General Electric Company

James Alfred Day

Patrick Joseph McCloskey

Godavarthi S Varadarajan

Ganesh Kailasam

Bhaskar Bhairavnath Idage

Gautam Chatterjee

Paul Michael Smigelski, Jr

Chang Wei

Elihu Calvin Jerabek

Sukhendu Bikash Hait

Monica A Ferrero-Heredia

Bernard Patrick Bewlay

Charles Edward Baumgartner

Norberto Silvi

Mark Howard Giammattei

William J Ward, Iii

Arun Savalaram Jadhav

Katherine Dana DeJager

Edward J McInerney

Radislav Alexandrovich Potyrailo

Daniel Joseph Brunelle

Marc Brian Wisnudel

Andrew Philip Shapiro

Swaminathan Sivaram

Joseph A King, Jr

Heinz Jaster

Arnold Factor

Timothy Brydon Burnell

John William Carbone

Joseph Anthony Suriano

Andrew J Caruso

Harish Radhakrishna Acharya

John Aibangbee Osaheni

Gregory Allen O'Neil

Rein Mollerus Faber

Alberto Nisoli

Paul Russell Wilson

Narayan Ramesh

Mark Stephen Clough

Thomas J Stanley

Paul Howard Davidson

George L Gaines, Jr

Paul Michael Smigelski

John Lester Maxam

Michael Leslie Todt

Sheldon Dirk Westwood

Kenneth Michael Carroll

Stephen Searl

Joseph Anthony King, Jr

Christian Maria Emile Bailly

Tariq M Alkhairy

Rony A Sanchez-Martinez

Paul M Smigeiski, Jr

David Britton Green

Francisco Jesus Godines

Troy Eugene Mallory

Nayaku Nivarati Chavan

Michael Wayne Quillin

Shamal Karunakaran Menon

A bearing manipulator for supporting and manipulating a bearing is provided. In one embodiment, the bearing manipulator includes a frame having at least one adjustable roller to support the bearing, and at least one adjustable arm to secure the bearing to the frame. The bearing manipulator further includes a motor configured to incrementally rotate the bearing.

Elliptical bearing manipulator

A method of preparing block copolymers by solid state polymerization is described. A mixture of a partially crystalline polycarbonate having activated terminal aryloxy groups, for example terminal methyl salicyl groups, when heated together with an oligomeric polyester having reactive terminal hydroxy groups under solid state polymerization conditions affords block copolymers. The activated terminal aryloxy groups play a key role in preserving the block lengths of the starting materials. A control sample in which the partially crystalline polycarbonate lacks activated terminal aryloxy groups, for example polycarbonates substituted by phenol, affords a much lower molecular weight, more highly randomized copolymer product. The product block copolymers are useful as 'weatherable' plastic materials.

Method of making block copolymers by solid state polymerization

Usually, polycarbonate polymerization is limited by the rate at which inhibitory byproducts, such as phenol and salicylate, can be removed from the reaction. To facilitate the removal of volatile reaction byproducts from the reaction as polymerization occurs, the present invention provides a spray mist reactor. The formation of a spray mist polymerization reaction allows for the creation of an enormous surface area for exchange of volatile byproducts. The present invention is applicable to polymerization of polycarbonate and its copolymers starting with monomers or oligomers. The invention may be used to increase throughput and minimize initial investment for a give melt process, especially the fast reacting bis(methylsalicylate) carbonate process.

Method and apparatus to make high molecular weight melt polycarbonate

The present invention relates to methods and devices for in-situ measurement of reaction components of interest during manufacturing of polycarbonate by melt polymerization. The present invention describes irradiating a molten polymer sample with UV/visible light, and generating an absorbance profile correlated to Fries products as well as uncapped phenolic groups in the sample. The methods and apparatus of the invention are suitable for monitoring of Fries products in reactions ranging in size from small scale combinatorial formats to production scale reactors. Also included in methods of the invention are univariate and multivariate analysis for prediction of linear Fries, branched Fries and uncapped phenolic end-groups in unknowns.

Method and apparatus for in situ determination of molten polycarbonate composition using electronic absorption spectroscopy

This invention relates to an extrusion method preparing polycarbonates from a solution of an oligomeric polycarbonate. A mixture of bis(methyl salicyl)carbonate (BMSC), BPA and a transesterification catalyst are first equilibrated at moderate temperatures to provide a solution of polycarbonate oligomer in methyl salicylate. The solution is then fed to a devolatilizing extruder, where the polymerization reaction is completed and the methyl salicylate solvent is removed. The solution comprising the oligomeric polycarbonate can also be pre-heated under pressure to a temperature above the boiling point of methyl salicylate and subsequently fed to a devolatilizing extruder equipped for rapid flashing off the solvent. The method provides polycarbonate with greater efficiency than the corresponding process in which unreacted monomers are fed to the extruder. Additionally, the method of the invention does not require the isolation of a precursor polycarbonate comprising ester-substituted phenoxy terminal groups.

Method for making an aromatic polycarbonate

The useful life of x-ray tubes is extended by filtering metal particles and other decomposition products out of the coolant fluid by filter means permanently included in the closed loop cooling fluid circuit which also includes pump means and heat exchange means.

Use of filter to improve the dielectric breakdown strength of x-ray tube coating

Solid state polymerization of partially crystalline polycarbonate oligomers bearing ester-substituted terminal groups occurs at useful reaction rates despite their high level of endcapping. Partially crystalline polycarbonate oligomers having ester substituted terminal groups may be obtained in a single step by reaction of an ester substituted diaryl carbonate such as bis-methyl salicyl carbonate with a dihydroxy aromatic compound such as bisphenol A in the presence of a transesterification catalyst such as sodium hydroxide. Alternatively, amorphous oligomeric polycarbonates incorporating ester substituted endgroups may be obtained through careful control of the melt reaction conditions. The amorphous oligomeric polycarbonates are crystallized upon exposure to solvent vapor and subsequently undergo solid state polymerization at synthetically useful reaction rates.

Method of polycarbonate preparation by solid state polymerization

Extrusion of a mixture of an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate, such as bis(methyl salicyl) carbonate, a dihydroxy aromatic compound such as bisphenol A and a transesterification catalyst such as tetrabutylphosphonium acetate (TBPA) affords polycarbonate having a weight average molecular weight of greater than 20,000 daltons. The extruder is equipped with one or more vacuum vents to remove by-product ester-substituted phenol. Similarly, a precursor polycarbonate having ester-substituted phenoxy endgroups, for example methyl salicyl endgroups, when subjected to extrusion affords a polycarbonate having a significantly increased molecular weight relative to the precursor polycarbonate. The reaction to form a higher molecular weight polycarbonate may be catalyzed by residual transesterification catalyst present in the precursor polycarbonate, or by a combination of any residual catalyst and an additional catalyst such as TBPA introduced in the extrusion step. Fries rearrangement products are not observed in the product polycarbonates.

Extrusion method for making polycarbonate

A multilayer cell is provided that comprises two solid, nonporous current collectors, two porous electrodes separating the current collectors, a porous separator between the electrodes and an electrolyte occupying pores in the electrodes and separator. The mutilayer cell is electrolyzed to disassociate water within the cell to oxygen gas and hydrogen gas. A vacuum is applied to the cell substantially at the same time as the electrolyzing step, to remove the oxygen gas and hydrogen gas. The cell is then sealed to form a ultracapacitor substantially free from water.

Ultracapacitor having residual water removed under vacuum

Extrusion of a mixture of an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate, such as bis-methyl salicyl carbonate, a dihydroxy aromatic compound such as bisphenol A and a transesterification catalyst such as tetrabutyl phosphonium acetate (TBPA) affords polycarbonate having a weight average molecular weight of greater than 20,000 Daltons. The extruder is equipped with one or more vacuum vents to remove by-product ester-substituted phenol. Similarly, a precursor polycarbonate having ester-substituted phenoxy endgroups, for example methyl salicyl endgroups, when subjected to extrusion affords a polycarbonate having a significantly increased molecular weight relative to the precursor polycarbonate. The reaction to form a higher molecular weight polycarbonate may be catalyzed by residual transesterification catalyst present in the precursor polycarbonate, or by a combination of any residual catalyst and an additional catalyst such as TBPA introduced in the extrusion step. Fries rearrangement products are not observed in the product polycarbonates.

A multilayer cell is provided that comprises two solid, nonporous current collectors, two porous electrodes separating the current collectors, a porous separator between the electrodes and an electrolyte occupying pores in the electrodes and separator. A thermoplastic vinyl acetate polymer or thermoplastic polyamide is applied to the multilayer structure; and pressure or heat is applied to seal layers of the cell by means of the thermoplastic vinyl acetate polymer or thermoplastic polyamide to form the ultracapacitor.

Sealed ultracapacitor

The present invention discloses a vapor phase method of introducing a branching agent such as THPE into a solid polycarbonate while simultaneously crystallizing the solid polycarbonate. The partially crystalline polycarbonate containing a branching agent introduced in this manner is suitable for use in the preparation of branched polycarbonates by solid state polymerization. Branching in the polycarbonates so produced is demonstrated by rheometric measurements. Such branched polycarbonates are known to possess increased material melt strength, shear sensitivity, and complex viscosity ratio, and are particularly well-suited in blow molding applications.

Branched polycarbonate and method

Method of pelletization of polymer

Copolycarbonates containing such structural units as birefringence-reducing or &ldquo;soft block&rdquo; units are prepared by conducting a reaction, such as melt polymerization or equilibration, between a precursor polycarbonate and a monomer, polycarbonate oligomer or high molecular weight polycarbonate which is a source of other structural units. The crystallinity of the resulting precursor copolycarbonate or one of the reagents employed in its preparation is enhanced and the precursor copolycarbonate is subjected to solid state polymerization.

Copolycarbonate preparation by solid state polymerization

A method of crystallizing an aromatic polycarbonate prepolymer having a molecular weight of from about 1,000 to about 20,000 and having from about 5 to about 95 mole % aryl carbonate terminal end groups, based on total end groups, the method comprising effecting contact of the prepolymer with a crystallizing agent comprising an alcohol and an additive, wherein the additive is effective to increase the rate of solid state polymerization.

Method of crystallizing polycarbonate prepolymer

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

James Alfred Day