Polycarbonate manufacturing method and polycarbonate

1. A method of producing polycarbonate comprising following step (a) and step (b):

(a) a step of reacting at least one kind of fluorine-containing carbonate selected from the group consisting of a compound represented by Formula (1), a compound represented by Formula (2), a compound represented by Formula (3), and a compound represented by Formula (4), and an aromatic dihydroxy compound in the presence of a condensation catalyst, to obtain a prepolymer; and

(b) a step of heating the prepolymer at a temperature which is lower than a melting temperature of the prepolymer and performing solid phase polymerization on the prepolymer while a fluorine-containing alcohol that is produced as a by-product is discharged out of a system, to obtain a polycarbonate:

wherein, R 1 represents a group represented by CA 1 B 1 R 4 's and two R 1 's may be the same as or different from each other,

R 2 represents a group represented by CA 2 B 2 R 5 and two R 2 's may be the same as or different from each other,

R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or a group represented by CA 3 B 3 R 6 and two R 3 's may be the same as or different from each other,

A 1 to A 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

B 1 to B 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

R 4 to R 6 represent a fluorine atom, R f , or OR f , and

R f represents a fluoroalkyl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a fluoroaryl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 6 to 10 carbon atoms;

wherein, R 1 represents a group represented by CA 1 B 1 R 4 ,

R 2 represents a group represented by CA 2 B 2 R 5 ,

R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or a group represented by CA 3 B 3 R 6 ,

R 7 represents a hydrogen atom,

R 8 represents a perfluoroalkylene group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 5 carbon atoms,

A 1 to A 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

B 1 to B 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

R 4 to R 6 represent a fluorine atom, R f , or OR f , and

R f represents a fluoroalkyl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a fluoroaryl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 6 to 10 carbon atoms;

wherein, R 7 represents a hydrogen atom, and

R 8 represents a perfluoroalkylene group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 5 carbon atoms and two R 8 's may be the same as or different from each other; and

wherein, R 9 to R 13 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or a fluoroalkyl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, two R 9 's, two R 10 's, two R 11 's, two R 12 's, and two R 13 's may be respectively the same as or different from each other, and the molecule includes at least one fluorine atom.

2. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio (fluorine-containing carbonate/aromatic dihydroxy compound) of the fluorine-containing carbonate to the aromatic dihydroxy compound in the step (a) is from 1/1 to 2/1.

3. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the prepolymer obtained in the step (a) has a mass average molecular weight of from 1,000 to 10,000.

4. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the prepolymer obtained in the step (a) has a glass transition temperature of from 60° C. to 120° C.

5. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the prepolymer in the step (b) is in a powder state.

6. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the condensation catalyst in the step (a) is a basic ester exchange catalyst.

7. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the heating temperature in the step (b) is 60° C. or higher.

8. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing alcohol that is produced as a by-product is discharged out of the system in the step (b) at a reduced pressure of 13 kPa (absolute pressure) or less.

9. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing carbonate is at least one selected from the group consisting of bis(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl)carbonate, bis(perfluoro(t-butyl))carbonate, and bis(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6-decafluorocyclohexyl)carbonate.

10. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the aromatic dihydroxy compound is 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane.

11. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing carbonate is produced by a reaction using at least one fluorine-containing alcohol selected from the group consisting of a compound represented by Formula (5) and a compound represented by Formula (6), as a starting material;

wherein, R 1 represents a group represented by CA 1 B 1 R 4 ,

R 2 represents a group represented by CA 2 B 2 R 5 ,

R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or a group represented by CA 3 B 3 R 6 ,

R 7 represents a hydrogen atom,

R 8 represents a perfluoroalkylene group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 5 carbon atoms,

A 1 to A 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

B 1 to B 3 each represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or R f ,

R 4 to R 6 each represents a fluorine atom, R f , or OR f , and

R f represents a fluoroalkyl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a fluoroaryl group (which may contain an ethereal oxygen) having 6 to 10 carbon atoms.

12. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 11 , wherein the fluorine-containing alcohol has a pKa of 12 or less.

13. The method of producing polycarbonate according to claim 11 , wherein the fluorine-containing alcohol is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol, perfluoro(t-butyl)alcohol, and 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6-decafluorocyclohexanol.

14. A polycarbonate which is produced by the production method according to claim 1 , and has a mass average molecular weight of from 20,000 to 200,000.