A Bibliometric Survey on Polyisobutylene Manufacture

Jessica B Alves,Daniela Campos,Mateus K Vasconcelos,Lys H R Mangia,Maxmiliano Tatagiba,Marcio Henrique S Andrade,Marcio V Rebouças,José Carlos Pinto,Pedro L Invernici,Juliana Fidalgo

doi:10.3390/pr9081315

Abstract

Polyisobutylenes (PIB) constitute a versatile family of polymer materials that have been used mainly as fuel and lubricant additives. Particularly, the current commercial demand for highly reactive polyisobutylene (HR-PIB) products motivates the development of new processes and procedures to produce PIBs with high polymer yields, narrow molar mass distributions and high vinyl contents. For this reason, a bibliometric survey is presented here to map and discuss important technical aspects and technological trends in the field of solution cationic polymerization of isobutylenes. It is shown that investigations in this field are concentrated mainly on developed countries and that industrial initiatives indicate high commercial interest and significant investments in the field. It is also shown that use of catalyst systems based on AlCl3 and ether cocatalysts can be very beneficial for PIB and HR-PIB manufacture. Finally, it is shown that investigations search for cheaper and environmentally friendly catalysts and solvents that can be employed at moderate temperatures, particularly for the production of HR-PIB.

Highlights

Published: 29 July 2021Polyisobutylenes (PIB) constitute a highly versatile family of saturated aliphatic polymer materials that are produced as commodity products, in much lower volumes than other typical polymer commodities
In the 1990s there was an apparent increase in academic interest in this field, which can be related to the appeal of the newly developed highly reactive polyisobutylene (HR-PIB) products and to implementation of worldwide policies, encouraging the development of environmentally safe practices and imposing restrictions on vehicular polluting emissions [8]
As a matter of fact, functionalized HR-PIB materials can be used as fuel and lubricant additives for enhancement of engine performance, diminishing the production of particle residues and reducing the emissions of hydrocarbons and particles [22]

Summary

Introduction

Polyisobutylenes (PIB) constitute a highly versatile family of saturated aliphatic polymer materials that are produced as commodity products, in much lower volumes than other typical polymer commodities. PIBs were originally developed by BASF SE in 1931, presenting several important and characteristic properties, including low glass and crystallization temperatures (−60 and 5 ◦ C, respectively), relatively high densities (0.9 g/mL), and low permeabilities for common small molecules [1,2,3]. PIBs find numerous important commercial applications as food additives, chewing gums, additives for cosmetic products and raw materials for manufacture of lube additives, metalworking fluids, adhesives and a number of different materials used in Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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