Method for setting polymerization condition and method for manufacturing optical material

An apparatus for setting polymerization conditions comprising:

• a storage unit;
• a memory and instructions stored therein configured to:
• acquire, from the storage unit, a physical property value A derived from a functional group before heating of a composition including a polymerization-reactive compound, a polymerization catalyst, and/or a polymerization initiator,
• heat the composition and retaining heat at a plurality of predetermined temperatures, and
• acquire, from the storage unit, a physical property value B derived from a remaining functional group after maintaining each of the plurality of predetermined temperatures for a predetermined times from a storage;
• and
• a CPU and instructions stored therein configured to:
• calculate a remaining functional group ratio from the physical property value A and the physical property value B,
• calculate a reaction rate coefficient from the remaining functional group ratio on the basis of a reaction rate equation, and
• back-calculate a plurality of polymerization temperatures at predetermined time intervals within a polymerization time based on the reaction rate equation using the reaction rate coefficient so as to satisfy the following conditions:
• selecting and determining an average polymerization rate from a range of 0.4%/hr or more and 15%/hr or less in a range of 10% or more and 80% or less of a conversion ratio,
• calculating multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals within the time when the conversion ratio is in the range of 10% or more and 80% or less,
• calculating a standard deviation by the positive square root of the variance of the multiple polymerization rates and the average polymerization rate, and
• satisfying 2.3%/hr or less of the calculated standard deviation.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program for setting polymerization conditions for a composition including a polymerization-reactive compound, a polymerization catalyst, and/or a polymerization initiator, the computer program causing a computer to implement functions of:

• a storage unit;
• a memory and instructions stored therein configured to:
• acquire, from the storage unit, a physical property value A derived from a functional group before heating of the composition,
• heat the composition and retaining heat at a plurality of predetermined temperatures, and
• acquiring, from the storage unit, a physical property value B derived from a remaining functional group after maintaining a each of the plurality of predetermined temperatures for predetermined times;
• and
• a CPU and instructions stored therein configured to:
• calculate a remaining functional group ratio from the physical property value A and the physical property value B;
• calculate a reaction rate coefficient from the remaining functional group ratio on the basis of a reaction rate equation;
• and
• back-calculate a plurality of polymerization temperatures at predetermined time intervals within a polymerization time based on the reaction rate equation using the reaction rate coefficient so as to satisfy the following conditions:
• selecting and determining an average polymerization rate from a range of 0.4%/hr or more and 15%/hr or less in a range of 10% or more and 80% or less of a conversion ratio,
• calculating multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals within the time when the conversion ratio is in the range of 10% or more and 80% or less,
• calculating a standard deviation by the positive square root of the variance of the multiple polymerization rates and the average polymerization rate, and
• satisfying 2.3%/hr or less of the calculated standard deviation.

An apparatus for manufacturing optical material comprising:

• a heating furnace for heating a composition including a polymerization-reactive compound and a polymerization catalyst and/or a polymerization initiator;
• an apparatus for setting polymerization conditions comprising:
• a storage unit,
• a memory and instructions stored therein configured to:
• acquire, from the storage unit, a physical property value A derived from a functional group before heating of a composition including a polymerization-reactive compound, a polymerization catalyst, and/or a polymerization initiator,
• heat the composition and retaining heat at a plurality of predetermined temperatures, and
• acquire, from the storage unit, a physical property value B derived from a remaining functional group after maintaining each of the plurality of predetermined temperatures for predetermined times from a storage, and a CPU and instructions stored therein configured to:
• calculate a remaining functional group ratio from the physical property value A and the physical property value B,
• calculate a reaction rate coefficient from the remaining functional group ratio on the basis of a reaction rate equation, and
• back-calculate a plurality of polymerization temperatures at predetermined time intervals within a polymerization time based on the reaction rate equation using the reaction rate coefficient so as to satisfy the following conditions:
• selecting and determining an average polymerization rate from a range of 0.4%/hr or more and 15%/hr or less in a range of 10% or more and 80% or less of a conversion ratio,
• calculating multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals within the time when the conversion ratio is in the range of 10% or more and 80% or less,
• calculating a standard deviation by the positive square root of the variance of the multiple polymerization rates and the average polymerization rate, and
• satisfying 2.3%/hr or less of the calculated standard deviation;
• and
• wherein the CPU is configured to control the heating furnace so as to heat the composition on the basis of polymerization temperature conditions obtained by the apparatus for setting polymerization conditions.