Kinetics and Mechanism of Bulk Polymerization of Styrene Catalyzed by Rare Earth Catalyst

The bulk polymerization of styrene catalyzed by Nd(P204)3/MgBu2/HMPA (hexamethyl phospho-ramide) was carried out in capped glass tubes. The effects of reaction conditions on polymerization conversion and molecular weight in the range of high conversion were investigated. The molecular weight of the resultant polymers is dramatically high and its distribution is relatively narrow. The polymerization process demonstrates the feature of living polymerization and auto-acceleration phenomenon. The auto-acceleration phenomenon is attributed to the non-instantaneous formation of the active species. The experimental data suggest that chain transfer to MgBu2 is one of the factors governing the molecular weight development. A mechanism of polymerization is presented with the chain transfer process incorporated.

Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(isoprene-b-butyl methacrylate) Block Copolymer in the Presence of Rare Earth Catalyst

Poly(isoprene-b-butyl methacrylate) block copolymer with a high molecular weight was synthesized in the presence of rare earth coordination catalyst [RE(P 204 ) 3-Al( i Bu) 3 DBE]. The block copolymer was characterized by means of GPC,IR,DSC,NMR and elemental analysis. The block copolymer prepared has two glass transition temperatures: -75 6 ℃ and 32 2 ℃. The microstructure of the diblock copolymer possessed 96 8% cis 1,4 addition for the isoprene segment and a 70% syndiotacticity for the butyl methacrylate segment.

THE RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF D,L-LACTIDE WITH ONE COMPONENT RARE EARTH CATALYST

(D, L)-Lactide (LA) was first polymerized with one component of rare earth catalysts [Nd(naph)(3), Nd(oct)(3), Nd(O-iPr)(3), Nd(AcAc)(3), Y(AcAc)(3), Sm(AcAc)(3), Er(AcAc)(3))] respectively in solution and in melt state. The effects of [Cat]/[La] molar ratio, solvents, polymerization time, temperature, various rare earth Elements and ligands were investigated in detail. The results showed that both the conversion of polymerization and the molecular weight (MW) of poly (D, L-Lactide) (PLA) in melt polymerization are higher than that in solution polymerization, but the polymerization rate in melt was lower than in solution. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of PLA is broader with increasing temperature. X-ray study indicated that PLA obtained by Nd(AcAc)(3) in melt polymerization is an amorphous polymer.

POLYMERIZATION MECHANISM OF DIENES WITH HOMOGENEOUS RARE EARTH CATALYSTS

The reaction mechanisms of diene polymerization with homogeneous rare earth catalyst are studied by means of the spectra of ~1H-NMR, one-and two-dimensions ^(13)C-NMR. Based on the data of above NMR spectra, it is proposed that the polymerization reaction proceeds according to the following mechanism: η~4-diene (cis-trans-)and η~3-allyl (syn-anti-).

Synthesis of Polyketone STCO Promoted by Rare Earth Catalyst

To lower the cost of polyketone synthesis, rare earth coordinate catalyst was introduced to the copolymerization of carbon monoxide （CO） and styrene （ST） to synthesize aliphatic polyketone STCO. The catalytic system was composed of rare earth neodymium acetate, yttrium acetate, 2,2＇-bipyridine, p-toluensulfonic acid, cupric p-toluensulfonate, and 1 ,4-benzoquinone. The catalyst and the copolymer were characterized by infrared spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy respectively. The effects of each component of catalytic system and the kinds of rare earth acetates on catalytic activity of copolymerization were investigated. The results show that the proposed rare earth has distinct catalytic activity in the copolymerization of CO and ST and the maximum activity can reach 303.3 gSTCO/（mol·h）.

SYNTHESIS OF FUNCTIONAL UNSATURATED POLYESTER BY USING RARE EARTH CATALYSTS 2.TERPOLYMERIZATION OF EPICHLOROHYDRINMALEIC ANHYDRIDE-CARBON DIOXIDE WITH Y(P_(204))_3-Al(i-Bu)_3

Teroolymerization of enichlorohydrin（ECH）-maleic anhydride（MAn）-carbon dioxide（CO;） was carried out by using Y(P;);-Al（i-Bu）;as catalyst for the first time.The terpolymersobtained were characterized by IR and;H-NMR.It was foundthat the composition of the teroolymer was influenced by theaddition mode,initial monomer charge ratio,etc.

Synthesis of PET and Its Copolymer with Rare Earth Catalysts

A new catalyst system was used in the synthesis of polyethylene terephthalate(PET) and its copolymers, which involved a Ln 3+ containing compound. The catalytic effects were studied, and it was found that the direct esterification reaction of terephthalate acid(TPA) with ethylene glycol(EG) can be accelerated by the addition of Ln 3+ containing compound, which acts as a promoter of the catalyst Sb 2O 3 in polycondensation of bis hydroxyethyl terephthalate(BHET).

POLYMER-SUPPORTED RARE EARTH CATALYSTS FOR STYRENE POLYMERIZATION

The neodymium complex supported on styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA·Nd) has been prepared for the first time and found to be a highly effective catalyst for the polymerization of styrene. The SMA·Nd polymeric complex is characterized by IR and its catalytic activity, and the polymerization features have been investigated in comparison with that of the conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts. When [Nd]=1×10^(-3) mol/L, [M]=5mol/L, Al/Nd=170(mol ratio) and CCl_4/Nd=50(mol ratio), the polymerization conversion of styrene gets to 51.6% in six hours, and the catalytic activity reaches 1852 gPS/gNd, which is much higher than that of conventional rare earth catalysts. The polymerization reaction has an induction period and shows some characteristics of chain polymerization. The polymerization rate is the first order with respect to the concentration of styrene monomer. Addition of FeCl_3 does not suppress the polymerization.

Research advances of rare earth catalysts for catalytic purification of vehicle exhausts-Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Academician Guangxian Xu

Nowadays,air pollution has become a prominent environmental problem and has attracted much attention.With the increase of vehicle retention quantity,the exhaust emissions have become the main sources of air pollution.To reduce pollution and hazards,vehicle exhaust emission regulations are becoming stricter and stricter,which puts forward higher requirements for purification of vehicle exhausts.At present,rare earths have been widely applied in vehicle exhaust purification because of their good catalytic performance,which is attributed to their unique 4 f electron layer structure occupied without full electrons,excellent oxygen storage/release capacity and redox ability.In this paper,the current status of rare earth catalysts and application of rare earth in different fuel vehicle exhaust catalysts,including three-way catalysts(TWCs)for gasoline vehicles,diesel exhaust catalysts for different pollutants(particulate matter(PM),NOx,CO and HC)and catalysts for new energy vehicles with different fuels,are summarized in detail.Meanwhile,the corresponding mechanisms and the role of rare earth in vehicle exhaust catalysts are also simultaneously described.Furthermore,the challenges and development directions of rare earth catalysts for the purification of vehicle exhausts are also proposed.

COPOLYMERIZATION OF 1-OCTENE WITH STYRENE BY RARE EARTH COORDINATION CATALYSTS

The copolymerization of l-octene with styrene catalyzed by rare earth coordination catalysts has been studied for the first time. Some features and kinetic behavior are described. The overall activation energy of the copolymerization was 22.2 KJ/mol and the copolymerization rate could be expressed as R_p=K_p [Nd] [M]~2. (=1.68×10^(-3) L^2/mol^2. S, 50℃, [Oct]/[St]=1). The catalytic activity of various rare earth elements in Ln (naph)_3 for the copolymerization was compared and shows the following sequence: Dy, Y, Yb>Ho>Sm, Gd, Nd>Pr>Ce>La>Tm. Both monomers of l-octene and styrene in the copolymerization by Nd (naph)_3-AlEt_3 have the tendency of constant proportion copolymerization. The structure of the copolymers was studied by ~1H-NMR.

Studies on Ring-Opening Polymerization of Chloromethyl Thiirane with Rare Earth Catalysts and Functional Resins Synthesized therewith

Studies on ring-opening polymerization of chloromethyl thiirane with rareearth catalysts and functional resins synthesized therewith were reviewed.

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Isobutane to Isobutylene over F￣－ Modified Rare Earth Metal Oxide Catalysts

ＯｘｉｄａｔｉｖｅＤｅｈｙｄｒｏｇｅｎａｔｉｏｎｏｆＩｓｏｂｕｔａｎｅｔｏＩｓｏｂｕｔｙｌｅｎｅｏｖｅｒＦ￣－ＭｏｄｉｆｉｅｄＲａｒｅＥａｒｔｈＭｅｔａｌＯｘｉｄｅＣａｔａｌｙｓｔｓＺＨＡＮＧＷｅｉ－ｄｅ，ＴＡＮＧＤｉｎｇ－ｌｉａｎｇ，ＬＡＩＷｅｎ－...

Copolymerization of Styrene with N-phenylmaleimide by Rare Earth Coordination Catalysts

Copolymerization of styrene (St) with N-phenylmaleimide (NPMI) was studied with rare earth coordination catalyst Nd(naph)3-AlEt3 in toluene. Characterization of the copolymers showed that the copolymers possess an alternating structure.

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of TiO_2/V_2O_5 Composite Catalyst Doped with Rare Earth Ions

TiO2/V2O5 catalyst doped with rare earth ions was prepared by sol-gel method. Titanium tetrapropoxide and vanadium pentoxide were used as precursor of the composite catalyst and rare earth ions were used as dopant. The crystal phases, crystalline sizes, microstructure, absorption spectra of doped composite catalyst were studied by XRD, EDS, FT-IR and UV-Vis. Photoactivity of the prepared catalyst under ultraviolet irradiation were evaluated by degradation of methyl orange （MO） in aqueous solution. It is shown that the prepared catalyst is composed of anatase and futile. The rare earth ions are highly dispersed in composite catalyst. All the doped catalysts appear higher photocatalytic activity than TiO2/V2O5 catalyst and catalyst doped with Ce^4＋ present the best activity to MO.

Synthesis of 1-Octene Oligomer by Rare Earth Coordination Catalyst

The polymerization of 1-octene with Nd(P_(204))_3-AlEt_3 catalyst has been successfully carried out for the first time.Some features of polymerization of 1-octene are described.The 1-octene oligomer prepared has an average molecular weight of about 10~3 with molecular weight distribution of about 2.It has a terminal double bond,which can be transferred into terminal carboxy group by direct oxidation with KMnO_4 in acidic solution, and then can be esterified with polyglycol.

Rare earth metals modified Ni-S2O8^2-/ZrO2-Al2O3 catalysts for n-pentane isomerization

The effects of adding rare earth(RE) metals,such as Ce,Yb and Pr to Ni-S_2O_8^(2-)/ZrO_2-Al_2O_3(Ni-SZA) on the structure of catalysts as well as their isomerization performance were studied.The prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD,BET,FT-IR,Py-IR,and H_2-TPR,The results showed that the addition of RE metals can increase the strength and amounts of the acid sites,improve the redox properties of catalysts.The Yb-Ni-SZA catalyst showed the best redox properties,which could provide enough metallic sites.In addition,it provided the largest amounts of weak and moderately strong acid sites.Among RE metals modified Ni-SZA catalyst,Yb-Ni-SZA exhibited the highest isopentane yield of 61.7%at 160 °C.The optimum isomerization catalytic performance of the catalysts decreased in the order of Yb-Ni-SZA > Pr-Ni-SZA > Ni-SZA > Ce-Ni-SZA.

Low-temperature activation of methane over rare earth metals promoted Zn/HZSM-5 zeolite catalysts in the presence of ethylene

At low temperature of 723 K, methane can be easily activated in the presence of ethylene in the feed, and converted to higher hydrocarbons （C2-C4） and aromatics （C6-C10）, through its reaction over rare metals modified Zn/HZSM-5 zeolite catalysts without undesirable carbon oxides formation. Methane can get 37.3% conversion over the above catalysts under low temperature, and the catalysts show a longer lifetime than usual metal supported HZSM-5 zeolite catalysts without adding any rare earth metals. The effects of methane activation over various rare earth metal promoted Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts on the products and influences of several reaction conditions such as temperature, catalyst lifetime and molar ratio of CH4/C2H4 have been discussed.

Hydrogen production through diesel steam reforming over rare-earth promoted Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 catalysts

Rare-earth （La, Ce, Yb） promoted Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by impregnation method. Activity and carbon formation resistance of the prepared catalysts were evaluated under various reaction conditions. Catalyst characterizations with TG, TPR and H2 chemisorption were carried out to investigate the promoting mechanism. Experimental results show that rare-earth promoters, especially Yb promoter, obviously improve the activity and carbon formation resistance of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, and Yb-Ni catalyst shows even higher performance than several commercial catalysts. According to the characterization results, Yb promoter enhances the interaction between the active metal and support, thus increasing the active metal＇s dispersion and improving its performance. Furthermore, the obvious difference in diesel conversion between Yb-Ni catalyst and others was shown in the temperature range of 450-550 °C, which would be the reason for its excellent carbon resistance.

A novel fused iron catalyst for ammonia synthesis promoted with rare earth gangue

Rare earth gangue, which mainly consists of mixtures of light rare earths such as lanthana, ceria, neodymium oxide and praseodymium oxide, was used as the promoter of fused iron catalysts for ammonia synthesis. The result showed that the activity of the catalyst promoted with rare earth gangue was comparable with those of commercial iron catalysts with high amount of cobalt. The role of rare earths was owed to their advantages for favoring the deep reduction of the main composite in catalyst, i.e., iron oxide. This fmding indicated that the use of rare earth gangue could decrease the content of cobalt or even completely replace cobalt, which was used to be regarded as unsub- stitutable promoters for high performance ammonia catalyst; therefore, the cost of fused iron catalysts would decrease significantly.