Page 280 - Engineering Plastics Handbook

242 Engineering Plastics

TABLE 11.3 Milestones of Three Types of LCP

Thermotropic LCP
I I II II III III
1960
1970
1972 EKKCEL ®
(Carborundum) 1974 X-7G
1979 EKONOL ® (Eastman)
(SUMIIKASUPER
®
LCP )
(Sumitomo Chem.)
1980
1984 XYDAR ® 1984 VECTRA ®
[Solvay (Dartco)] [Ticona(Hoechst)]
® 1985 RODRUN ®
1985 EKONOL FIBER
(EKF) (Unitika) ®
(Sumitomo Chem.) EPE(NOVACCURATE )
[Mitsubishi Kasei
(Mitsubishi Chem.)]
®
1986 ULTRAX (BASF) 1986 POLYSTAR (Bayer)
®
®
1987 HAG, HBG ® 1987 VICTREX SRP (ICI) 1987 IDEMITSU-LCP ®
(ToSoh Susteel) (Idemitsu Petrochem.)
®
1988 GRANLAR ® 1988 RHODESTER (Rhone-Poulenc)
®
(Granmont) HX (DuPont)
®
UENO-LCP (Ueno Fine Chem.)
®
VECTRAN (Fiber)(Kuraray)
®
1989 K-LCP (Kawasaki Steel)
1990 1990 MGC-LCP ® (Mitsubishi Gas Chem.)
® ®
1994 ZENITE (DuPont) 1994 SIVERAS (Toray)
®
®
1996 TITAN ® (THERMX ) ZENITE (DuPont)
(Eastman)
2000
®
2003 TITAN (DuPont
acquired from Eastman)
4. Use of asymmetrically substituted hydroquinones such as phenyl-
hydroquinone
5. Use of comonomers containing nonlinear structures such as 4,4′-
diphenyl ether
Commercialized LCPs at present are based on HBA, and approaches 1
to 3 are employed.
Synthesis
LCPs can be manufactured by applying the conventional polyconden-
sation process for polyesters. Although Grammont’s process was based
on the solution method using acid chloride developed by Owens-Coming
[12, 13], processes of other producers are based on the following melt
polymerization process [14–17].
1. Acidolysis-type polycondensation reaction using acetyl derivatives
of aromatic hydroxyl compounds (such as HBA, HNA, and DHB) and