Elf Atochem S.a.

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Arkema France

Arkema Inc.

Total Research & Technology Feluy

Atofina

Total Petrochemicals France

At Fina

Bruno Vuillemin

Philippe Heim

Philippe Teyssie

Philippe Bayard

Jin-shan Wang

Jinshan Wang

Pascal Nicol

David H Rein

Paul Rempp

Pierre Lutz

Olivier Guerret

Ludwik Leibler

Gilles Meunier

Roger Fayt

Sunil K Varshney

Denis Bertin

Pierre Gerard

Jean-Luc Couturier

Francois Fajula

Michel Duc

Patrice Gaillard

Stephane Nowe

Francis Verzaro

Sylvain Marque

Christophe Le Mercier

Sophie Robin

Yannick Ederle

François Fajula

Jean-Marc Boumera

Jean-Francois Lutz

Florence Chauvin

Thomas-Maurice Roussel

Christophe Galindo

Anne-Valerie Ruzette

Anne-Valérie Ruzette-Foillard

The present invention relates to a process for reducing residuals content in a vinyl aromatic polymer, said residuals comprising essentially unpolymerized vinyl aromatic monomer, wherein the vinyl aromatic polymer in the molten state is brought in contact with a solid in powder capable to catalyze the alkylation of said residual vinyl aromatic monomer on the vinyl aromatic polymer. Advantage of the present invention is a sharp reduction of the unpolymerized vinyl aromatic monomer in the vinyl aromatic polymer without generating a new residual and without inducing a colored vinyl aromatic polymer. The present invention also relates to said vinyl aromatic polymer having a low residuals content.

Process for reducing residuals content in vinyl aromatic polymers

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a high impact monovinylaromatic polymer comprising admixing a rubber, at least one monovinylaromatic monomer and optionally one or more comonomer in the presence of at least a borane complex of the L-BHtype wherein L is a Lewis base and polymerizing the monovinylaromatic monomer. The borane complex initiator, L may be an ether (e.g THF, tetrahydrofurane), a thioether (e.g dimethylthioether) or an amine. A preferred complex is an amine borane such as by way of example triethylamine borane. The present invention also relates to a high impact monovinylaromatic polymer having a weight ratio of grafted monovinylaromatic monomer and optional comonomer to the initial monovinylaromatic monomer and optional comonomer above 0.1%, advantageously above 2% and preferably in the range 2 to 4%. The invention is of particular interest to make high impact polystyrene.

Process for preparing high impact monovinylaromatic polymers in the presence of a borane complex

The invention relates to the production and use of block copolymers which are obtained by means of controlled radical polymerization in the presence of nitroxides for the purpose of reinforcing fragile polymer matrices. The invention offers advantages such as (i) simplicity of copolymer synthesis and use and (ii) fine dispersion of the copolymer molecules in the fragile matrix, which ensures both the transparency of the material and high reinforcement against impact. More specifically, the invention relates to the radical synthesis of block copolymers comprising at least three blocks, which include one block having a glass transition temperature of less than 0&#xb0; C. and a thermoplastic end block having a glass transition temperature of more than 0&#xb0; C., thereby guaranteeing compatibility with the fragile matrix to be reinforced against impact.

Method of producing and using materials which are reinforced against impact and which contain block copolymers that are obtained by means of controlled radical polymerization in the presence of nitroxides

The impact-resistant thermoplastic compositions comprising (A) a rigid thermoplastic methacrylic polymer or copolymer matrix P containing mostly methyl methacrylate units, (B) at least one impact-modifying additive and (C) at least one elastomer copolymer which contains grafting sites, at least on pendant chains, and is obtained from at least one vinylaromatic monomer (C) and from at one monomer chosen from the monomers (C): C-Clinear or branched alkyl acrylates, C-Calkoxyalkyl acrylates and aralkyl acrylates, dienes (C) and ethylenically unsaturated monomers (C) having one or more pendant initiating functional groups, the said copolymer (C) being grafted by thermoplastic polymer groups P and being dispersed in the matrix (A) in the form of nodules, which can be called 'particles', from 10 nm to 500 nm in size and able to have a droplet, capsule-type monoinclusion and/or salami-type multi-inclusion morphology.

Impact-resistant composition based on thermoplastic methacrylic (co)polymer

Composite materials containing an impact-resistant film

The invention relates to polyalcoxyamines obtained from beta-substituted nitroxides of formula (1) wherein A represents a di- or polyvalent structure, R1 represents a molar mass of more than 15 and is a monovalent radical, and n>2. The inventive compounds can be used as initiators for (co)polymerizations of at least one radically polymerizable monomer.

Polyalcoxyamines obtained from &bgr;-substituted nitroxides

Living random (meth)acrylic copolymers, facilely converted into random co(meth)acrylates and block copolymers thereof, comprise the anionic copolymerizates of at least one comonomer A with at least one comonomer B selected from among the (meth)acrylates and maleimides, at least one of the comonomers A and B comprising a (meth)acrylate, in the presence of (i) at least one alkali or alkaline earth metal, mono- or difunctional initiator and (ii) at least one ligand, for example a nonnitrogenous macrocyclic complexant, e.g., a crown ether, or an alkali metal alcoholate.

Anionically copolymerized living random (meth) acrylic copolymers and

Anionically copolymerized living random (meth)acrylic copolymers and

The process consists in mixing, for a period tm less than the period of polymerization, in a micromixer, a flow Fm of monomer(s) to be (co)polymerized and a flow Fa of an initiator system leading to a propagation constant kp(t) greater than or equal to 500 l mol.sup.-1 s.sup.-1 and in injecting, in a polymerization reactor, a flow Fr resulting from the mixing of the flows Fm and Fa, the concentration of monomer(s) in the flow Fr being at least 10% by weight.

Process for the continuous anionic polymerization of at least one

A multifunctional anionic polymerization initiator which is in the form of a star-shaped polymer, and which is soluble in a nonpolar medium and is substantially free of residual double bonds. The initiator is denoted by the general formula (PA).sub.a N.sup.n- nLi.sup.+. PA is a polymer block of a vinylaromatic or diene monomer A. The variable 'a' is the number of branches in the block PA. N is a crosslinked core comprising no or practically no residual double bonds and has the formula (PMc)(RLi).sub.p. Mc is a monomer containing at least two polymerizable double bonds per molecule. PMc is a crosslinked core of at least one polymerized monomer Mc, containing 3 to 30% of residual double bonds in relation to the initial double bonds originating from the monomer Mc. R is an alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, alkylaryl, cycloalkyl, or alkenyl. The variable 'p' is the number of residual double bonds in PMc which are neutralized by RLi. The variable 'n' is the number of anionic sites present in the crosslinked core N. A process of making and using the initiator to prepare star-shaped polymers.

Multifunctional initiator for obtaining star-shaped polymers by an

An initiation system for the anionic polymerization of (meth)acrylic monomers and, optionally, nonacrylic vinyl monomers is disclosed. The initiation system comprises (1) a functional initiator and (2) an alkali metal alcoholate having the formula R'OM', in which M' is an alkali metal and R' is a group R.sup.1 (OR.sup.2).sub.m where R.sup.1 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl or arylalkyl radical, R.sup.2 is a C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkylene radical and m is equal to 1, 2 or 3. The initiation system is applied to the formation of (meth)acrylic homopolymers and block copolymers of (meth)acrylic monomers and, optionally, nonacrylic vinyl comonomers.

Initiation system for the anionic polymerisation of (meth)acrylic

Poly(alkyl (meth)acrylates) are inexpensively prepared, even on an industrial scale, by anionically polymerizing at least one alkyl (meth)acrylate monomer in the presence of a lithium-based initiator and in a liquid solvent medium in which the solubility parameter .delta. is less than 20, said initiator comprising an alcoholate having the formula ROLi, wherein R has the formula R.sup.1 (OR.sup.2).sub.m, in which R.sup.1 is a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a linear or branched alkylene radical having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and m is 1, 2 or 3.

Anionic polymerization of alkyl (meth)acrylate monomers

A diblock copolymer obtained by polymerizing acrylic, methacrylic or nonacrylic vinyl monomers in the presence of a polymerization initiating amount of an initiation system including (1) at least one functional initiator and (2) an alkali metal alcoholate. The alcoholate has the formula:

Initiation system for the anionic polymerization of (meth)acrylic

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Pau, France

Bruno Vuillemin