Patent Description:
Poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) is widely used for manufacturing of products in electrotechnical and electronic, and automotive industry as well as for manufacturing of chemical equipment parts with high resistance to aggressive media. In addition, PPS as polymer has high resistance to elevated temperature and very good mechanical properties. However, a use of rather complex manufacturing procedures is needed to obtain such a material.

In known approaches used on an industrial scale, a process for manufacturing of poly(phenylene sulfide) is based on the polycondensation reaction of p-dichlorobenzene and sodium sulfide in a polar solvent as the medium. From the resulting post-reaction mixture, the obtained polymer is separated from side products and impurities in a subsequent step. For example, a polycondensation process is conducted at elevated temperature and pressure according to the approach from <CIT>. The polymer thus obtained has a linear structure, low molecular weight and insufficient thermomechanical parameters. The applicability of the thus obtained polymer without additional processes, which modify its properties, is very limited. The main reason is a low molecular weight (which is not higher than <NUM>,<NUM>/mol in standard processes) and low melt viscosity, therefore, the polymer cannot be processed using injection techniques.

A method for increasing the molecular weight of the polymer is known by adding various lithium compounds, such as halides (<CIT>), hydroxide (<CIT>, <CIT>) and also lithium salts of carboxylic acids (<CIT>). Unfortunately, lithium compounds are not cheap. Additional processes are required for their recovery.

In addition, copper compounds in the form of halides may be incorporated into the reaction system to increase the molecular weight of the polymer, as suggested by the authors of the methods according to <CIT> or <CIT>.

Patent <CIT>, in turn, describes a process carried out using agents that facilitate the progress of the polycondensation reaction, known as promoters. In this case, they are sodium salts of short C5-C6 fatty acids that show much better solubility in the reaction medium than inorganic salts. The weight average molecular weight of the obtained material exceeds <NUM>,<NUM>/mol, and its parameters enable use in fiber production. However, in target industrial methods, it is still necessary to separate and recover used auxiliary substances. This makes the manufacturing process much more complex and increases costs.

The authors of the application <CIT> suggest an approach that involves formation of a composition of pure poly(phenylene sulfide) and cyclic oligomers that serve as nucleating agents. The oligomers are obtained as a side product in the process of poly(phenylene sulfide) synthesis. The composition is obtained after separation and purification of pure poly(phenylene sulfide) and respective oligomers through separate manufacturing pathways and remixing the thus obtained materials, but no longer in the reaction system, which prolongs the whole procedure for manufacturing a polymer with expected parameters.

Even though the basis for the reaction that yields the product is relatively simple, the preparation of PPS is a multi-stage and complex process. There are many ways to carry out the process, and they result in products with varied properties. These processes not always lead to a polymer with desired properties, and they require expensive raw materials or auxiliary materials, or they are highly complex and difficult to perform.

It is a well-known fact, for example, that it is very difficult to obtain a polymer which has both high molecular weight and crystallinity resulting only from the polymer structure associated with higher length of chain segments that have to occupy adequate positions to form a more ordered structure (E. Ha<IMG>asa, Polimery, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>). Poly(phenylene sulfide) has an ability to form a crystalline phase, and mechanical properties of the polymer improve with a higher degree of crystallinity (and molecular weight). A high degree of crystallinity of poly(phenylene sulfide) is responsible for effects, such as small material deformation even with high mechanical loads. It is also known that the thermal stability of a polymer increases with a higher degree of crystallinity [<NPL>].

<CIT> discloses a process for producing an aromatic sulfide polymer by dehalogenation / sulfurization reaction of a dihaloaromatic compound with a metal sulphide, by using, in an aprotic solvent, an alkali metal hydrosulfide compound, an alkali metal hydroxide compound and a substantially anhydrous alkali metal sulfide.

<CIT> discloses a method for preparing polyphenylene sulfide by using synthetic mother liquid as a solvent, sodium sulfide pentahydrate and <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene as raw materials, and sodium hydroxide as auxiliary agent. The main component of the synthetic mother liquor is N-methylpyrrolidone. The liquor further contains a catalyst and a low molecular weight polyphenylene sulphide.

<CIT> discloses a method for producing a polyarylene sulfide by reacting a polyhaloaromatic compound and a sulfiding agent in an organic polar solvent to obtain a mixture containing at least a polyarylene sulfide resin and the organic polar solvent. Preferably, the polar organic solvent further contains a carboxyalkylamino group-containing compound.

The object of the invention was a method for the preparation of poly(phenylene sulfide) which has simultaneously high molecular weight (not lower than <NUM>,<NUM>/mol) and a degree of crystallinity of at least <NUM> %, at a good yield and without a need for using additional complex procedures in the synthetic process.

The method for the preparation of poly(phenylene sulfide), which involves a reaction between an alkaline metal hydrosulfide and <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene in a polar solvent, and which is carried out such that the alkaline metal hydrosulfide is successively prepared by dissolving and then mixing an alkaline metal hydroxide and the alkaline metal hydrosulfide in demineralized water, and then N-methylpyrrolidone, as a polar solvent, and additives that ensure an adequate reaction medium such as aqueous acetic acid solution are added, and then excess water is removed by distillation, is characterized in that a silicate suspension in a solution of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene with N-methylpyrrolidone is added to the thus obtained system, the mean silicate grain size is not higher than <NUM>, and then polycondensation is performed for <NUM> to <NUM> hours at a temperature ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>, and a post-reaction mixture is obtained, from which a polymer is then separated, which is in turn purified and dried. <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene is the principal organic raw material in the polymer synthesis. In addition, the silicate is a nucleating agent already during the polycondensation reaction. As a result, a polymer is obtained with a molecular weight not lower than <NUM>,<NUM>/mol and content of the crystalline phase of at least <NUM> %, with a yield at a level of at least <NUM> %.

Preferably, the silicate used in the suspension in the solution of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene with N-methylpyrrolidone has a mean grain size ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>.

Equally preferably or more preferably, the silicate used in the suspension in the solution of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene with N-methylpyrrolidone is talc. The use of talc, a silicate with low hardness, reduces the risk of damage or quick wear of equipment having movable elements, such as stirrers in the polycondensation reactor.

Preferably, besides the silicate suspension in the solution of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene with N-methylpyrrolidone, other bifunctional monomers are added to the system, such as <NUM>,<NUM>-trichlorobenzene, <NUM>,<NUM>-trichlorobenzene, or trifunctional monomers, such as <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>-trichlorobenzene or <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> trichlorobenzene. Use of them enables obtaining a polymer with branched structure, which has an effect of a greater molecular weight, and thus polymer viscosity in the melt phase increases.

Preferably, the polycondensation is carried out at a temperature of from <NUM> to <NUM>.

Equally preferably or even more preferably, the polycondensation is carried out for <NUM> to <NUM> hours.

Preferably, the polymer is separated from the post-reaction mixture by washing it with water at least twice, and thereafter the polymer is precipitated and separated from the aqueous solution by filtration. This way, inorganic substances are washed away from the polymer. The water used for washing may be reused.

More preferably, washing with water is carried out three times.

Approvingly, the polymer separated from the post-reaction mixture is purified such that it is distributed in a diluted organic acid solution, preferably acetic acid at a concentration of from <NUM> to <NUM> wt. %, then it is separated from the acid solution by filtration, and then the polymer is washed twice with hot water.

More preferably, the polymer separated from the acid solution and washed with hot water is further purified such that low-molecular weight impurities are extracted with acetone and filtered. The acetone may be reused after being filtered out.

Preferably, the polymer is dried at a temperature not exceeding <NUM>, in a vacuum dryer in reduced pressure conditions of below <NUM> mbar, to obtain a product in the powder form with moisture content not higher than <NUM> %.

<NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone, <NUM> of solid sodium hydrosulfide NaSH with the main ingredient content of <NUM> % dissolved in <NUM> of water, <NUM> of sodium hydroxide NaOH dissolved in <NUM> of water and sodium acetate solution prepared by dissolving <NUM> of sodium acetate hydrate in <NUM> of water are added to a pressure reactor manufactured from titanium with a volume of <NUM> dm<NUM> and fitted with an anchor stirrer, a temperature sensor, a condenser and a receiver.

After loading the reactor, a dehydration process is conducted at atmospheric pressure, with the stirrer on (<NUM> revolutions per minute) and with low-rate nitrogen purging, and the temperature is gradually increased to <NUM> and maintained for <NUM> hours. Water formed in the reaction and other volatile ingredients of the reaction mixture, including N-methylpyrrolidone, which is partially distilled with water, are collected in the receiver.

Then, the reactor contents are cooled to a temperature of <NUM>, and then a solution of <NUM> of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene and <NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone is added to the system. The reactor contents are purged with nitrogen, the system is hermetically sealed and heating is started with constant stirring: it is first heated to a temperature of <NUM>, and then heating continues to a temperature of <NUM> and it is maintained at that temperature for <NUM>; then, temperature is increased to <NUM> and the process is conducted at that temperature for <NUM>. After the reaction has been completed, the reactor is left to cool spontaneously, and the crude product is removed from the reactor. Then, the polymer is purified. The polymer is first washed three times with water in a total quantity of <NUM> of water per batch. To reduce water consumption, recycled water from filtrate from the previous batch is also used during first and second washing. Third washing is carried out with pure distilled water. The polymer is then washed with <NUM> of <NUM> % aqueous acetic acid solution, and then twice with hot distilled water in a quantity of <NUM> per batch, wherein recycled water from the second stage of this washing of a previous batch is used for the first washing. In the last stage of purification, the polymer is washed three times with acetone in a quantity of <NUM> of fresh acetone per batch. To reduce acetone consumption, recycled streams from a process performed earlier are also used for the purification.

The purified product is dried in a vacuum tray dryer at a temperature of <NUM>, until vacuum below <NUM> mbar is obtained (approx. During drying, the acetone condensate is collected, and then separated from water and impurities by distillation and recycled back to polymer purification in the next batch.

<NUM> (yield: <NUM> %) of the polymer as white powder is obtained, with a molecular weight of <NUM>,<NUM>/mol, polydispersity index Pd = <NUM>, degree of crystallinity of <NUM> %, chlorine content of <NUM> wt. % and moisture content below <NUM> wt.

<NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone, <NUM> of solid NaSH with the main ingredient content of <NUM> % dissolved in <NUM> of water, <NUM> of NaOH dissolved in <NUM> of water and sodium acetate solution prepared by dissolving <NUM> of sodium acetate hydrate in <NUM> of water are added to a pressure reactor manufactured from titanium with a volume of <NUM> dm<NUM> and fitted with an anchor stirrer, a temperature sensor, a condenser and a receiver.

After loading the reactor, the dehydration process is conducted at atmospheric pressure with the stirrer on (<NUM> revolutions per minute) and with low-rate nitrogen purging, and then the temperature is gradually increased to <NUM>, and then maintained for <NUM> hours. Water formed and other volatile ingredients of the reaction mixture, including N-methylpyrrolidone, are collected in the receiver.

Then, the reactor contents are cooled to a temperature of <NUM> and a suspension of <NUM> of talc with an average grain size of <NUM> is added in a solution of <NUM> of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene and <NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone. The reactor contents are purged with nitrogen, the system is hermetically sealed and heating is started. While stirring, the contents are heated to a temperature of <NUM>, then heating continues to a temperature of <NUM> and it is maintained at that temperature for <NUM>; and then, temperature is increased to <NUM> and the process is conducted at that temperature for <NUM>. After the reaction has been completed, the reactor is left to cool spontaneously, and the crude product is removed from the reactor. Then, the polymer is purified. The polymer is first washed three times with water in a total quantity of <NUM> of water per batch. To reduce water consumption, recycled water from filtrate from the previous batch is also used during first and second washing. Third washing is carried out with pure distilled water. The polymer is then washed with <NUM> of <NUM> % aqueous acetic acid solution, and then twice with hot distilled water in a quantity of <NUM> per batch, wherein recycled water from the second stage of this washing of a previous batch is used for the first washing. In the last stage of purification, the polymer is washed with acetone in a quantity of <NUM> of fresh acetone per batch. To reduce acetone consumption, recycled streams from such a purification process performed earlier are also used for the purification. The dried product is dried in a tray vacuum dryer at a temperature of <NUM>, until vacuum below <NUM> mbar is obtained (approx. During drying, the acetone condensate is collected, and then separated from water and impurities by distillation and recycled back to polymer purification in the next batch.

<NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone, <NUM> of g solid NaSH with the main ingredient content of <NUM> % dissolved in <NUM> of water, <NUM> of NaOH dissolved in <NUM> of water and sodium acetate solution prepared by dissolving <NUM> of sodium acetate hydrate in <NUM> of water are added to a pressure reactor manufactured from titanium with a volume of <NUM> dm<NUM> and fitted with an anchor stirrer, a temperature sensor, a condenser and a receiver.

After loading the reactor, dehydration is conducted at atmospheric pressure with the stirrer on (<NUM> revolutions per minute) and with low-rate nitrogen purging. Temperature is gradually increased to <NUM> and maintained for <NUM> hours. Water formed in the reaction and other volatile ingredients of the reaction mixture, including N-methylpyrrolidone, are collected in the receiver.

Then, the reactor contents are cooled to a temperature of <NUM> and suspension of <NUM> of talc with an average grain size of <NUM> is added in a solution of <NUM> of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene and <NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone. The reactor contents are purged with nitrogen, the system is hermetically sealed and heating is started. The reactor contents are continuously stirred and first heated to a temperature of <NUM> and heating continues to a temperature of <NUM> and it is maintained at that temperature for <NUM>, and then temperature is increased to <NUM> and the process is conducted at that temperature for <NUM>. Then, with intensive stirring, a solution of <NUM> of <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>-trichlorobenzene in <NUM> of N-methylpyrrolidone is added to the reactor from a dispenser located above the reactor using compressed nitrogen, and the whole contents are stirred for another hour.

After the reaction has been completed, the reactor is left to cool spontaneously, and the crude product is removed from the reactor, additionally grinded and purified as described in Example <NUM>.

Then, the purified product is dried in a tray vacuum dryer at a temperature of <NUM>, until vacuum below <NUM> mbar is obtained (approx.

Claim 1:
A method for the preparation of poly(phenylene sulfide), which involves a reaction between an alkaline metal hydrosulfide and <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene in a polar solvent, and which is performed such that the alkaline metal hydrosulfide is successively obtained by dissolving and then mixing an alkaline metal hydroxide and the alkaline metal hydrosulfide in demineralized water, then N-methylpyrrolidone and additives that ensure an adequate reaction medium, such as aqueous acetic acid salt solution, are then added, and then excess water is removed by distillation, characterized in that a silicate suspension in a solution of <NUM>,<NUM>-dichlorobenzene with N-methylpyrrolidone is added to the thus obtained system, the mean silicate grain size is not higher than <NUM>, and then polycondensation is performed for <NUM> to <NUM> hours at a temperature ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>, and a post-reaction mixture is obtained, from which a polymer is then separated, which is in turn purified and dried.