Kinetic study of gas phase olefin polymerization with a TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst. II. Kinetic parameter estimation and model building

Monomer transport and polymerization kinetics are two key phenomena in olefin polymerization with heterogeneous transition metal catalysts. To have a better understanding of these interrelated kinetics and diffusion phenomena, a quantitative calculation of the monomer diffusion directly from experimental study is essential. In this work, a novel temperature-perturbation technique is developed to systematically study the kinetic and diffusion limitations in catalyzed gas phase olefin polymerization. A physical model of the particle growth mechanism as well as its mathematical representation is presented and the diffusion limitations occurring in the system at high temperature are characterized and quantitatively analyzed. Finally, the practical implications of the results of this study on the operation of industrial scale polyolefin reactors are examined. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 2075-2096, 1997     

Development of novel MgCl2 supported catalyst with trivalent titanocene complex of CP2TiCl2AlCl2 for propylene polymerization

Three kinds of MgCl₂‐supported trivalent titanocene catalyst (Cat. 1: Cp₂TiCl₂AlCl₂/MgCl₂, Cat. 2: CpCp*TiCl/MgCl₂, Cat. 3: Cp₂TiCl/MgCl₂) were prepared and tested for propylene polymerization. It was found that Cat. 1, combined with ordinary alkylaluminum as cocatalyst, produced PP containing 31.8 wt % of isotactic PP in fairly good yield. On the other hand, Cats. 2 and 3 hardly showed any activity. The effects of diisopropyldimethoxysilane (DIPDMS) on isospecificity of the Cat. 1 also were investigated. The isotactic index (I.I.) of PP was improved drastically by the addition of DIPDMS as external donor and reached the value as high as 98.4%, even in the absence of any internal donors. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3355–3359, 2000     

A study of polyethylene-gr-2-tert-butyl amino methacrylate-supported TiCl4 catalyst for ethylene polymerization

The use of a polyethylene-based copolymer with dual functional groups (polyethylene-gr-2-tert-butyl amino ethyl methacrylate) as the support for TiCl₄ catalyst in ethylene polymerization was studied. Different methods for treating the support were examined and treatment with BuMgCl was found to be the most effective. With the BuMgCl-modified support, a 12-run Plackett-Burman design was used to screen 11 factors in catalyst preparation. Statistical analysis of the results from this design identified significant factors with the amount of BuMgCl singled out to be the most important one for the four response variables of interest, Mg loading, Ti loading, catalyst activity per gram catalyst, and catalyst activity per gram Ti. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Comparative characterization of MgCl2/ethyl benzoate/TiCl4 and MgCl2/2,2,6,6 tetramethylpiperidine/TiCl4 Ziegler-Natta precatalysts

In this article we present the results of the preparation and characterization of two Ziegler–Natta precatalysts: MgCl₂/Ethyl benzoate (EB)/TiCl₄ and MgCl₂/2,2,6,6 tetramethylpiperidine (TMPiP)/TiCl₄ by means of FTIR, X-ray diffraction, SEM, BET surface area measurements, and other techniques applied at different steps of their preparation procedures. The precatalysts were prepared by impregnating with TiCl₄ a given amount of MgCl₂, which was previously ball-milled with the electron donor chosen. Prior to impregnation, the ball-milled material presented different surface compounds depending on the electron donor used: [(MgCl₂)₂] · 2EB, MgCl₂ · EB, or a salt of the amine. The solid milled with EB is more homogeneous than the one milled with the TMPiP. Titanium is better retained in the solid milled with EB. This precatalyst has better morphological properties and larger BET surface area. By means of FTIR, we found evidences that an adequate surface structure for the formation of stereospecific sites in MgCl₂/TMPiP/TiCl₄ was formed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Copolymerization of ethylene–1-Hexene over a thermally pretreated MgCl2/THF/TiCl4 bimetallic catalyst

MgCl₂/THF/TiCl₄ (TT-0) were thermally pretreated at 80°C for 5 min (TT-1) and 60 min (TT-2), and at 108°C for 5 min (TT-3) and 60 min (TT-4). These thermally pretreated catalysts showed comonomer enhancement effects in the ethylene-1-hexene copolymerization, while TT-0 catalyst did not. Comonomer enhancement effect of thermally pretreated catalysts could come from the generation of new active sites and change of its nature after heat treatment. 1-Hexene content in copolymer obtained with TT-1 was higher than those of TT-4 and TT-0. The morphology of homopolyethylene (PE) obtained with TT-1, 2, 3, and 4 was more regular and homogeneous than that of TT-0. This result could be due to the generation of active sites and change of its nature after thermal treatment of bimetallic catalyst. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2769–2776, 1997     

Synthesis and characterization of tridentate [O−N(H)X] titanium complexes and their applications in olefin polymerization

A series of [O^?N(H)X]TiCl₃ complexes derived from (arylamino)methylene phenol are prepared. The molecular structures of the complexes are characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and X‐ray analysis. Upon activation with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), the titanium complexes display high thermal stability and single‐site like ethylene (co)polymerization behavior at the temperatures of up to 150 °C. 1‐Octene and 1‐octadencene prove suitable to be incorporated into polyethylene backbone at 110 °C and the highest activity of 1.89 × 10⁶ g/mol(Ti)·h·atm can be achieved. The pendant group X has great influence on the catalytic behaviors of the complexes, and PPh₂ proves to be the optimal group. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2495–2503     

The discovery and progress of MgCl2‐supported TiCl4 catalysts

Polyolefins represented by polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are indispensable materials in our daily lives. TiCl₃ catalysts, established by Ziegler and Natta in the 1950s, led to the births of the polyolefin industries. However, the activities and stereospecificities of the TiCl₃ catalysts were so low that steps for removing catalyst residues and low stereoregular PP were needed in the production of PE and PP. Our discovery of MgCl₂‐supported TiCl₄ catalysts led to more than 100 times higher activities and extremely high stereospecificities, which enabled us to dispense with the steps for the removals, meaning the process innovation. Furthermore, they narrowed the molecular weight and composition distributions of PE and PP, enabling us to control the polymer structures precisely and create such new products as very low density PE or heat‐sealable film at low temperature. The typical example of the product innovations by the combination of the high stereospecificity and the narrowed composition distribution is high‐performance impact copolymer used for an automobile bumper that used to be made of metal. These process and product innovations established these polyolefin industries. The latest MgCl₂‐supported TiCl₄ catalyst is very close to perfect control of isotactic PP structure and is expected to bring about further innovations. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1–8, 2004     

Polymer-supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts. II. Ethylene homo- and copolymerization with TiCl4/MgR2/poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) catalyst

A novel polymer-supported titanium-based catalyst shows high activity and nondecaying kinetic profiles for ethylene polymerization. The presence of 1-hexene comonomer drastically increases the catalyst activity, exhibiting a similarity to the MgCl₂-supported catalysts. However, the nondecaying kinetic profiles of copolymerization distinguish this catalyst from the latter. Infrared analysis indicates that the transition metals were immobilized on the polymer support via functional groups. The effects of polymerization conditions on catalyst activity have been assessed. Characterization of the resulting polymer product by means of ¹³C-NMR, DSC, and SEM demonstrates a branch-free structure with high melting point, high crystallinity, and high molecular weight for the ethylene homopolymer. The reactivity ratios of ethylene-1-hexene copolymerization are evaluated from ¹³C-NMR analysis data. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetic model of gas phase polymerization of 1,3-butadiene catalyzed by supported rare earth coordination system

Gas phase polymerization of 1,3-butadiene (Bd) catalyzed by supported rare earth coordination system is studied and a new kinetic model is proposed. Four elementary reactions or processes: the process of exposure and activation of potential active catalytic center, propagation, deactivation and chain transfer reaction to alkyl aluminum, are considered in this model. Some important parameters, such as monomer-consuming rate, are well expressed as the functions of macroscopic polymerization conditions such as pressure, temperature, and duration. The model can simulate the whole polymerization procedure satisfactorily.     

Copolymerization of ethylene and 1-hexene with TiCl4/MgCl2 catalysts modified by 2,6-diisopropylphenol

A supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst without internal electron donor (O-cat) was prepared firstly. Then it was modified by 2,6-diisopropylphenol to make a novel modified catalyst (M-cat). These two catalysts were used to catalyze ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization and 1-hexene homopolymerization. The influence of cocatalyst and hydrogen on the catalytic behavior of these two catalysts was investigated. In ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization, the introduction of 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-groups did not deactivate the supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst. Although the 1-hexene incorporation in ethylene/1-hexene copolymer prepared by M-cat was lower than that prepared by O-cat, the composition distribution of the former was narrower than that of the latter. Methylaluminoxane (MAO) was a more effective activator for M-cat than triisobutyl-aluminium (TIBA). MAO led to higher yield and more uniform chain structure. In 1-hexene homopolymerization, the presence of 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-groups lowered the propagation rate constants. Two types of active centers with a chemically bonded 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-group were proposed to explain the observed phenomena in M-cat.     

Distribution of active centers on TiCl4/MgCL2 catalyst for olefin polymerization

1-Octene was polymerized with TiCl₄/MgCl₂—AlEt₃ and the polymerization was quenched with CH₃COCl to introduce a CH₃CO— group onto each propagation chain. The polymer was fractionated by fractional precipitation, and the number of active centers in each fraction was determined by measuring the CH₃CO— content of the fraction. Distributions of the number and reactivity of active centers among the fractions were determined and discussed based on these experiments. The active center distributions were also studied by fitting the molecular-weight distribution (MWD) curve from GPC with multiple Schulz-Flory most-probable distributions. The uncontinuous reactivity distribution of active centers reveals that there exist limited types of active centers on the catalyst. Five types of active center were distinguished by the MWD fitting treatment. The correlations between the active center distributions and catalyst structures are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Copolymerization of ethylene and 1-butene with highly active Ticl4/THF/Mgcl2, Ticl4/THF/Mgcl2/SiO2, and TiCl3.1/3AlCl3 catalysts

Highly active catalysts for copolymerization have been prepared by the precipitation of MgCl₂/ToCl₄ complex with or without high surface area silica. Copolymerization of ethylene and 1-butene has been tested by using the prepared catalysts at various concentrations of 1-butene. The catalytic activities are 20–80 kg/g Ti h. The rate of copolymerization is strongly affected by the addition of 1-butene. The decay rate of copolymerization is first order with respect to time. Analyses of copolymers with solvent extraction, DSC, IR, XRD, and NMR were performed. Ethylene reactivity ratio (k₁₁) for TiCl₄/MgCl₂/THF catalyst is calculated to be about 26 by NMR spectrum. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of experimental conditions on ethylene polymerization with in‐situ‐supported metallocene catalyst

Ethylene polymerization was carried out with a novel in‐situ‐supported metallocene catalyst that eliminates the need for a supporting step before polymerization. The influence of the metallocene amount, aluminum to zirconium mole ratio, temperature, pressure, and cocatalyst type on polymerization kinetics and molecular weight distribution of the produced polyethylene was studied. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1803–1810, 2000     

Copolymerization of propene with high-1-olefin using a MgCl2/TiCl4 catalyst

Copolymerization of propene and 1-olefins including 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene, and 1-hexadecene were studied with the catalyst system MgCl₂/TiCl₄-Al(i-Bu)₃. It was found that the polymerization productivity and the consumption rate of propene are improved significantly in the presence of the comonomer. The total productivity of propene/1-olefin copolymerizations decreases as follows: 1-octene> 1-decene>1-dodecene>1-hexadecene>1-tetradecene. The reactivity ratios were estimated from the copolymerization results. ¹³C NMR was used to characterize the microstructures of propene/1-octene copolymer. Finally, the oxygen enrichment behavior of propene/1-octene copolymer was investigated.     

TiCl4/XROH/MgCl2/Et3Al催化剂合成宽分子量分布乙烯/1-己烯共聚物

采用MgCl₂负载TiCl₄及1,3-二氯-2-丙醇给电子体(XROH),与三乙基铝助催化剂组成的催化剂体系,合成了1-己烯共聚率高且宽分子量分布的乙烯/1-己烯共聚物。 讨论了催化体系的组成、配比和聚合条件对乙烯/1-己烯共聚合行为,共聚物结构、分子量及分子量分布的影响。 结果表明,n(Ti)∶n(Mg)=10∶1,n(XROH)∶n(MgCl₂)=2.6∶1,n(Al)∶n(Ti)=100∶1,乙烯压力0.45 MPa,聚合温度80 ℃,聚合时间2 h,共聚单体(1-hexene)浓度0.25 mol/L时,催化效率达23.2 kg/g cat。 采用¹³C NMR、X-ray、SEM、WAXD、DSC、GPC等测试技术对催化剂、共聚物的结构进行了表征。 结果表明,在Zieglar-Natta(Z-N)催化体系中,给电子体多卤代醇与TiCl4结合,载体MgCl2的晶体结构发生了变化。 结晶度降低,有利于催化剂负载量的提高(ω(Ti)=4.8%)和催化效率增大。 催化体系产生了多种活性中心,使聚烯烃分子量分布变宽(15~20)。 多卤代醇还可增强1-己烯与乙烯的共聚能力,在共聚物中1-己烯的摩尔分数达5.1%。     

Adsorption of TiCl4 and electron donor on defective MgCl2 surfaces and propylene polymerization over Ziegler-Natta catalyst: A DFT study

The formations of defective MgCl₂ surfaces, and subsequent adsorption of Ti species and electron donor, as well as propylene polymerization over the Ziegler-Natta catalyst have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) method. Twelve possible support models of regular and defective MgCl₂ (110) and (100) surfaces were built. The individual adsorptions of titanium chlorides as mononuclear or dinuclear, and ethyl benzoate (EB) as electron donor, on these models were evaluated. The analysis of energies presented the cases of EB adsorption were generally more stable than titanium chlorides on both surfaces. Thus, EB as internal electron donor mainly prevented TiCl₄ from coordinating on the MgCl₂ surfaces where mostly non-stereospecific active sites could be formed. Exceptionally, A5 the site model with terminal Cl-vacancy on the MgCl₂ support, presented stronger adsorption of TiCl₄ than that of EB on (110) surface. Since the TiCl₄ and ethyl benzoate (EB) would compete to adsorb on the support surface, it seems reasonable to assume that TiCl₄ might predominately occupy this site, which can act as the most plausible active site for propylene polymerization. The first insertion of propylene monomer into the A5 active site model showed that it exhibited good regioselectivity but poor stereospecificity in the absence of electron donor.     

Effect of catalyst aging on catalyst activity and stereospecificity for MgCl2/ethyl benzoate or dioctyl phthalate/TiCl4-triethylaluminium for propene polymerization

The aging of the MgCl₂/dioctyl phthalate (DOP) or ethyl benzoate (EB)/TiCl₄ catalyst was studied. Because of the strong complexation of DOP with the catalyst, only a small fraction of DOP was extracted by cocatalyst triethylaluminium (TEA) during aging, resulting in converting some highly isospecific sites into aspecific ones. No change of the overall number of sites was detected. EB, on the other hand, could be readily removed by TEA, resulting in a large increase in aspecific sites. Clustering of those sites facilitated catalyst deactivation.     

One-phase supported titanium-based catalyst for polymerization of ethylene. IV. Effect of alkyl group at organoaluminium compound on catalyst performance

The effect of a basic layer (SiO₂—R₃Al intermediate) in the one-phase silica supported titanium-based catalyst was investigated using the simple model catalyst systems obtained by reacting the activated silica gel consecutively with R₃Al and TiCl₄. Mode of the interaction of SiO₂ with R₃Al—resulting in the formation of the basic layer—was observed via analysis of the concentration of the unreacted OH groups on the silica surface employing IR spectroscopy and via analysis of the concentration of aluminium in solvent using AA spectroscopy. It was found that nature of the alkyl group in R₃Al modified the structure of the basic layer, thus influencing the catalyst performance including the concentration of both the sum of Ti²⁺ and Ti³⁺ and the ESR-active Ti (III) centers. The sum of Ti²⁺ and Ti³⁺ ranged from 45 to 52 mol % and the amount of the ESR-active Ti (III) species ranged from 6 to 17 mol % of the all titanium content. A significant effect of alkyl group at organoaluminium compound on the molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymer was observed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.