Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Victrex Manufacturing Limited

Philip A Staniland

David John Kemmish

Graham Jarrett

John B Rose

Frederic N Cogswell

Brian Wilson

Alan Branford Newton

Eric Nield

Peter Charnock

Roger M Turner

Mary V Ward

Peter J Meakin

Arthur H Gilbert

John Jamieson Liggat

Peter Chamock

Frederick N Cogswell

Catherine Jane Wilde

Ian R Henderson

Ion-Exchange polymers for a polymer electrolyte membrane include a moiety of formula (I), and/or a moiety of formula (II), and/or a moiety of formula (III) wherein at least some of the units I, II and/or III are sulphonated; wherein the phenyl moieties in units I, II, and III are independently optionally substituted and optionally cross-linked; and wherein m, r, s, t, v, w and z independently represent zero or a positive integer, E and E' independently represent an oxygen or a sulphur atom or a direct link, G represents an oxygen or sulphur atom, a direct link or a &#x2014;O&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;O&#x2014; moiety where Ph represents a phenyl group and Ar is selected from one of the above moieties (i) to (x) which is bonded via one or more of its phenyl moieties to adjacent moieties

Ion-exchange polymers

Ion-Exchange polymers for a polymer electrolyte membrane include a moiety of formula (I), and/or a moiety of formula (II), and/or a moiety of formula (III) wherein at least some of the units I, II and/or III are sulphonated. The phenyl moieties in units I, II, and III are independently optionally substituted and optionally cross-linked; m, r; s, t, v, w and z independently represent zero or a positive integer, E and E&prime; independently represent an oxygen or a sulphur atom or a direct link, G represents an oxygen or sulphur atom, a direct link or a &mdash;O&mdash;Ph&mdash;O&mdash; moiety where Ph represents a phenyl group and Ar is selected from one of the moieties (i) to (x) as set forth herein which is bonded via one or more of its phenyl moieties to adjacent moieties.

Process for making an aromatic polymer

An aromatic polyether contains within its chain the repeat units

Aromatic polyether

Aromatic polyester

A structural thermoplastic composite material comprises a laminate of a first layer of a fibre reinforced thermoformable crystalline polymer composite and an adherent layer of a second thermoformable polymer which has been applied to the first layer at a temperature above the melting point of the polymer of the first layer. The second polymer comprises an amorphous polymer having a Tg which is at least 10.degree. C. lower than the Tm of the other polymer, which is crystallisable in a subsequent annealing process, and which has a peak crystallisation time of at least 1 minute. Such a material can be bonded to itself or to a different material by the adherent layer at temperatures below the Tm of the matrix polymer.

Fibre reinforced stuctural thermoplastic composite materials

In making polyarylethersulphones or polyaryletherketones or their thioanalogues by reaction of phenols with aromatic halogen compounds, raw polycondensation product is freed of alkali halide by adjusting its composition and/or temperature so that it dissolves at least 0.5% w/w of water and holds the polymer in solution, and then contacting it in liquid form with hot water, preferably under pressure.

Production and/or handling of aryl polyethers and thioethers polymers

Polyetherketones including repeating units I and biphenylene or terphenylene connected by ether linkages exhibit high degrees of crystallinity after annealing and have high Tg/Tm ratios. ##STR1##

Polyaryletherketones

A crystalline polyethersulphone comprises repeating units Ph SO.sub.2 Ph.sub.3 SO.sub.2 Ph alone or together with Ph.sub.n and optionally together with up to 20 mole % of other repeating units, said units being connected by ether linkages, and wherein Ph is 1,4 - phenylene and n is an integer 1 or 2.

Crystalline aromatic polyethersulphones having terphenylene linkages

A new polymer composition comprises an aromatic polyetherketone or mixture thereof containing the repeating units

Laminates of polyether ketones and carbon fibers

Aromatic polyetherketones containing the repeat units:

Thermoplastic aromatic polyetherketones

A method of increasing the molecular weight of a poly(aryl ether) comprising providing a mixture of (1) at least one polyaryl ether comprising polymer chains having end groups selected from groups of formula

Method of increasing molecular weight of poly(aryl ethers)

A process of producing a fibre-reinforced composition comprising drawing a plurality of continuous filaments through a melt comprising a mixture of a thermoplastic polymer and a plasticizer for the polymer in the weight ratio between 1:4 and 99:1 of polymer to plasticizer, preferably in the weight ratio 1:1 to 19:1, the plasticizer being thermally stable at least up to the temperature of the melt and having volatility characteristics such that the plasticizer can be volatilized from the composition below the decomposition temperature of the composition but has a sufficiently low volatility at the temperature of the melt to plasticize the polymer in the melt and give a melt of reduced viscosity compared with the melt viscosity of the polymer alone. The process enables higher molecular polymers to be used in the pultrusion process and enables higher fibre contents to be achieved.

Method of producing fibre-reinforced composition

Production of a hydroxy arylophenone by reacting an aromatic carboxylic acid Ar(--CO.sub.2 H).sub.p where Ar is an aromatic radical, (--CO.sub.2 H) is an aromatic carboxylic acid group, and p is 1 or 2 with an aromatic compound H--Ar'--OH where Ar' is an aromatic radical and --H and --OH are aromatically bound para to each other in a benzenoid ring, in the presence of an alkyl sulphonic acid, particularly methane sulphonic acid, to produce a hydroxy arylophenone of formula Ar(--CO--Ar'--OH).sub.p where the carbonyl and hydroxyl groups are para to each other in the hydroxyl-containing benzenoid ring of Ar'. The production of the hydroxy arylophenone proceeds through the intermediate ester (H--Ar'--O--CO--).sub.p Ar and the production of the hydroxy arylophenone starting from the ester is also claimed.

Production of hydroxy arylophenones

Production of aromatic polyethers by reacting (i) a mixture of a bisphenol and a dihalobenzenoid compound or (ii) a halophenol, in which dihalobenzenoid compound or halophenol the halogen atoms are activated by ortho or para --SO.sub.2 -- or --CO-- groups, with an alkali metal (bi)carbonate, wherein the reaction is carried out in the absence of a solvent and in the presence of an infusible particulate support substance, preferably inorganic or polymeric, yielding a reaction medium in the form of a free-flowing powder by the end of the reaction.

Growing community of inventors

Tewin Wood, United Kingdom

Philip A Staniland