Abstract: The present invention provides methods of forming carbamates, ureas, and isocyanates. In certain embodiments these methods include the step of reacting an amine with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form an activated carbamate which can be further derivitized to form non-activated carbamate or a urea. The urea or carbamate can be subjected to a pyrolysis reaction to form isocyanate.

Abstract: A method for forming a monomeric carbonate includes the step of combining a monofunctional alcohol or a difunctional diol with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form a reaction mixture. Similarly, a method for forming a monomeric ester includes the step of combining a monofunctional carboxylic acid or ester with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form a reaction mixture. These methods further include the step of allowing the reaction mixtures to react to form a monomeric carbonate or a monomeric ester, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a polycarbonate polymer comprising: an isosorbide unit, a polysiloxane unit; and an aliphatic unit different from the isosorbide unit, wherein the isosorbide unit, polysiloxane unit, and aliphatic unit are each carbonate, or a combination of carbonate and ester units and the aliphatic unit is derived from an aliphatic oligomer having a molecular weight of 900 to 4000.

Abstract: An image processing method includes a step of converting halftoned pixels of an image to be printed represented at a first lower tonal resolution into pixels represented at a second higher tonal resolution. Image processing is used on the pixels having a higher tonal resolution to reduce image quality artifacts when the pixels are printed at the first lower tonal resolution. In a preferred embodiment, the image processing includes error diffusion of a sigma delta modulation.

Abstract: A polycarbonate is provided that contains repeat units derived from isosorbide and a residue derived from an activated diaryl carbonate. The polycarbonate has 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide. The polycarbonate contains no more than a maximum allowable amount of sorbitol-derived color bodies. If these color bodies are present in the polycarbonate it has a 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies. The maximum allowable amount of color bodies are present when the integrated area of the 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies divided by the integrated areas of the 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide is 0.025.

Abstract: An ink supply system for an industrial inkjet printer makes use of a least one buffer vessel wherein ink at low pressure is isolated and pressurized to a high pressure suited for feeding the ink to the printhead. A recirculation ink supply system using plural buffer vessels is suited for repressurizing the ink without the use of a pump. The system avoids generation of gas bubbles due to cavitation which are present in systems using a pump for repressurizing ink.

Abstract: A polycarbonate is provided that contains repeat units derived from isosorbide and a residue derived from an activated diaryl carbonate. The polycarbonate has 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide. The polycarbonate contains no more than a maximum allowable amount of sorbitol-derived color bodies. If these color bodies are present in the polycarbonate it has a 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies. The maximum allowable amount of color bodies are present when the integrated area of the 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies divided by the integrated areas of the 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide is 0.025.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a polycarbonate comprising a terminal olefin group of the formula wherein R1 is a C1-C40 hydrocarbon that can be unsubstituted or substituted with a halogen, olefin, ether, ketone, or C4-C30 polyoxyalkylene functionality in which the alkylene groups contain 2 to 6 carbon atoms, R2 to R4 are each independently a hydrogen or a C1-C40 hydrocarbon that can be unsubstituted or substituted with a halogen, olefin, ether, ketone, or a C4-C30 polyoxyalkylene functionality in which the alkylene groups contain 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and optionally wherein any two of R1 to R4 together form a monocyclic, bicyclic, or tricyclic ring system optionally substituted with a heteroatom in each ring.

Abstract: A radiation curable inkjet printing method for producing printed flexible foils and plastic bags includes the steps of a) providing a web-like polymeric substrate having a maximum value for Tan ? between 40° C. and 110° C.; b) providing a single pass inkjet printer having at least one page-wide printhead or at least one set of staggered printheads, a transporting device arranged to transport the web-like recording medium, and a curing device; c) jetting onto the web-like polymeric substrate having a surface energy Ssub, a non-aqueous radiation curable inkjet liquid having a surface tension SLiq, wherein SLiq is smaller than SSub by at least 4 mN/m; and d) curing the radiation curable liquid on the substrate at a surface temperature equal or higher than the temperature of the maximum value for Tan ? and smaller than the melting point of the polymeric recording medium. The maximum value for Tan ? is determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a temperature ramp of 3° C.

Abstract: A melt polymerized polycarbonate comprising repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from the melt polymerization of monomers (II) and/or (III), monomer (IV), and optionally monomer (VIII), wherein monomers (II) and (III) are diaryl dihydroxy compounds, monomer (IV) is a sterically hindered dihydroxy compound, and monomer (VIII) is a non-sterically hindered dihydroxy diaryl compound; wherein the mole ratio of repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]:(IV):(VIII) is 15-70:1-85:0-50, the sum of the mole percent of repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]+(IV) is greater than or equal to 50 mole %, and the sum of the mole percent of units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]+(IV)+(VIII) is 100 mole %; and wherein the polycarbonate has an L* value that is at least 1 L* unit value higher than the same polycarbonate in which monomer (IV) is replaced by bisphenol A.

Abstract: A method of increasing the branching and polydispersity of a polycarbonate includes the steps of: (a) including in the polycarbonate at least one species of an alkyl substituted monomer, and (b) treating the polycarbonate at an elevated temperature and for a sufficient time to increase the branching and polydispersity relative to an otherwise equivalent polycarbonate without alkyl substituents.

Abstract: A melt polymerized polycarbonate comprising repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from the melt polymerization of monomers (II) and/or (III), monomer (IV), and optionally monomer (VIII), wherein monomers (II) and (III) are diaryl dihydroxy compounds, monomer (IV) is a sterically hindered dihydroxy compound, and monomer (VIII) is a non-sterically hindered dihydroxy diaryl compound; wherein the mole ratio of repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]:(IV):(VIII) is 15-70:1-85:0-50, the sum of the mole percent of repeat units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]+(IV) is greater than or equal to 50 mole %, and the sum of the mole percent of units in the polycarbonate derived from monomers [(II)+(III)]+(IV) +(VIII) is 100 mole %; and wherein the polycarbonate has an L* value that is at least 1 L* unit value higher than the same polycarbonate in which monomer (IV) is replaced by bisphenol A.

Abstract: A method for forming a monomeric carbonate includes the step of combining a monofunctional alcohol or a difunctional diol with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form a reaction mixture. Similarly, a method for forming a monomeric ester includes the step of combining a monofunctional carboxylic acid or ester with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form a reaction mixture. These methods further include the step of allowing the reaction mixtures to react to form a monomeric carbonate or a monomeric ester, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of forming carbamates, ureas, and isocyanates. In certain embodiments these methods include the step of reacting an amine with an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate to form an activated carbamate which can be further derivitized to form non-activated carbamate or a urea. The urea or carbamate can be subjected to a pyrolysis reaction to form isocyanate.

Abstract: A polycarbonate is provided that contains repeat units derived from isosorbide and a residue derived from an activated diaryl carbonate. The polycarbonate has 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide. The polycarbonate contains no more than a maximum allowable amount of sorbitol-derived color bodies. If these color bodies are present in the polycarbonate it has a 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies. The maximum allowable amount of color bodies are present when the integrated area of the 1H-NMR peak associated with the color bodies divided by the integrated areas of the 1H-NMR peaks associated with the repeat units derived from isosorbide is 0.025.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of producing high molecular weight polymer. A method of forming polycarbonate includes the step of combining in a reaction mixture a diaryl carbonate, a transesterification catalyst, an aliphatic dihydroxy compound, and a diacid compound in a reactor system. The temperature and pressure of the reactor system are adjusted to a first reactor setpoints and the reaction mixture is monitored to detect initiation of the exothermic oligomerization reaction. The reactor setpoint are adjusted to second reactor setpoints after detection of initiation of the exothermic oligomerization reaction. The reactor system is maintained at the second reactor setpoints to allow the reaction mixture to react to form an oligomer mixture.

Abstract: A method of making a polycarbonate is described. The method comprises melt reacting an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate and a multifunctional compound of the formula: in the presence of catalyst to form an oligomer comprising less than 2,000 ppm of an ester-linked terminal group, and melt polymerizing the oligomer to form a polycarbonate. Use of specific reaction conditions produces a polycarbonate having an Mw of greater than or equal to 25,000 g/mol as determined by gel-permeation chromatography relative to polystyrene standards. Polycarbonates comprising units derived from the multifunctional compound, including homopolycarbonates, aliphatic copolycarbonates further comprising units derived from an aromatic dihydroxy compound, and aliphatic polycarbonate-polyesters, are also disclosed, as are a thermoplastic composition and an article including the disclosed polycarbonates.

Abstract: A method of forming polycarbonate includes the steps of introducing a plurality of reaction components to a reactor operating under melt polymerization conditions and removing ester-substituted phenol from the reactor. The plurality of reaction components include a dihydroxy compound, an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate, and a melt transesterification catalyst. The reaction components are introduced in a plurality of reaction component streams. A first reaction component streams includes a melt transesterification catalyst dissolved or suspended in a liquid carrier containing an ester-substituted phenol. The composition of the first reaction component stream is selected such that ester-substituted phenol is not generated as a reaction product in the first reaction component stream.

Abstract: A method of making polycarbonate includes the steps of forming polycarbonate by a melt transesterification method using an activated diaryl carbonate, and compounding the polycarbonate with a phosphorus-containing compound that has an abstractable proton or hydrolyzable group. The phosphorus-containing compound is compounded with the polycarbonate in an amount sufficient to result in an improvement in the color properties of the polycarbonate as compared to pellets formed from the same polycarbonate without addition of the phosphorus-containing compound.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of producing high molecular weight polymer. A method of forming polycarbonate includes the step of combining in a reaction mixture a diaryl carbonate, a transesterification catalyst, an aliphatic dihydroxy compound, and a diacid compound in a reactor system. The temperature and pressure of the reactor system are adjusted to a first reactor setpoints and the reaction mixture is monitored to detect initiation of the exothermic oligomerization reaction. The reactor setpoint are adjusted to second reactor setpoints after detection of initiation of the exothermic oligomerization reaction. The reactor system is maintained at the second reactor setpoints to allow the reaction mixture to react to form an oligomer mixture.