Provided is a method for producing poly(alkylene carbonate)polyol, and specifically, a method for producing poly(alkylene carbonate)polyol having carbonate, ester, and ether bonds by mixing a Salen-based catalyst and a double metal cyanide catalyst.

A method of producing a high primary hydroxyl group content and a high number average molecular weight polyol includes preparing a mixture that includes a double metal cyanide catalyst and a low molecular weight polyether polyol having a number average molecular weight of less than 1,000 g/mol, the polyether polyol is derived from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, or butylene oxide, setting the mixture to having a first temperature, adding at least one selected from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, and butylene oxide to the mixture at the first temperature, allowing the mixture to react to form a reacted mixture, adding a Lewis acid catalyst to the reacted mixture, setting the reaction mixture including the second catalyst to have a second temperature that is less than the first temperature, and adding additional at least one selected from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, and butylene oxide to the reacted mixture at the second temperature such that a resultant polyol having a primary hydroxyl group content of at least 60% and a number average molecular weight greater than 2,500 g/mol is formed.

A process for the preparation of polyethercarbonate polyols comprises the reaction of a reaction mixture comprising one or more H-functional starter compounds, one or more alkylene oxides, carbon dioxide and a double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst. The reaction is conducted in a reactor under stirring with a specific power input into the reaction mixture, expressed as Watts per liter (W/L), of ≧0.07 to ≦5.00.

The invention relates to a method for producing polyether carbonate polyols, comprising the step of reacting alkylene oxide with carbon dioxide in the presence of an h-functional starter compound and double metal cyanide catalyst. The invention is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: (α) optionally, pre-treating the double metal cyanide catalyst (DMC catalyst) at a temperature of 50 to 200° C. and/or reduced pressure (absolute) of 10 mbar to 800 mbar; (β) bringing the double metal cyanide catalyst in contact with suspension means, and furthermore, with alkylene oxide in the first reactor thus obtaining a first reaction mixture, and (γ) continuous added dosing of the first reaction mixture, alkaline oxide, and carbon oxide, and optionally, h-functional starter compound in a second reactor, wherein in at least one of the steps (β) or (γ), at least one h-functional starter compound is used, and wherein reaction products formed in step (γ) are continuously removed from the second reactor.

Ethylene carbonate is polymerized by itself or together with another cyclic monomer such as 1,2-propylene oxide in the presence of a double metal cyanide catalyst. Most of the ethylene carbonate adds to the chain to form a terminal carbonate group, which decarboxylates to produce a hydroxyethyl group at the end of the polymer chain. The polymerization of more ethylene carbonate onto the chain end results in the formation of poly(ethyleneoxy) units. Therefore, the process provides a method for making poly(ethyleneoxy) polymers without the need to polymerize ethylene oxide. The process is useful for making polyethers that are useful as water-absorbable polymers, surfactants and as raw materials for polyurethanes. The process is also useful for increasing the primary hydroxyl content of a polyether.

Catalyst complexes include a zinc hexacyanocobaltate with M.sup.5 metal and M.sup.6 metal or semi-metal phases, wherein M.sup.5 metal is gallium, hafnium, manganese, titanium and/or indium and the M.sup.6 metal or semi-metal is one or more of aluminum, magnesium, manganese, scandium, molybdenum, cobalt, tungsten, iron, vanadium, tin, titanium, silicon and zinc and is different from the M.sup.5 metal. The catalysts are highly efficient propylene oxide polymerization catalysts characterized by rapid activation, short times to the onset of rapid polymerization and high polymerization rates once rapid polymerization has begun.

A process for producing a polyol block copolymer in a multiple reactor system including a first and second reactor in which a first reaction takes place in the first reactor and a second reaction takes place in the second reactor. The first reaction is the reaction of a carbonate catalyst with CO.sub.2 and epoxide, in the presence of starter and/or solvent to produce polycarbonate polyol copolymer and the second reaction is the reaction of DMC catalyst with the polycarbonate polyol compound of the first reaction and epoxide to produce polyol block copolymer. The product of the first reaction is fed into the second as crude reaction mixture, the epoxide and the polycarbonate polyol compound of the first reaction are fed in a continuous or semi-batch manner, and/or the product of the first reaction has neutral or alkaline pH on addition to the second. The invention further relates to the copolymers and products incorporating such copolymers.

A polyol block copolymer comprising a polycarbonate block, A (-A′-Z′—Z—(Z′-A′).sub.n-), and polyethercarbonate blocks, B. The polyol block copolymer has the polyblock structure:

B-A′-Z′—Z—(Z′-A′-B).sub.n

wherein n=t−1 and wherein t=the number of terminal OH group residues on the block A; and wherein each A′ is independently a polycarbonate chain having at least 70% carbonate linkages, and wherein each B is independently a polyethercarbonate chain having 50-99% ether linkages and at least 1% carbonate linkages; and wherein Z′—Z—(Z′).sub.n is a starter residue. A process of producing a polyol block copolymer from a two step process carried out in two reactors, and products and compositions incorporating such copolymers.

A method for preparing polyether carbonate polyols by means of the following steps: (i) adding alkylene oxide and carbon dioxide onto an H-functional starter substance in the presence of a double metal cyanide catalyst or a metal complex catalyst based on the metals zinc and/or cobalt to obtain a reaction mixture containing the polyether carbonate polyol, (ii) introducing at least one component K to the reaction mixture containing the polyether carbonate polyol, characterized in that the component K is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of monocarboxylic acids, polycarboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids and vinylogous carboxylic acids, wherein compounds containing a phosphorus-oxygen bond or compounds of phosphorus that can form one or more P—O bonds through reaction with OH-functional compounds, and acetic acid are excluded from component K.

The invention relates to a process for producing a polyoxyalkylene polyol, comprising depositing an alkylene oxide onto an H-functional starter substance in the presence of a double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst, wherein the alkylene oxide is dosed at the mass flow rate m(alkylene oxide), the H-functional starter substance is dosed at the mass flow rate m(starter substance), and the double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst is dosed in a dispersant at the mass flow rate m(DMC) continuously into the reactor with the reaction volume V during the reaction, and the resulting reaction mixture is continuously removed from the reactor, and wherein the quotient of the sum of the mass flow rates Σ{dot over (m)} of {dot over (m)}(alkylene oxide), {dot over (m)}(starter substance) and {dot over (m)}(DMC) to give the reaction volume V in the steady state is greater than or equal to 1200 g/(h.Math.L).