Abstract: Copolymers of polycarbonates or polyarylates with polyether polymers such as polyethersulfones, polyetherketones, and polyetherimides are prepared by reaction of the polyether polymer-forming reagents, e.g., bisphenol A disodium salt and bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone, in the presence of the polycarbonate or polyarylate. The reaction may take place in a dipolar aprotic solvent, or in a water-immiscible aromatic solvent in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst, preferably a hexaalkylguanidinium halide. Hydroxy-terminated polyether oligomers may be produced from the copolymers by saponification of carbonate or ester groups.

Abstract: A method for economically producing aromatic carbonates from aromatic hydroxy compounds is disclosed which in one embodiment comprises the steps of: (i) contacting at a temperature sufficient to keep the mixture molten at least one aromatic hydroxy compound with a catalyst composition comprising the following and any reaction products thereof: (A) at least one Group 8, 9, or 10 metal or a compound thereof; (B) at least one salt; (C) at least one metal co-catalyst; and (D) optionally, at least one activating solvent; (ii) optionally heating the mixture at atmospheric pressure to a temperature above that sufficient to keep the mixture molten; (iii) pressurizing the mixture with carbon monoxide; (iv) optionally heating the mixture under pressure of carbon monoxide to a temperature above that sufficient to keep the mixture molten; (v) optionally maintaining the mixture under pressure of carbon monoxide for a time period; (vi) introducing oxygen to the mixture to a desired concentration of oxygen in carbon monoxid

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of preparing polycarbonate, said method comprising (A) oligomerising in the presence of a catalyst at least one dihydroxyaromatic compound at a temperature in a range between about 220-280° C. and a pressure in a range between 180 mbar and 20 mbar, said catalyst comprising a tetraarylphosphonium compound and optionally a co-catalyst, to provide an oligomeric polycarbonate having a number average molecular weight, Mn, in a range between about 1000 and about 6000 daltons; and (B) in a second step heating the oligomeric polycarbonate formed in step (A) at a temperature range between about 280 and about 310° C. and a pressure in a range between about 15 mbar and about 0.1 mbar, to provide a polycarbonate having a weight average molecular weight, in a range between about 15,000 and about 50,000 daltons, said product polycarbonate comprising less than 1000 parts per million Fries product.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A new method of converting oligomeric chloroformates to high molecular weight polycarbonate is presented. By carefully controlling the relative concentrations and amounts of hydroxyl and chloroformate groups present in the oligomeric polycarbonate, the method of the invention provides for the efficient preparation of polycarbonate while minimizing phosgene usage. The product polycarbonates prepared by the method of the invention are fully capped with no additional phosgene required beyond that needed to prepare the oligomeric chloroformate starting material. The method of the present invention provides polycarbonates having non-detectable levels (<5 ppm) of aromatic hydroxyl endgroups, low polydispersity, and low levels of residual monomer and endcap, thereby obviating the need for monomer and endcap recycle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing silicone copolycarbonates which incorporate both blocky and random substructures. Such silicone-containing copolycarbonates are useful in the preparation of a variety of molded articles such as optical disks. The structure of the compositions prepared by the method of the invention is determined by the method of preparation used and may be used to control physical properties. The copolymers are prepared by forming in a first step an intermediate silicone copolycarbonate possessing either a blocky or random structure and reactive endgroups, and then appending additional structural in a second step which is complimentary to the first step and produces a product silicone copolycarbonate having both random and blocky substructures. The repeat units I and II appended in the second step may be the same or different as those repeat units I and II incorporated in the first step.

Abstract: A method comprises positively displacing a first candidate luminescence material precursor from a dispenser to a first position of an array, displacing a second candidate luminescence material precursor from a dispenser mechanism to a second position of an array and simultaneously reacting the first and second candidates to produce a library of luminescence materials. A combinatorial high throughput screening liquid dispenser assembly comprises a battery of positive displacement driven dispensers for dispensing solutions of precursor luminescence materials, an array plate with wells to receive dispensed solution from the dispenser, a robotic positioning table supporting the array plate to position wells beneath respective dispensers and a controller to control dispensing of the solutions and positioning of the plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and an apparatus for the rapid analysis of data from imaging, spectroscopic, scanning probe, or sensor methods. By application of mathematical transform analysis such as wavelet transform algorithms to one or multi-order data sets obtained from individual samples or sample arrays, the analytical features of the data are preserved while undesired noise is removed, thereby reducing the integration time by more than 10-fold in subsequent measurements. The reduction in integration time enables the high-throughput measurement of combinatorial libraries and rapid dynamic processes, while still providing a signal-to-noise level suitable for a reliable measurement.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a combinatorial coating library including a coating system operatively coupled to at least one of a plurality of materials suitable for forming at least one coating layer on a surface of one or more substrates. The systems and methods also including a curing system operative to apply at least one of a plurality of curing environments to each of a plurality of regions associated with the at least one coating layer, the curing system comprising a plurality of waveguides each having a first end corresponding to at least one of the plurality of regions and a second end associated with at least one curing source. The combinatorial coating library comprising a predetermined combination of at least one of the plurality of materials and at least one of the plurality of curing environments associated with each of the plurality of regions.

Abstract: Organolead compounds such as tetraethyllead are useful in catalyst compositions for the oxidative carbonylation of hydroxyaromatic compounds to diaryl carbonates. They are employed in combination with a Group 8, 9, or 10 metal such as palladium, or a compound thereof, and a bromide or chloride such as tetraethylammonium bromide.

Abstract: A method of making an electron emissive material using combinatorial chemistry techniques is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of pixels of the electron emissive material, each pixel having at least one different characteristic from any other one of the plurality of pixels, and measuring at least one property of each pixel. The measurement may include a measurement of the electron emissive material work function using a Kelvin probe or other work function measurement systems.

Abstract: A crucible for melting a silica for fusion of said silica into a desired shape. The crucible having a main body with inner and outer surfaces comprised of a refractory material. In addition, at least a portion of the inner surface includes a barrier layer comprised of a material selected from rhenium, osmium, iridium, and mixtures thereof. An inlet tube to the crucible being provided to supply an oxidizing gas to a melt zone.

Abstract: A method for treating a cellulose-containing substrate is provided in the present invention, the method comprising contacting a silicone composition comprising at least one polysiloxane or silicone resin containing at least one functional group comprising at least one dialkylacetal group, at least one anhydride group, at least one reactive group, or combinations thereof with the cellulose-containing substrate; and curing the silicone composition on the cellulose-containing substrate at a temperature in a range between about 25° C. and about 200° C. A further embodiment of the present invention includes a formulation containing the aforementioned silicone composition.

Abstract: Polycarbonate compositions incorporating long chain alkylphenol endgroups, for example cardanol, show enhanced pit replication characteristics when molded into optical disks. The enhancement in molding performance is especially pronounced at the shortest mold cycle times tested. Thus, a blend of 75 parts by weight bisphenol A polycarbonate 92 percent encapped with phenol, and 25 parts by weight bisphenol A polycarbonate about 100 percent endcapped with cardanol showed enhanced pit replication performance in optical disk molding trials relative to the same bisphenol A polycarbonate alone and analogous blends utilizing short chain alkylphenols.

Abstract: Oxydiphthalic anhydrides such as 4-oxydiphthalic anhydride are prepared by the reaction of a halophthalic anhydride with an alkali metal carbonate such as potassium carbonate in the presence of a catalyst system comprising an alkali metal bicarbonate such as potassium bicarbonate and a phase transfer catalyst, preferably a tetraarylphosphonium halide.

Abstract: A method selects a best case set of factors of a chemical reaction by defining a chemical experimental space by (i) identifying relationships between factors of a candidate chemical reaction space; and (ii) determining a chemical experimental space comprising a table of test cases for each of the factors based on the identified relationships between the factors with the identified relationships based on researcher specified n-tuple combinations between identities of the relationships. A combinatorial high throughput screening (CHTS) method is effected on the chemical experimental space to select the best case set of factors. A system for selecting a best case set of factors of a chemical reaction, comprises a processor, reactor and an evaluator.

Abstract: Mixed alkali metal salts of phosphoric acid in combination with a co-catalyst such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) are excellent transesterification catalysts for use in the preparation of polycarbonate from bisphenol A and diphenyl carbonate. The mixed alkali metal phosphate salts were shown by kinetic measurements made on a model system composed of p-tert-octylphenol and bis(p-cumylphenyl) carbonate to be inherently more potent catalysts than salts of phosphoric acid comprising a single alkali metal ion. In addition to providing higher rates of polymerization, the new catalysts were shown to provide polycarbonates containing reduced levels of Fries rearrangement product relative to polymerization reactions catalyzed by conventional catalyst systems such as sodium hydroxide together with TMAH co-catalyst.

Abstract: Siloxane bischloroformates are prepared in a continuous process by phosgenating siloxane bisphenols in a flow reactor using a substantial excess of phosgene and sodium hydroxide. While very high levels (>95%) of conversion of the siloxane bisphenol to the corresponding siloxane bischloroformate are achieved using a flow reactor according to the method of the invention, only more modest conversion (˜90%) of the siloxane bisphenol to the corresponding siloxane bischloroformate is attained when analogous batch processes are employed. The process holds promise for use in the manufacture of silicone-containing copolycarbonates which requires high purity siloxane bischloroformate intermediates.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, an application of combinatorial materials development with minimum materials development, minimum variance, and maximum integration is provided. The embodiment is directed to a method of project development of a combinatorial materials development process using DFSS techniques having four major elements. The first element is the use of a design for six sigma (DFSS) process mapping to convert a complex and disorganized process structure to an organized structure that can be further analyzed. The second element comprises the use of quality function deployment houses as a method of flowing critical to quality characteristics (CTQ) through a research project. The third element comprises a transfer function that connects the overall steps of the project to the output which is measured as variability not as mean. Score cards are used as the “function” to total the variabilities of each process step.

Abstract: This method refers to a method by which the physical and mechanical properties intrinsic to a fine-grain structure may be formed in metal billets using pressure treatment. The method is designed to treat rods, bars and other particularly long billets. This method is designed to lower the cost of deformational treatment for long rods and large diameter billets and creates a pre-specified microstructure, including micro-crystal structure, and specific physical and mechanical properties. This may be achieved using various treatment techniques, one of which includes the deformation of at least a part of the billet through reduction of the billets cross-section. In this method, a long rod shaped billet is used. Reduction of the cross-section is achieved using tools that permit movement along and across the billet's axis as well as being rolled about its surface, for example, a roller. In this case at least one support stand is employed for correct placement of the billet.