Hydrogen transfer reactions of supported metallocene catalysts

The evolution of methane from methylaluminoxane (MAO) solutions is enhanced in the presence of homogeneous metallocenes. This reaction serves as a model for the deactivation of metallocene catalysts. By supporting different metallocenes on a silica/MAO carrier the deactivation reaction by alpha-hydrogen transfer among metallocene active sites and aluminum alkyls can be suppressed. The suppression of alpha-hydrogen transfer is proven for different Al/Zr ratios and by near independence of the polymerization activity on the catalyst aging time, after reaching maximum activity. Aluminum alkyls and MAO leach Cp₂ZrCl₂ from the carrier, the leached metallocene is only active in polymerization if MAO is present.     

Copolymerization of ethene with cyclic and other sterically hindered olefins

Sterically hindered olefins like norbornene, dimethanooctahydronaphthalene (DMON), 4‐methylpentene, and 3‐methylbutene can be copolymerised with ethene by metallocene/MAO catalysts. Different C₂‐, C_s‐ and C₁‐symmetric and meso‐zirconocenes were used. Only isolated and alternating norbornene sequences but no norbornene blocks are formed by substituted [Me₂C(Cp‐R)(Flu)]ZrCl₂ catalysts. The alternating microstructure leads to melting points up to 270°C for ethene‐norbornene copolymers and up to 380°C for the semi‐crystalline alternating copolymer of ethene and DMON. Other sterically hindered olefins such as 3‐methylpentene build more blocky structures with high glass transition temperatures. The mechanism for the insertion reaction of the different catalysts is discussed.     

A novel zirconocene/ultradispersed diamond black powder supported catalytic system for ethylene polymerization

A novel carrier of ultradispersed diamond black powder (UDDBP) was used to support metallocene catalyst. Al₂O₃ was also used as carrier in order to compare with UDDBP. Supported catalysts for ethylene polymerization were synthesized by two different reaction methods. One way was direct immobilization of the metallocene on the support, the other was adsorption of MAO onto the support followed by addition of the metallocene. Four supported catalysts Cp₂ZrCl₂/UDDBP, Cp₂ZrCl₂/Al₂O₃, Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO/UDDBP and Cp₂ZrCl₂/Al₂O₃/MAO were obtained. The content of the zirconium in the supported catalyst was determined by UV spectroscopy. The activity of the ethylene polymerization catalyzed by supported catalyst was investigated. The influence of Al/Zr molar ratio and polymerization temperature on the activity was discussed. The polymerization rate was also observed.     

Investigation of the microstructure of poly(propylene) in dependence of the polymerization temperature for the systems iPr[3‐RCpFlu]ZrCl2/MAO,with R = H,Me, Et,iPr, tBu,and iPr[IndFlu]ZrCl2/MAO

With six different metallocenes, namely ⁱPr[CpFlu]ZrCl₂ I , ⁱPr[3‐MeCpFlu]ZrCl₂ II , ⁱPr[3‐EtCpFlu]ZrCl₂ III , ⁱPr[3‐ⁱPrCpFlu]ZrCl₂ IV , ⁱPr[IndFlu]ZrCl₂ V and ⁱPr[3‐^tBuCpFlu]ZrCl₂ VI propene polymerizations were carried out at different polymerization temperatures. MAO was used as a cocatalyst for all polymerizations. In case of metallocenes II, III and IV an increase in isotacticity with increasing polymerization temperature was observed. This is due to the increased rotation and, as a consequence, to the increased steric demand of the substituent at the cyclopentadienyl residue. With metallocene V a catalyst of in principle the same type was synthesized, but rotation of the substituent is not possible. Here, in the contrary, the assumed effect was observed, that the stereospecificity of the metallocene decreases, while raising the polymerization temperature. In metallocene I there is no rotatory substituent at the cyclopentadienyl residue and therefore a more stereoirregular polymer is formed at higher polymerization temperatures. Metallocene VI produces poly(propylene) with slightly increased isotacticity at higher polymerization temperature.     

Homo-and copolymerization of vinylcyclohexane with α-olefins in the presence of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalytic systems

The polymerization and copolymerization of vinylcyclohexane with α-olefins in the presence of several heterogeneous and homogeneous catalytic systems were studied. It was shown that, with respect to activity in the polymerization of vinylcyclohexane, the tested catalysts can be arranged in the following order: α-TiCl₃ < titanium-magnesium catalyst < metallocene catalyst. Poly(vinylcyclohexane) prepared with heterogeneous catalytic systems is a solid semicrystalline polymer. The properties of polymers synthesized with homogeneous systems differ substantially depending on the type of the metallocene used. In the presence of metallocenes with a C ₂ symmetry, crystalline powderlike products arise, while in the case of metallocenes with C ₁ and C _s symmetries, polymerization yields amorphous viscous products. Molecular-mass distributions of poly(vinylcyclohexane) samples prepared using both heterogeneous titanium-magnesium catalysts and homogeneous metallocene complexes show a bimodal pattern, indicating the heterogeneity of active centers of these catalysts. Upon introduction of a comonomer (ethylene, propylene, and 1-hexene) into the reaction mixture, the activity of all studied catalytic systems increases. When Me₂C(3-Me-Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂ and rac-Me₂SiInd₂ZrCl₂ are used as catalysts, the degree of crystallinity of the copolymers grows owing to the presence of ethylene or propylene units in poly(vinylcyclohexane) chains.     

Polyolefins with high glass transition temperatures

The copolymerization of propene and norbornene with the isospecific metallocene catalyst dimethylsilylenebis(η⁵-inden-1-yl)zirconium dichloride/methylaluminoxane ((CH₃)₂Si[Ind]₂ZrCl₂/MAO) was investigated. Because of the surprisingly high reactivity of the cyclic olefin copolymers with a norbornene content of 11 mol-% up to 98 mol-% were synthesized. The resulting copolymers are amorphous. The glass transition temperatures studied by differential scanning calorimetry measurements increase with rising norbornene content in the copolymer. High glass transition temperatures of T_g > 240°C were found for the copolymers with the highest content of norbornene.     

Copolymerization of ethylene with bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-methanol: A facile route to hydroxyl functional poly(ethylene)s

A direct and efficient route to the synthesis of hydroxyl functional polyethylene was identified by copolymerization of ethylene with bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-methanol prereacted with trimethylaluminium using the catalyst system metallocene/MAO. Copolymerization studies were conducted using three metallocenes, namely, Cp₂ZrCl₂, Et(ind)₂ZrCl₂ and Me₂SiCp₂ZrCl₂ the last one of which gave a copolymer containing as much as 6.2 mol-% of alcohol. The effect of the Al/Zr ratio as well as of temperature was studied. The copolymers were characterized by means of ¹H NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and intrinsic viscosity measurements.     

Synthesis and characterization of materials prepared via the copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐octadecene and norbornene using a [(π‐cyano‐nacnac)Cp] zirconium complex

[3‐Cyano‐2‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)aminopent‐2‐en‐4‐(phenylimine)tris (pentafluorophenyl)borate](η⁵‐C₅H₅)ZrCl₂, [(B(C₆F₅)₃‐ NC‐nacnac)CpZrCl₂], precatalyst ( 2 ) can be treated with low concentrations of methylaluminoxane (MAO) to generate active sites capable of copolymerizing ethylene with 1‐octadecene or norbornene under mild conditions. A series of poly(ethylene‐co‐octadecene) and poly(ethylene‐co‐norbornene) copolymers were prepared, and their properties were characterized by NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and mechanical analysis. The results show that this system produced poly(ethylene‐co‐octadecene) copolymers with a branching content of about 8 mol %. However, upon increasing the comonomer concentration, a drastic reduction in the M_n of the product is observed concomitant with an increase in comonomer incorporation. This leads to a gradual decrease in Young's modulus and stress at break, indicating an increase in the “softness” of the copolymer. In the case of copolymerizations of ethylene and norbornene, the catalytic system ( 2 /MAO) shows a substantial decrease in reactivity in the presence of norbornene and generates copolymer chains in which 5–10 mol % norbornene is in blocks. We also observe that ethylene norbornene copolymers exhibit a high degree of alternating insertions (close to 50%), as determined by NMR spectroscopy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Polymerization Kinetics and Microstructure of Ethylene/1‐Hexene Copolymers Made with Dual Metallocenes

Mathematical models are developed to describe the polymerization of ethylene and 1‐hexene with a constrained geometry catalyst (CGC‐Ti) and with bis(cyclopentadienyl)‐zirconium (IV) dichloride (Cp₂ZrCl₂). Particle swarm optimization is used to fit these models to homo‐ and copolymerization data. The models are also used to describe copolymerizations with mixtures of CGC‐Ti and Cp₂ZrCl₂ to make copolymers with inverse short chain branching distribution. Copolymer molecular weight and short chain branch distributions, as well as polymerization rates with the dual metallocene system, are measured to test whether they agreed with model predictions. The results show that the two metallocenes do not interact strongly when used as a mixture to make ethylene/1‐hexene copolymers.     

The comonomer inducing selective β‐methyl elimination chain transfer: A new approach for end‐functionalizations of syndiotactic polypropylene‐based copolymers

The end‐functionalization of syndiotactic polypropylene‐based copolymers can be accomplished by conducting propylene polymerization in the presence of norbornene using Me₂C(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂/MAO as the catalyst. The detailed structural analyses clearly reveal the occurrence of the β‐methyl elimination chain transfer reaction that leads to the generation of the ethenyl group end‐capped syndiotactic polypropylene‐based propylene–norbornene copolymer. Subsequently, the ethenyl group end‐capped copolymer can be used for the preparation of other end‐functionalized syndiotactic polypropylene‐based copolymers by conducting organic functional group transformation reactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2167–2176, 2008     

Metallocene catalysis in the complex-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

The initiation stage of methyl methacrylate polymerization in the presence of benzoyl peroxide-metallocene (MC) systems is considered, with MC = Cp₂Fe, (C₅Me₅)₂Fe, (AcC₅H₄)(C₅H₅)Fe, Cp₂TiCl₂, Cp₂ZrCl₂, and (C₅Me₅)₂ZrCl₂. The decomposition of benzoyl peroxide in the presence of a metallocene proceeds via the formation of its complex with the metallocene. The catalytic effect of the metallocenes on the initiation of methyl methacrylate polymerization is due to the formation of a metallocene-benzoyl peroxide complex and its decomposition yielding primary radicals. The chain propagation stage is metallocene-dependent, which is explained by the formation of complex sites. Their formation pathway and structures are analyzed using quantum-chemical calculations.     

Alternating copolymerization of ethylene and 1-octene with meso-[dimethylsilylbis(2-methyl-1-indenyl)]zirconium dichloride-methylaluminoxane as catalyst system

Copolymerizations of ethylene and α-olefins with homogeneous metallocene catalysts generally give the corresponding random copolymers with narrow molecular mass distributions. In this study, we have conducted the copolymerization of ethylene and 1-octene with the meso-Me₂Si(2-Me-1-Ind)₂ZrCl₂-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst system, and analyzed the microstructure of the resulting copolymers in detail. The content of the alternating [EO] sequence increases markedly with an increase in the feed ratio of 1-octene to ethylene, reaching over 95% under appropriate copolymerization conditions. We have thus succeeded in preparing the first sample of alternating olefin copolymers.     

Highly active copolymerization of ethylene with 10‐undecen‐1‐ol using phenoxy‐based zirconium/methylaluminoxane catalysts

Activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), phenoxy‐based zirconium complexes bis[(3‐^tBu‐C₆H₃‐2‐O)‐CH?NC₆H₅]ZrCl₂, bis[(3,5‐di‐^tBu‐C₆H₂‐2‐O)‐PhC?NC₆H₅] ZrCl₂, and bis[(3,5‐di‐^tBu‐C₆H₂‐2‐O)‐PhC?N(2‐F‐C₆H₄)]ZrCl₂ for the first time have been used for the copolymerization of ethylene with 10‐undecen‐1‐ol. In comparison with the conventional metallocene, the phenoxy‐based zirconium complexes exhibit much higher catalytic activities [>10⁷ g of polymer (mol of catalyst)^?1 h^?1]. The incorporation of 10‐undecen‐1‐ol into the copolymers and the properties of the copolymers are strongly affected by the catalyst structure. Among the three catalysts, complex c is the most favorable for preparing higher molecular weight functionalized polyethylene containing a higher content of hydroxyl groups. Studies on the polymerization conditions indicate that the incorporated commoner content in the copolymers mainly depends on the comonomer concentration in the feed. The catalytic activity is slightly affected by the Al_(MAO)/Zr molar ratio but decreases greatly with an increase in the polymerization temperature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5944–5952, 2005     

Polymerization of ethylene over metallocenes confined inside the supercage of a NaY zeolite

Metallocene catalysts entrapped inside the supercages of NaY zeolite were prepared by reacting NaY with methylaluminoxane (MAO) or trimethylaluminium (TMA) and then with Cp₂ZrCl₂ (Cp: cyclopentadienyl) or Cp₂TiCl₂. NaY/MAO/Cp₂ZrCl₂ and NaY/MAO/Cp₂TiCl₂ catalysts could polymerize ethylene. The amount of additional MAO for the polymerization was lowered to a mole ratio of Al/Zr of 186. Molecular weights and melting points of polyethylene polymerized with NaY-supported catalysts were higher than those of polyethylene obtained with homogeneous metallocene catalysts. It could be confirmed by extraction experiments that the metallocene catalyst was confined securely inside the supercage of the NaY zeolite.     

Ethylene‐Norbornene Terpolymerization with 5‐Vinyl‐2‐norbornene Using Single‐Site Catalysts

The incorporation of 5‐vinyl‐2‐norbornene (VNB) into ethylene‐norbornene copolymer was investigated with catalysts [Ph₂C(Fluo)(Cp)]ZrCl₂ ( 1 ), rac‐[Et(Ind)₂]ZrCl₂ ( 2 ), and [Me₂Si(Me₄Cp)^tBuN]TiCl₂ ( 3 ) in the presence of MAO by terpolymerizing different amounts of 5‐vinyl‐2‐norbornene with constant amounts of ethylene and norbornene at 60°C. The highest cycloolefin incorporations and highest activity in terpolymerizations were achieved with 1 . The distribution of the monomers in the terpolymer chain was determined by NMR spectroscopy. As confirmed by XRD and DSC analysis, catalysts 1 and 3 produced amorphous terpolymer, whereas 2 yielded terpolymer with crystalline fragments of long ethylene sequences. When compared with poly‐(ethylene‐co‐norbornene), VNB increased both the glass transition temperatures and molar masses of terpolymers produced with the constrained geometry catalyst whereas decreased those for the metallocenes.     

PP/PMMA Block Copolymers by Combination of ATRP and Metallocene Catalysis

PP-b-PMMA has been synthesized by a combination of metallocene catalysis and the controlled radical polymerization technique ATRP. Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO and (Me₄Cp)SiMe₂(N-tert-Bu)TiCl₂/MAO were used for the synthesis of atactic polypropylene. By a series of chemical modifications pp macroinitiators for the ATRP polymerization of MMA were synthesized. The PP-b-PMMA with polydispersities from 1.8–2.8 and an M_n ranging from 8 to 26 kg/mol was characterized by ¹H-NMR,SEC and DSC.     

Donor- and acceptor-modified metallocene-based homogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts

The polymerization kinetics of propene polymerization using metallocene/methylaluminoxane (MAO) homogeneous catalysts have been investigated to explore the role of donor/acceptor interactions and to enhance the catalyst productivities. In the case of the non-stereospecific Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO model system it has been demonstrated that, in addition to the well known irreversible deactivation, reversible deactivations, which are second order relative to the zirconium active site concentration, account for the decay of the polymerization rate. While MAO injection during polymerization enhances the polymerization rate, zirconocene addition deactivates the catalyst which can be reactivated by injecting additional MAO. A sequence of dynamic equilibria involving the formation of active cationic metallocene intermediates as well as inactive zirconocene species, e.g., zirconocene dimers, is proposed. Lewis base and Lewis acid additives have been added as probes to examine the role of such equilibria in the case of metallocene-based catalyst systems such as MAO-activated Cp₂ZrCl₂, racemic ethylenebisindenyl zirconium dichloride (EBIZrCl₂), and racemic ethylenebis (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl) zirconium dichloride (EBTHIZrCl₂). While the conventional donors such as 2,6-ditert.butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TMP) reduce catalyst productivities, even at very low donor/Al molar ratios, increasing propene concentration and addition of trimethylboroxine (TMB) substantially enhance catalyst productivities and affect molecular weights of the polypropylene produced with metallocene/MAO catalysts.     

Heterogenized methylaluminoxane and isobutylaluminoxane as activators for metallocene catalysts

Heterogenized alkylaluminoxanes prepared in situ on the montmorillonite (MMT) surface by the partial hydrolysis of AIR₃ with water of the support are effective activators for metallocenes. The thermal destruction of isobutylaluminoxane molecules in the MMT-H₂O/Al(i-Bu)₃ system has been studied by the temperature-programmed desorption method coupled with mass spectrometry (TPD-MS). The process begins at a lower temperature and is more complicated than the destruction of methylaluminoxane (MAO) in MMT-H₂O/AlMe₃. Isobutyl-substituted aluminoxane and the ansa-metallocene Me₂Si(Ind)₂ZrCl₂ form metal-alkyl complexes that are more active in propylene polymerization than methyl-substituted aluminoxane. The TPD-MS study of the initial stages of gas-phase ethylene and propylene polymerization shows that the nature of the metallocene in the heterogenized metallocene catalysts is an essential factor in the distribution of active sites by the activation energy of the thermal destruction of active Zr-C bonds.     

Influence of the catalyst and polymerization conditions on the long‐chain branching of metallocene‐catalyzed polyethenes

A study was made on the effects of polymerization conditions on the long‐chain branching, molecular weight, and end‐group types of polyethene produced with the metallocene‐catalyst systems Et[Ind]₂ZrCl₂/MAO, Et[IndH₄]₂ZrCl₂/MAO, and (n‐BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO. Long‐chain branching in the polyethenes, as measured by dynamic rheometry, depended heavily on the catalyst and polymerization conditions. In a semibatch flow reactor, the level of branching in the polyethenes produced with Et[Ind]₂ZrCl₂/MAO increased as the ethene concentration decreased or the polymerization time increased. The introduction of hydrogen or comonomer suppressed branching. Under similar polymerization conditions, the two other catalyst systems, (n‐BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO and Et[IndH₄]₂ZrCl₂/MAO, produced linear or only slightly branched polyethene. On the basis of an end‐group analysis by FTIR and molecular weight analysis by GPC, we concluded that a chain transfer to ethene was the prevailing termination mechanism with Et[Ind]₂ZrCl₂/MAO at 80 °C in toluene. For the other catalyst systems, β‐H elimination dominated at low ethene concentrations. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 376–388, 2000     

Propene polymerization catalyzed over MCM-41 and VPI-5-supported Et(ind)2ZrCl2 catalysts

Et(ind)₂ZrCl₂ (C₂H₅(indenyl)₂ZrCl₂) confined inside regular pores of molecular sieves MCM-41 and VPI-5 were prepared and used to polymerize propene with high activity. Stereoregularity, melting point and molecular weight of polypropene obtained were increased and the polymerization behavior was quite different from that prepared with homogeneous Et(ind)₂ZrCl₂. The small, regular and cylindrical pores of MCM-41 and VPI-5 suppress the formation of inactive binuclear complexes between metallocene and metallocene, or between metallocene and methylaluminoxane, resulting in stable active sites and high activity in propene polymerization.