Microfluidic flow process for making linear polymers
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorsKamran B. Ghiassi, Neil D. Redeker
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a microfluidic flow process for making polymers, polymers made by such processes, and methods of using such polymers. In such process, a novel reagent delivery setup is used in conjunction with microfluidic reaction technology to synthesize anionic polymerization reaction products from superheated monomer orders of magnitude faster than is possible in batch and continuous syntheses. The aforementioned process does not require the cryogenic temperatures which are required for such syntheses in batch or bulk continuous. Thus the aforementioned process is more economically efficient and reduces the environmental impact of linear polymer production.
Claims16
A process of making an aerospace vehicle or consumer product comprising:
- a) introducing a superheated fluid comprising a material selected from the group consisting of chloroprene, butadiene, isoprene and mixtures thereof, at a controlled rate, said rate having a variability of no greater than 1% of said superheated fluid's introduction rate into a microfluidic reactor;
- said superheated fluid being introduced by continuous piston pumps that propel a pumping fluid which in turn propels the superheated fluid into said microfluidic reactor;
- b) introducing an initiator at a controlled rate, said rate having a variability of no greater than 1% of said initiator's introduction rate into said microfluidic reactor;
- and
- c) reacting, at one or more temperatures, said superheated fluid and initiator to form a linear polymer, said one or more temperatures being controlled such that each temperature has a variability of about plus or minus degrees and said superheated fluid and said initiator are simultaneously introduced at a temperature of from about 0° C. to about 100° C., said superheated fluid and said initiator having residence time of from about 10 seconds to about 3600 seconds;
- d) combining said linear polymer with one or more additional liquids in an additional microfluidic reactor, said one or more additional fluids comprising a material selected from the group consisting of vinyls, conjugated dienes, ethylene oxide and mixtures thereof with the proviso that said ethylene oxide is a superheated fluid;
- at a controlled rate, said rate having a variability of no greater than 1% of said one or more additional liquid's introduction rate into a microfluidic reactor;
- e) reacting, at one or more temperatures, said linear polymer and said one or more additional liquids to form a new linear polymer, said one or more temperatures being controlled such that each temperature has a variability of about plus or minus 10 degrees;
- and
- f) adding a liquid comprising a protic species to said new linear polymer to form a solution comprising said new linear polymer and said protic species
- e) incorporating said new linear polymer into an aerospace vehicle and/or consumer product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.