cobalt compound and the manganese compound. When the molar ratio is less than 0.7, the ester exchange catalyst is not deactivated completely and the thermal stability of the polymer is poor, whereby the polymer is colored or its physical properties in the molding deteriorate. On the other hand, when the molar ratio is more than 1.5, the thermal stability of the polymer is also impaired disadvantageously. As a cobalt compound and a phosphorous compound, the same compounds as given in the aforementioned first preferable embodiment are also preferably used. The manganese compound used in the present invention can be used as oxides, chlorides, carbonates or carboxylates. Particularly preferred is acetates, that is, manganese acetate. Preferred as a polymerization catalyst is an antimony compound, particularly antimony trioxide, in view of the hue. When the amount of the antimony compound added is too small, polymerization reactivity lowers with the result of low productivity. On the other hand, when the amount is too large, thermal stability is impaired with the result that physical properties and hue are liable to deteriorate at the time of molding. The content of the antimony compound preferably satisfies the following expression: 0.8 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein Sb is the same as defined in the above expression (5). As for the time for adding the above catalysts, all of the cobalt compound and the manganese compound are preferably added from the start of the ester exchange reaction up to the end of the initial stage thereof. Meanwhile, the phosphorus compound can be added after the ester exchange reaction is substantially completed and before the intrinsic viscosity reaches 0.3. The antimony compound may be added together with the aforementioned ester exchange reaction catalyst. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g as described above. The intrinsic viscosity is preferably increased to a desired value by a solid-state polymerization in accordance with a commonly used method after melt polymerization. In this case, the intrinsic viscosity [η] of a prepolymer obtained by the melt polymerization preferably satisfies the following expression. 0.40 ≦ [η] ≦ 0.60 When the intrinsic viscosity is smaller than 0.40 dl/g, the prepolymer is liable to crack when it is fabricated into chips, while when the intrinsic viscosity is larger than 0.60 dl/g, polymerization takes a long time with the result of degradation in hue. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention obtained by the solid-state polymerization of the prepolymer as described above preferably has an acetaldehyde content of 5 ppm or less and a b value of +0.6 to -6.0. The polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention can be molded into a bottle by any known molding methods such as injection blow molding, biaxial orientation stretch-blow molding, extrusion blow molding and the like. As a typical example of the biaxial orientation stretch-blow molding, a polymer is first formed into a hollow cylindrical and bottomed preform having an appropriate shape (amorphous molded product) (having a length of 15 cm, an inner diameter of 2 cm and an outer diameter of 2.5 cm, for example). This preform is preheated at a temperature higher than the glass transition point (Tg) of the polymer and the surface area of a body portion of the container is stretched to about 1.5 to 16 times by blowing. In this case, the heat treatment of the container can be carried out appropriately according to circumstances. The amount of acetaldehyde contained in the obtained preform or bottle is preferably 40 ppm or less . When the amount is more than 40 ppm, disadvantageously, the flavor of the contents of the bottle is worsened by an odor ascribed to acetaldehyde eluted into the contents of the bottle. The transparency of the obtained bottle is preferably 5 % or less in terms of the bottle haze. When the haze is more than 5 %, the transparency of the bottle is poor, which is not preferred in view of its outer appearance. As described above, it is understood that a preform for a bottle and a bottle, which are molded of the polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate prepared by the process of the present invention, is excellent in transparency and outer appearance and can be used for various applications. For example, it can be used as a container for seasonings, oil, liquors, cosmetics, detergents, refreshing beverages, carbonated beverages, juice, water and beer. It is particularly useful as a bottle to be recycled. The following examples are given to further illustrate the present invention. "Parts" in the examples means "parts by weight". Physical properties were measured in accordance with the following methods. (1) Intrinsic viscosity [η] (IV): This was calculated from a measurement value at 35°C using a mixed solvent of tetrachloroethane and phenol (4:6). (2) Col-L, a, b (hue): The polymer was heated at 160°C for 90 minutes in a dryer to be crystallized and then measured by a color machine (model CM-7 500 manufactured by Color Machine Co., Ltd.). (3) Haze: The polymer was dried at 160°C for 5 hours and molded into a preform having a weight of 63 g at a molding temperature of 305°C at a molding cycle of 40 seconds using an injection molding machine (100DM manufactured by Meiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) The preform was formed into a bottle having an inner volume of 1.0 liter and a body thickness of 400 pm by a blow molding. The haze of the body portion of this bottle was measured by a turbidimeter of Nippon Denshoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. In Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, however, a preform having a weight of 55 g was molded at a molding temperature of 300°C, and the preform was formed into a bottle having an inner volume of 1.5 liter and a body thickness of 300 µm by a blow molding and the obtained bottle was measured for its haze. (4) Amount of acetaldehyde: The sample was frozen, ground and measured by the HS-GC (head space gas chromatography) of Hitachi Ltd. As for the amount of acetaldehyde of the bottle, a mouth portion of the bottle prepared in (3) was measured as the sample. (5) Number of terminal carboxyl groups The sample was dissolved in benzyl alcohol and titrated using caustic soda and phenol red as an indicator. (6) Impact resistance test The sample bottle prepared in (3) was used. The bottle was filled with 4 vol. of carbonated water and dropped onto a concrete floor from a height of 1 m. The number of broken bottles out of 10 is counted. (7) Alkali resistance test The sample bottle prepared in (3) was used. After treated with a 3 % NaOH aqueous solution at 85°C for 6 hours, the sample bottle was measured for a change in the weight, and an impact resistance test described in the above (6) was carried out. Example 1 100 Parts of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate and 51 parts of ethylene glycol (abbreviated as EG) were subjected to an ester exchange reaction in accordance with a commonly used method, using 0.005 part (0.2 mol/ton) of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, 0.014 part (0.8 mol/ton) of calcium acetate monohydrate and 0.044 part (2.1 mol/ton) of magnesium acetate tetrahydrate as ester exchange catalysts. 2.3 Parts (0.8 mol/ton) of a 1 % EG solution of antimony trioxide was added, and then 0.047 part (3.4 mol/ton) of trimethyl phosphate was added to complete the ester exchange reaction. Thereafter, a polycondensation reaction was carried out under the conditions of a high temperature and at a high vacuum pressure in accordance with a commonly used method, and the reaction product was formed into strand-like chips. The intrinsic viscosity of the obtained prepolymer was 0.50 dl/g and the polymerization time was 70 minutes. The obtained polymer was further polymerized in a solid state in accordance with a commonly used method. The obtained polymer had an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 dl/g. The haze after a bottle was molded was 2.0 %. Examples 2 to 4 Polymers were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amounts and ratio of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, magnesium acetate tetrahydrate, calcium acetate monohydrate, trimethyl phosphate and antimony trioxide were changed as shown in Table 1. The qualities and evaluation results of the obtained polymers are also shown in Table 1. In the Table, AA indicates the content of acetaldehyde, COOH the number of terminal carboxyl groups and DEG the content of diethylene glycol. These abbreviations will signify the same in the following Tables. Example 5 100 Parts of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate and 51 parts of ethylene glycol (abbreviated as EG) were subjected to an ester exchange reaction in accordance with a commonly used method using 0.005 part (0.2 mol/ton) of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and 0.029 part (1.2 mol/ton) of manganese acetate tetrahydrate as ester exchange catalysts. 0.032 Part (1.1 mol/ton) of a 1 % EG solution of antimony trioxide was added, and then 0.025 part (1.8 mol/ton) of trimethyl phosphate was added to complete the ester exchange reaction. Thereafter, a polycondensation reaction was carried out under the conditions of a high temperature and at a high vacuum pressure in accordance with a commonly used method, and the reaction product was formed into strand-like chips. The intrinsic viscosity of the obtained prepolymer was 0.50 dl/g and the polymerization time was 70 minutes. This prepolymer was further polymerized in a solid state in accordance with a commonly used method. The obtained polymer had an intrinsic viscosity of 0.71 dl/g. Further, the obtained polymer was injection molded into a preform at a cylinder temperature of 300°C, and the obtained preform was formed into a bottle having a volume of 1.5 liter. The bottle haze thereof was 1.7 %. Example 6 Polymer was obtained in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the amounts and ratio of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, manganese acetate tetrahydrate, trimethyl phosphate and antimony trioxide were changed as shown in Table 2. The qualities and evaluation results of the obtained polymer are also shown in Table 2. Example 7 100 Parts of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate and 51 parts of ethylene glycol (abbreviated as EG) were subjected to an ester exchange reaction in accordance with a commonly used method using 0.01 part (0.4 mol/ton) of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, 0.014 part (0.8 mol/ton) of calcium acetate monohydrate and 0.043 part (2.0 mol/ton) of magnesium acetate tetrahydrate as ester exchange catalysts. 2.3 Parts (0.8 mol/ton) of a 1 % EG solution of antimony trioxide was added, and then 0.056 part (4.0 mol/ton) of trimethyl phosphate was added to complete the ester exchange reaction. Thereafter, a polycondensation reaction was carried out under the conditions of a high temperature and at a high vacuum pressure in accordance with a commonly used method, and the reaction product was formed into strand-like chips. The intrinsic viscosity of the obtained prepolymer was 0.5 dl/g and the polymerization time was 70 minutes. This prepolymer was further polymerized in a solid state in accordance with a commonly used method. The obtained polymer had an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 dl/g, an acetaldehyde content of 4 ppm, a terminal carboxyl group content of 23 eq/ton, and a diethylene glycol component content of 1.4 wt%. Example 8 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 Polymers were obtained in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the amounts and ratio of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, magnesium acetate tetrahydrate, calcium acetate monohydrate, trimethyl phosphate and antimony trioxide were changed as shown in Table 3. The qualities and evaluation results of the obtained polymers are also shown in Tables 3 and 4. Example 9 100 Parts of dimethyl 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate and 51 parts of ethylene glycol (abbreviated as EG) were subjected to an ester exchange reaction in accordance with a commonly used method using 0.01 part (0.4 mol/ton) of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and 0.029 part (1.2 mol/ton) of manganese acetate tetrahydrate as ester exchange catalysts. 2.3 Parts (0.8 mol/ton) of a 1 % EG solution of antimony trioxide was added, and then 0.039 part (1.6 mol/ton) of trimethyl phosphate was added to complete the ester exchange reaction. Thereafter, a polycondensation reaction was carried out under the conditions of a high temperature and at a high vacuum pressure in accordance with a commonly used method, and the reaction product was formed into strand-like chips. The intrinsic viscosity of the obtained prepolymer was 0.50 dl/g and the polymerization time was 70 minutes. This prepolymer was further polymerized in a solid state in accordance with a commonly used method. The obtained polymer had an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 dl/g, an acetaldehyde content of 4 ppm, a terminal carboxyl group content of 22 eq/ton, and a diethylene glycol component content of 1.4 wt%. Example 10 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4 Polymers were obtained in the same manner as in Example 9 except that the amounts and ratio of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, manganese acetate tetrahydrate, trimethyl phosphate and antimony trioxide were changed as shown in Table 3. The qualities and evaluation results of the obtained polymers are also shown in Tables 3 and 4.

Claims: A process for producing a polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin suitable for molding a bottle comprising 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as a main acid component and ethylene glycol as a main component, said process comprising the steps of : (a) an ester exchange reaction catalysed by a cobalt compound, a magnesium compound, a calcium compound and a phosphorus compound; (b) melt polycondensation of the ester exchange reaction product to prepare a prepolymer, said melt polycondensation reaction being catalysed by an antimony compound; and (c) solid state polymerisation of the prepolymer: wherein said resin has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g and a terminal carboxyl group content of 32 eq/ton or less, and comprises a cobalt compound, a magnesium compound, a calcium compound, a phosphorus compound and an antimony compound in amounts that satisfy the following expressions: 0.08 ≦ Co ≦ 1.2 2.0 ≦ Mg + Ca ≦ 6.0 1.3 ≦ Mg/Ca ≦ 6.0 1.0 ≦ P/(Co + Mg + Ca) ≦ 1.5 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.3 wherein Co, Mg, Ca, P and Sb indicate the number of moles of cobalt atoms in the cobalt compound, the number of moles of magnesium atoms in the magnesium compound, the number of moles of calcium atoms in the calcium compound, the number of moles of phosphorus atoms in the phosphorus compound and the number of moles of antimony atoms in the antimony compound, based on 1 ton of acid components constituting the polymer, respectively. The process of claim 1, wherein said polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.58 to 0.73 dl/g. The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of cobalt compound satisfies the following expression: 0.12 ≦ Co ≦ 1.2 wherein Co is as defined in the above expression (1). The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of antimony compound satisfies the following expression: 0.8 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein Sb is as defined in the above expression (5). A process for producing a polyethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate resin suitable for molding a bottle comprising 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as a main acid component and ethylene glycol as a main component, said process comprises the steps of : (a) an ester exchange reaction catalysed by a cobalt compound, a manganese compound and a phosphorus compound; (b) melt polycondensation of the ester exchange reaction product to prepare a prepolymer, said melt polycondensation reaction being catalysed by an antimony compound; and (c) solid state polymerisation of the prepolymer; wherein said resin has an intrinsic viscosity of 0.55 to 0.75 dl/g and a terminal carboxyl group content of 32 eq/ton or less, and comprises a cobalt compound, a manganese compound, a phosphorus compound and an antimony compound in amounts that satisfy the following expressions: 0.04 ≦ Co ≦ 2.4 0.6 ≦ Mn ≦ 2.1 0.7 ≦ P/(Co + Mn) ≦ 1.5 0.4 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.3 wherein Co, P and Sb are the same as defined in Claim 1, and Mn indicates the number of moles of manganese atoms in the manganese compound, based on 1 ton of acid components constituting the polymer. The process of claim 5, wherein the amount of cobalt compound satisfies the following expression: 0.04 ≦ Co ≦ 1.3 wherein Co is as defined in the above expression (6). The process of claim 5, wherein the amount of antimony compound satisfies the following expression: 0.8 ≦ Sb ≦ 3.0 wherein Sb is as defined in the above expression (5).

Inventors: SATO KIMIHIKO, SUZUKI MINORU, SATO, KIMIHIKO, SUZUKI, MINORU
Applicants: TEIJIN LTD, TEIJIN LIMITED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: C08G63
IPC codes: C08G63