Mathematical Modeling of Nylon 6/6,6 Copolymerization: Beneficial Influence of Comonomers on Degree of Polymerization in Batch Reactor

A model is developed for hydrolytic copolymerization of caprolactam with hexamethylene diamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA) in a batch reactor to produce nylon 6/6,6 copolymer. The reaction mechanism includes hydrolysis of caprolactam and cyclic dimer, polycondensation, polyaddition, transamidation, and ring formation via end biting and back biting. The catalyzing effect of carboxyl groups is accounted for using kinetic parameters from the literature. Model predictions are compared with low‐temperature literature data before simulating reactor conditions of industrial interest. The model predicts a higher degree of polymerization (DP) for nylon 6/6,6 copolymer compared to nylon 6 and 6,6 homopolymers produced using the same reactor conditions. Dynamic changes in concentrations of water, caprolactam, HMD, ADA, and end groups are tracked and used to explain the positive influence of comonomers on reaction rates and DP. Insights gained from this model will form a useful basis to build future models of continuous industrial reactors.

     

Modeling Equilibrium Behavior of Nylon 6, Nylon 6,6 and Nylon 6/6,6 Copolymer

Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 reaction equilibria depend in a complex way on water concentration and temperature. For example, data sets from six research groups reveal that the apparent equilibrium constant for polycondensation increases with water at low water concentrations, reaches a maximum, and then decreases as the water concentration rises further. In this article, semi‐empirical expressions are proposed to describe the experimentally observed equilibrium behavior for the five main reactions that occur during nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 polymerization. Nine side reactions involving amidine ends, cyclopentanone ends, and hydrated carboxyl ends are used to develop expressions that account for the influence of both water and temperature on these equilibrium constants. Excellent fit to the data, over the entire range of the available nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 literature data, suggests that the proposed equations will be helpful for modeling reaction equilibria for nylon 6/6,6 copolymerization.     

Improved Kinetic Rate Constants for Nylon 6, Nylon 6,6, and Nylon 6/6,6 Copolymer

Nylon 6 and 6,6 literature data are collected over a wide range of water concentrations and temperatures (0 ≤ [W]₀ ≤ 40.8 wt%, 200 ≤ T ≤300 °C) and used to fit parameters in an updated batch reactor model. The resulting copolymerization model uses side reactions to account for the complex influence of water on kinetics and reaction equilibria. The proposed parameter estimates result in a significant improvement in the fit to the data, corresponding to a 73% reduction in the weighted‐least‐squares objective function compared to when the parameters of Arai et al. are used. Copolymerization simulations are conducted at industrially relevant conditions, shedding light on the complex influence of water and on the potential to include waste nylon 6 cyclic dimer in the feedstock. The model and parameter estimates will be helpful in future models of nylon 6/6,6 copolymerization in continuous reactor systems.     

Modification of PP fibres with alkaline copolyamides

Copolyamides with 5.9‐19.7 wt.% of nylon salt ADETA (adipic acid + diethylenetriamine) and 94.1‐80.3 wt.% of ϵ‐caprolactam were synthesized and their properties were estimated. Blended polypropylene/copolyamides fibres containing 5‐15 wt.% of copolyamides were prepared and their properties were evaluated. The electrical properties, hydrophilicity and especially dyeability of modified PP fibres are positively influenced by a higher amount of the copolyamide in the PP and also by a higher amount of the nylon salt ADETA in the copolyamide.     

Novel filled polymer composites prepared from in situ polymerization via a colloidal approach: II. Blends of kaolin/Nylon-6 in situ composites with conventional Nylon-6 and -66

A novel in situ composite comprised of kaolin clay fillers and polyamide 6 (Nylon-6) was synthesized via a colloidal approach by suspending kaolin particles in aqueous caprolactam and then polymerizing the caprolactam under elevated temperature and pressure. This in situ polymerization technique enables the deposition of nylon molecules directly onto the filler surface. It offers a much larger contact surface area for the nylon molecules to interact with the filler particles and enhances filler/matrix interaction through polymer miscibility. The kaolin particles were shown to be uniformly dispersed in Nylon-6 matrix without appreciable agglomeration. In the highly clay-loaded composites such as the 50/50 kaolin/Nylon-6 in situ composite, the deposited nylon molecules probably form a coated layer on the filler particles. This kind of nylon coated fillers may be applied as a reinforcing entity to commercial Nylon-6 or −;66 by improving particle dispersion and melt processability. The 50/50 kaolin/Nylon-6 in situ composites have been used as a masterbatch for blending with commercial Nylon-6 and Nylon-66 to take advantage of their good properties and to reduce cost. Rheology and mechanical properties of the masterbatch/nylon composites have been investigated in comparison with those of the conventional melt-mixed composites. The improvement of rheological and mechanical properties of the in situ composites has been discussed in relation to the composite structure. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

电化学合成吡咯与己内酰胺导电共聚物

采用恒电位方法实现了吡咯与己内酰胺在导电玻璃电极上的直接电化学共聚,聚合反应在含有0.1mol/L吡咯和1.5 mol/L己内酰胺的硝基甲烷电解质溶液中进行,外加电位控制在1.2 V以上.聚合产物中聚吡咯与聚己内酰胺链段的组成可通过调节合成电位加以控制.共聚物的形貌、结构与性质采用扫描电子显微镜、热重分析、红外光谱等手...     

Macromolecular N-nitroso-acylamines as initiators for polyreactions. I. Synthesis of block copolymers from polycondensates and olefinic monomers,

The synthesis of block copolymers in three-step reactions from linear polycondensates (e.g., nylon 6. nylon 6,6, nylon 6,10 and polyurethane) and olefinic monomers (e.g., styrene, acrylic acid and acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, and isoprene) is reported. Macromolecular radicals are formed by the thermal decomposition of partly nitrosated peptide group containing polycondensates at elevated temperatures (60–200°C). These polyradicals initiate the copolymerization of the olefinic monomers. The conversion and reaction rates were generally high (up to 100% within a few hours). Most of the block copolymers prepared were soluble in organic solvents. Some, however, were insoluble or rubberlike. The reaction mechanism involved are analyzed. Applications are discussed.     

Synthesis of copolyamides based on ε-caprolactam and AH salt in the presence of cationic resin

Copolyamides based on ε-caprolactam and AH salt were prepared by copolymerization of various combinations of ε-caprolactam and AH salt in the presence of a cationic resin. In terms of adhesivity towards metals they have proved their superiority over nylon 6, nylon 6, 6, and the copolyamides of ε-caprolactam and AH salt, prepared in presence of water. Adhesive property of the copolyamide was found to be increased with increasing proportion of AH salt in the combinations. ε-Caprolactam (1 part) and AH salt (5 parts) in presence of a cationic resin (0.55%) were copolymerized to give a best performing copolyamide: yield 93%, mp 232°C, relative viscosity 2.42, and shear tensile strength 620 kg/in.²     

GRAFTING OF ACRYLAMIDE ONTO SURFACE OF COPOLYMERS CONTAINING P-TOLYLCARBAMOYL PENDANT GROUP INITIATED WITH CERIC SALT

Two copolymers containing p-tolylcarbamoyl pendant group poly (MAMT-co-VAc) and poly(MAMT-co-MA) were synthesized f and the graft copolymerization of AAM onto these two func-tional copolymers films initiated with ceric salt were carried out in aqueous solution for variousperiods at 30℃. The formation of graft copolymer was verified by water absorption, ESCA andSEM photographs. Based on the results of the study of the initiation mechanism of model com-pounds and ceric salt systems, the reaction mechanism of the graft copolymerization initiated withceric salt was proposed.     

Preparation,properties and application of modified fibers with piperazine rings

The paper is devoted to the preparation of copolyamides from ϵ‐caprolactam with 6.1–24.5 wt% of the nylon salt of adipic acid and 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)piperazine. Molecular characteristics and thermal properties of the prepared copolyamides have been studied. Fibers from copolyamides and blend fibers containing polyamide 6 and copolyamides have been prepared and their properties have been evaluated. Modified fibers have better electrical properties, higher sorption of water vapour, lower orientation factor and tensile strength and practically the same elongation at break in comparison with non modified polyamide 6 fibers. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of Propylene Diblock Copolymers via Metallocene and Borane Chemistry

An isotactic chain end unsaturated polypropylene was prepared by the homogeneous metallocene catalyst Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂ with MAO. Herein, the chain end unsaturated polypropylene proceeded the hydroboration reaction to prepare borane‐containing polypropylene. The borane‐containing polypropylene could be transformed to hydroxyl‐terminated polypropylene, PPOH. And then the polypropylene‐nylon 6 diblock copolymer, PP‐b‐NY6, was synthesized from telechelic PPOH by converting this prepolymer with toluene diisocyanate and using the resulting materials as macroactivators for anionic caprolactam polymerization. Meanwhile, this investigation used borane‐containing polypropylene and oxygen to produce free radicals at the chain end on the polypropylene. Experimental results indicate that the free radical is an effective initiator for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate to produce diblock PP‐b‐PMMA. The block copolymers are characterized by IR, NMR, and DSC analyses. The diblock copolymer is a good compatibilizer for polymer blends.     

尿素/己内酰胺/氢氧化钠/水溶剂体系对纤维素的溶解和再生性能

探讨了尿素/己内酰胺/氢氧化钠/水溶剂体系对纤维素的溶解和再生情况.利用正交试验确定了该体系各组分的最佳组成(质量分数):尿素10%,己内酰胺4%,氢氧化钠8%.采用红外光谱(FTIR)、热重失重(TGA)分析和X射线衍射(XRD)等手段对再生前后的纤维素进行了表征.结果表明,该溶剂体系对纤维素具有良好的溶解性能,并且是纤维素的直接溶剂;低温有利于纤维素的溶解;溶解再生后的纤维素晶型发生了变化,热稳定性有所降低.     

Interfacial polycondensation of nylon-6,6 in microgravity as studied by free-fall experiments

Nylon-6,6 vesicles are synthesized by the interfacial polycondensation of hexamethylenediamine and adipoyl chloride in microgravity, and their size and shape are compared with those formed in normal gravity. Two methods are applied for the nylon syntheses. First, a carbon tetrachloride solution of adipoyl chloride (AC) is sprayed into an aqueous solution of hexamethylenediamine (HD) in a reaction column from the nozzle at the bottom of the column, and inversely HD solution is sprayed into the AC solution column. Nylon vesicles containing the solvent inside are formed. In the second method, both of the reaction solutions are sprayed in an air column and the reaction proceeds by the collision of both mists. For both methods, the reaction is followed by the transmitted-light intensity of the reaction mixture. Furthermore, the products are analyzed by microscopic observation. The nylon vesicles were not completely spherical in most cases, even if formed in microgravity. However, the size and the aspect ratio of the vesicles in microgravity are always smaller than those in normal gravity.     

Ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactam and ϵ‐caprolactone via microwave irradiation

A novel process for synthesizing nylon‐6 and poly(?‐caprolactone) by microwave irradiation of the respective monomers, ?‐caprolactam and ?‐caprolactone, is described. The ring opening of ?‐caprolactam to produce nylon‐6 was performed in a microwave oven by the forward power being controlled to about 90–135 W in the presence of an ω‐aminocaproic acid catalyst (10 mol %) and for periods of 1–3 h at temperatures varying from 250 to 280 °C. The ring opening of ?‐caprolactone to produce poly(?‐caprolactone) was performed in a microwave oven by the forward power being controlled to about 70–100 W for a period of 2 h in the presence of stannous octoate with and without 1,4‐butanediol over a temperature range of 150–200 °C. The yields, conditions of the reactions, and properties of the products generated relative to the thermal processes are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2264–2275, 2002     

Significance of the Dispersion Stability of Carbon Nanotubes on the Thermal Conductivity of Nylon 610 Nanocomposite

Herein, the effect of the dispersion uniformity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the thermal conductivity of nylon 610/MWNTs nanocomposite was investigated. Compared to raw MWNTs, the carboxylated MWNTs (MWNT-COOH) were well dispersed in aqueous hexamethylenediamine solution and the dispersion stability was further improved by the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol). By means of interfacial polymerization between the aqueous hexamethylenediamine solution containing the MWNTs and a sebacoyl chloride phase, nylon 610/MWNT composites were prepared. It was found that the stable dispersion state of MWNTs in aqueous solutions greatly improved the thermal conductivity of the ultimate nanocomposites. It is noted that the thermal conductivity of nylon 610/MWNT-COOH/PVA nanocomposite was 135% higher than that of nylon 610/raw MWNTs for the same 0.1 wt% content of MWNTs.     

Preparation,characterization and copolymerization of the 12‐membered cyclic diamide 1,6‐diazacyclododecane‐2,5‐dione

A 12‐membered cyclic diamide monomer for nylon 64 was successfully synthesized in fairly high yield (～45%). The synthesis conditions were varied to see the effect of the diamine and succinyl chloride reactants on yield. Threefold excess of 1,6‐hexamethylenediamine (HDA) gave the highest yield, while further increasing the amount of HDA decreased the yield. Using N,N‐diisopropylethylamine as acid scavenger resulted in the formation of two different cyclic amides, which were fully analyzed by ¹H and ¹³C solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and mass spectrometry. Copolymerization of cyclic amides with ε‐caprolactam via an anionic route gave a block copolyamide with a two distinct endotherms in the differential scanning calorimetry analysis. However, copolymerization by the hydrolytic route gave only nylon 6 with terminal 64 units. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 96–103     

Grafting of light‐activated antimicrobial materials to nylon films

Protoporphyrin IX and zinc protoporphyrin IX were grafted to the surface of nylon‐6,6 films via an ethylene diamine bridge and a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) scaffold. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that approximately 57% of the nylon surface was covered by PAA and approximately 6% of the carboxylic acid groups in PAA were grafted to the ethylene diamine derivative of protoporphyrin IX or its zinc salt. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 41–47, 2003     

Isomorphous replacement in nylon 6 by 4-aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid

It was desired to determine the effect of geometric configuration on the ability of 4-aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid (AMCC) to “isomorphously” replace ε-aminocaproic acid residues in nylon 6. However, we found that cis-AMCC isomerized to the more thermodynamically stable trans isomer during copolymerization with caprolactam (CL) and also during homopolymerization. A 20/80 cis/trans ratio of AMCC residues was found in the 50:50 copolyamides regardless of whether a high-cis (72/28) or high-trans (15/85) AMCC was used. Powder x-ray diagrams showed similar interplanar spacings for the copolyamides made from both high-cis and high-trans AMCC. The x-ray study also showed that the nylon 6 lattice can accommodate less than 30 mole-% AMCC residues before a new structure appears. DTA and TGA data of the CL:AMCC copolyamide showed that AMCC raised the melting point, T_g, T_c, and stability of nylon 6.     

尼龙6/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备、结构与力学性能的研究

未经处理及经１１ 氨基酸处理的蒙脱土由于己内酰胺的引入而发生膨胀．己内酰氨可以在蒙脱土的硅酸盐片层间聚合，形成尼龙６／蒙脱土纳米复合材料．经１１ 氨基酸处理的蒙脱土和尼龙６分子间有很强的化学相互作用．与未经处理的蒙脱土相比，其所构成的纳米复合材料具有很好的力学性能．     

The influence of PEG macromonomers on the size and properties of thermosensitive aqueous microgels

We describe the preparation and thermal response of aqueous microgels based on poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) containing grafted poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains. These microgels were synthesized by free radical copolymerization of vinyl caprolactam and acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate in the presence of methoxy-capped poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate macromonomers. We show that variation of the amount of PEG macromonomer or the length of the PEG chain provides effective control of the microgel diameter in the range 60–220 nm. The presence of the grafted PEG chains improves the colloidal stability of the microgels. The incorporation of the PEG macromonomers into microgel structure decreases the swelling degree and induces a shift of the volume phase transition to higher temperatures. This paper is dedicated to Professor Haruma Kawaguchi in honor of his many contributions to the field of polymer particle synthesis and applications.