Polyisobutylene (PIB) and its versatile applications
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| Polyisobutylene（PIB） | molecular weights | low Mw PIB |
| medium Mw PIB | ||
| high Mw PIB | ||
| vinyl molar fraction | high reactivity PIB | |
| low reactivity PIB | ||
| hygiene | food-grade PIB | |
| industrial-grade PIB |
Polyisobutylene (PIB) is polymerized from isobutylene. According to molecular weights, it is divided into low molecular weight polyisobutylene, medium molecular weight polyisobutylene, and high molecular weight polyisobutylene;
According to the vinyl molar fraction, it is divided into polyisobutylene with high activity and polyisobutylene with low activity. The finished PIB is a mixture of three main isomers (type alpha, type B, and type T). Among them, the type alpha olefin end group has the highest activity and type T is basically inactive. The content and relative molecular mass of active end groups are its most important quality parameters and serve as the main technical indicators for production control and product inspection.
Highly Reactive low molecular weight polyisobutylene HRPIB is a polyisobutylene product with an alpha-double bond (at the chain end) content exceeding 70%;
According to levels of hygiene, it is divided into food-grade polyisobutylene and industrial-grade polyisobutylene.
Low molecular weight polyisobutylene is a non-volatile liquid with stable chemical properties. It does not form residues after volatilization or thermal decomposition at high temperatures. It is resistant to oxidation, impermeable to water vapor and other gases, and is hydrophobic. It is mainly used to produce low molecular weight ashless dispersants and prepare two-stroke oil.
Medium molecular weight polyisobutylene is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic viscous, or semi-solid substance with good heat resistance, oxidation resistance, ozone resistance, ultraviolet resistance, chemical resistance and other properties. It has high volume resistivity and expansion It has a small coefficient, does not contain harmful dielectric substances, has excellent electrical insulation, and has no carbon residue after cracking. It is mainly used as electrical insulation materials, adhesives, sealants, etc., as well as polymer blending modifiers.
High molecular weight polyisobutylene is actually a kind of rubber and can be used together with natural rubber.
Highly reactive polyisobutylene(HRPIB) is generally made from high-purity isobutylene as raw material. Its main purpose is to produce polyisobutylene ashless dispersant, an additive for internal combustion engine lubricants. Using highly active polyisobutylene as raw material and using direct thermal addition method, high-quality ashless dispersants can be easily prepared without using chlorine.
Low-activity polyisobutylene (PIB) is generally made from C4 as raw material. Although ashless dispersants can also be prepared, chlorine gas is required. In the process of producing ashless dispersions by chlorination, toxic chlorine gas is used, so the synthesis process is relatively dangerous, and HCI is produced in the process， the reactor is prone to be corroded， and the product contains chlorine.
Food-grade polyisobutylene can be used in chewing gum, gum, food packaging, and other fields; while industrial-grade polyisobutylene can only be used in non-food fields.
Applications of Low Reactive Low Molecular Weight Polyisobutylene
Application in lubricating oil
- PIB can be used to produce ashless dispersants.
- PIB is main compounding agent of Gasoline detergent.
- In two-stroke engine oil, PIB can not only improve the oil's lubrication performance, but also improve the oil's combustion performance and exhaust clogging;
- After adding PIB to oil, the antioxidant performance and smoke exhaust performance can be significantly improved; its thermal decomposition performance greatly improves the combustion performance and exhaust clogging performance of the oil;
- After adding PIB to the oil, its oxidation property is greatly improved, and the smoke exhaust performance is also significantly improved.
- PIB has excellent shear stability and can be used to prepare hydraulic oil and multi-grade gear oil; However, multi-grade internal combustion engine oils with lower viscosity grades and large spans cannot be configured because PIB has poor thickening ability and low temperature performance.
Application in emulsion explosives
Emulsion explosives prepared from polyisobutylene have good performance.
Application in medicine
The application of PIB in medicine mainly relies on its colorless, odorless, and non-toxic characteristics. The chemical properties of isobutylene are stable and can ensure the original properties and therapeutic effects of the drug, so it is suitable for different types of drugs.
Application in cosmetics
The main applications of PIB in cosmetics include skin cream, lipstick, and makeup.
Application of High Reactive Polyisobutylene(HRPIB)
HRPIB has good low-temperature dispersion and high-temperature detergency. It can be used as a lubricating oil additive for the production of oil products;
it is compatible with general non-polar substances and polymer materials.
HRPIB is mainly used for the thermal addition method to produce ashless dispersants for oil products (i.e. polyisobutylene succinimide).
As long as it is a field where ordinary PIB is applied, HRPIB can be applied in almost all fields.
Such as lubricating oil viscosity index improver, paraffin wax, rubber improver, electrical insulation materials, gap sealing materials, slowly releasing nitrogen-containing fertilizers, drag reducing agents for oil field fracturing fluids, wire rope oil, chewing gum base glue, waterproof explosives, Rocket propellant components, pharmaceutical and cosmetic moisturizers, etc.
The production cost of HRPIB is higher than that of ordinary PIB. HRPIB is currently mainly used to produce some high-end products, such as ashless dispersants, namely polyisobutylene succinimide and polyisobutylene amine (PIBA).
Using polyisobutylene with very narrow molecular weight distribution as the main raw material, polyisobutylene amine (PIBA) can be prepared through oxidation, aminolysis, compounding, and other processes. Polyisobutylene amine is the main component of the fourth-generation gasoline detergent and dispersant. This type of gasoline detergent and dispersant has the functions of demulsification, dispersion, detergency, antioxidant, and rust removal.
