Patent ID: 7732211

Claim:
Method for screening of polycondensation catalysts, wherein at least two polycondensation catalysis reactions are performed simultaneously under substantially equivalent conditions in at least two reaction cells, using a sample comprising material to be polycondensated and a catalyst to be screened, and wherein the performances of the catalysts are analyzed, wherein the samples are made by adding the catalyst to be screened to the material to be polycondensated; the polycondensation reactions are performed in the at least two reaction cells which are present in one and the same reaction room in the form of a flat-bottomed kettle with a gasket-sealed top which is connected to a vacuum pump, wherein the one reaction room is equipped with a heat transfer medium as heating means; the reaction room is heated such that the reaction cells in the reaction room have, at least temporarily, a substantially equivalent temperature of a value >150° C.; the reaction room is depressurized such that in the reaction room, at least temporarily, a reduced pressure <100 mbar is maintained; and in each separate reaction cell a pre-selected amount of sample is used in the form of a film on a surface of the reaction cell such that a ratio of sample weight to reaction cell surface area covered with said film of less than 1 g/cm 2 is obtained and after the polycondensation reactions have been performed the separate samples are analyzed.