Unusual features of ethylene copolymerization reactions with binary metallocene catalysts

Ethylene/1-hexene copolymers produced with MAO-activated binary metallocene catalysts, such as combinations Cp₂ZrCl₂ + (Me₅Cp)₂ZrCl₂, (Ind-H₄)₂ZrCl₂ + (Me₅Cp)₂ZrCl₂, Cp₂ZrCl₂ + Cp₂TiCl₂, etc., contain three types of components. Two of the components can be attributed to active centers derived from each individual metallocene complex, and one or two materials are produced with different types of active center. Some of the binary catalysts generate the three components in comparable proportions, whereas other catalysts produce copolymers with one dominant component, which does not resemble the copolymers produced with the individual complexes. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of the “new” copolymer materials.