Multidimensional analytical protocols for the fractionation and analysis of complex polyolefins

Although produced from simple monomers that contain just carbon and hydrogen, polyolefin have complex molecular structures that are characterized by distributions in molar mass, chemical composition, and branching. Accordingly, a variety of advanced analytical techniques are needed for the comprehensive characterization of the molecular heterogeneity of polyolefins. These include different fractionation, spectroscopic, and thermal analysis methods. Very frequently, method couplings such as two-dimensional liquid chromatography or the coupling of crystallization- and column-based techniques are required. This review presents the current state of the art in multidimensional analysis of complex polyolefins. It discusses methods for bulk analysis as well as different analytical and preparative fractionation protocols. For different types of polyolefins it is shown that a preparative fractionation according to chemical composition/branching or molar mass helps to reduce the molecular complexity of the sample. Sample libraries can be obtained that may have narrow distributions regarding one molecular parameter. A detailed investigation of such library samples regarding other (broadly distributed) molecular parameters helps to fully explore the molecular heterogeneity of a complex sample.     

A Mathematical Model for the Kinetics of Crystallization in Crystaf

Summary : A series of ethylene homopolymers and ethylene/1-hexene copolymers with different molecular weight distributions (MWD) and chemical composition distributions (CCD) was analyzed by crystallization analysis fractionation (Crystaf) at several cooling rates to investigate the effect of MWD, CCD, and cooling rate on their Crystaf profiles. Using these results, we developed a mathematical model for Crystaf that considers crystallization kinetic effects ignored in all previous Crystaf models and can fit our experimental profiles very well.     

Copolymerization of ethylene and α‐olefins with combined metallocene catalysts. II. Mathematical modeling of polymerization with single metallocene catalysts

The relation between the polymerization conditions and the distributions of molecular weight (MWD) and chemical composition (CCD) of poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐hexene) made with single supported metallocene catalysts was investigated. Understanding the behavior of each metallocene under different polymerization conditions is necessary for designing combined metallocene catalysts to produce tailor‐made polyolefins. In this article, a simple mathematical model based on experimental results is developed and combined with the bimodality criterion developed in Part I of this series to predict polymerization conditions and metallocene combinations that will produce polymers with desired MWDs and CCDs. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1417–1426, 2000     

Cocrystallization of ethylene/1‐octene copolymer blends during crystallization analysis fractionation and crystallization elution fractionation

Blending of ethylene/1‐octene copolymers can be used to achieve a well‐controlled broad chemical composition distribution (CCD) required in several polyolefin applications. The CCD of copolymer blends can be estimated using crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) or crystallization elution fractionation (CEF). Unfortunately, both techniques may be affected by the cocrystallization of chains with different compositions, leading to profiles that do not truly reflect the actual CCD of the polymer. Therefore, understanding how the polymer microstructure and the analytical conditions influence copolymer cocrystallization is critical for the proper interpretation of CRYSTAF and CEF curves. In this investigation, we studied the effect of chain crystallizabilities, blend compositions, and cooling rates on cocrystallization during CEF and CRYSTAF analysis. Cocrystallization is more prevalent when the copolymer blend has components with similar crystallizabilities, one of the components is present in much higher amount, and fast cooling rates are used. CEF was found to provide better CCD estimates than CRYSTAF in a much shorter analysis time. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Bivariate chain length and long chain branching distribution for copolymerization of olefins and polyolefin chains containing terminal double-bonds

Polyolefins containing long chain branches can be synthesized using certain metallocene catalysts such as Dow Chemical's constrained geometry catalyst. These polyolefins combine the excellent mechanical properties of polymers with narrow molecular weight distribution with the easy processability of polymers containing long chain branches. A mathematical model for the chain length distribution for these novel polyolefins was derived from basic principles and an analytical solution for the chain length distributions of the populations containing different number of long chain branches per polymer molecule was obtained. The analytical solution agrees with the direct solution of the population balances and with a Monte-Carlo simulation model. It is also shown that this solution applies for copolymers using pseudo-kinetic rate constants and Stockmayer's bivariate distribution.     

Characterization of polypropylene�Cpolyethylene blends by temperature rising elution and crystallization analysis fractionation

The introduction of single-site catalysts in the polyolefins industry opens new routes to design resins with improved performance through multicatalyst-multireactor processes. Physical combination of various polyolefin types in a secondary extrusion process is also a common practice to achieve new products with improved properties. The new resins have complex structures, especially in terms of composition distribution, and their characterization is not always an easy task. Techniques like temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) or crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) are currently used to characterize the composition distribution of these resins. It has been shown that certain combinations of polyolefins may result in equivocal results if only TREF or CRYSTAF is used separately for their characterization.     

Mathematical modeling of crystallization analysis fractionation (Crystaf) of polyethylene

Four polyethylene samples (PE) with different molecular weight distributions (MWD) were analyzed by crystallization analysis fractionation (Crystaf) at several cooling rates to investigate the effect of MWD and cooling rate on their Crystaf profiles. Using these results, we developed a mathematical model for Crystaf that considers crystallization kinetic effects, which are ignored in all previous Crystaf models. The Crystaf model we proposed can fit the experimental Crystaf profiles of the 4 polyethylene resins very well. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2749–2759, 2006     

负载型催化剂制备的聚丙烯等规度分布

负载型Ziesler－Natta催化剂中存在许多活性中心［'3，为了解其本质，需对其各自产生的聚合物进行分离，以往采用的溶剂抽提法［'－'j只能将聚合物大致分级．最近，升温淋洗分级法（TREF）已被运用于聚丙烯的分级卜，'，其原理是根据聚合物的结晶度分级D'，影响聚丙烯结晶性的主要因素是等规度，而分子量到达一定程度后其影响较小，故通过TREF分级可得到聚丙烯的等规度分布．TREF法的淋洗温度可控，故分级效果较好．该法在分级前需对样品进行等温结晶处理，以消除抽提法由于样品未必充分结晶而带来的误差．本文用TREF法对不同催化…     

烯烃配位聚合二十年

聚烯烃树脂是消费量最大的合成树脂种类,性能优异,用途广泛。二十多年来,烯烃配位聚合技术取得了突飞猛进的发展,在催化剂、聚合方法、聚合工艺方面都有重大突破。本文综述了二十多年来烯烃配位聚合的研究发展情况,包括Ziegler-Natta催化剂,茂金属催化剂,非茂金属催化剂,配位聚合机理,功能化聚烯烃的制备,原位共聚制备LLDPE,原位聚合制备纳米复合材料,活性配位聚合以及Spherizone工艺等方面的成就。     

Copolymerization of ethylene and α‐olefins with combined metallocene catalysts. I. A formal criterion for molecular weight bimodality

Metallocene and other single‐site catalysts can be combined to produce polyolefins with broadened distributions of molecular weight, chemical composition, and long‐chain branching. These resins are finding increasing applications because of their enhanced properties compared to ones made with conventional Ziegler–Natta catalysts. Resins with bimodal molecular weight distributions (MWDs) have especially attractive mechanical and rheological properties. Although the use of these resins is expected to increase, there are very few studies available to quantify MWD bimodality or to decide a priori which combinations of metallocene catalysts will lead to the formation of polyolefins with bimodal MWDs. In this article, a necessary condition for the production of polymer with bimodal MWD using two single‐site‐type catalysts is derived. Additionally, a bimodality index is defined to quantify MWD bimodality. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1408–1416, 2000     

Advanced Characterization of Propylene-Based Copolymers and Olefin Block Copolymers

Summary: The newly developed interactive separation of polyolefins by high temperature liquid chromatography (HTLC) provides new information about the chemical composition distribution of polyolefin elastomers. The technique has the advantage of being quantitative in its separation, and has high resolution for the separation of polyolefins by their chemical composition without influence by cocrystallization. Chemical composition distributions can be determined for individual polymers and blends which contain the full range of comonomer typically present in polyethylene and poylypropylene homopolymers, semi-crystalline copolymers, and amorphous copolymers. HTLC analysis in combination with the other fractionation techniques, such as DSC, TREF, NMR, and xylene fractionation, can be used to estimate the amount of olefin block copolymer present in a block composite produced by chain shuttling catalysis.     

Simultaneous Deconvolution of Molecular Weight Distribution and Chemical Composition Distribution of Ethylene/1-Olefin Copolymers Synthesized with Multiple-Site-Type Catalytic Systems

Summary: Ethylene/1-olefin copolymers synthesized with multiple-site-type catalytic systems typically exhibit broad molecular weight distribution (MWD) and chemical composition distribution (CCD). These microstrucral characteristics can be described by the presence of several active site types, each of which produces chains with distinct chain microstructures. In this work, a new approach to identify the number of active site types and chain microstructures produced on each active site type was developed based on simultaneous deconvolution of the bivariate MWD/CCD information. Chain microstructures produced on each active site type are assumed to follow Stockmayer's bivariate distribution. The proposed approach was validated with simulated data of model ethylene/1-butene and ethylene/1-octene copolymers.     

Effect of reactor residence time distribution on the size distribution of polymer particles made with heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta and supported metallocene catalysts. A generic mathematical model

A generic mathematical model for analyzing the effect of ideal and non-ideal reactor residence time distributions on the size distribution of polymer particles produced with heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta and supported metallocene catalysts was developed. It was shown that the residence time distribution in polymerization reactors can have a significant effect on the size distribution of polymer particles and this can lead to imperfect replication of the catalyst particle size distribution.     

Application of a crystallization kinetics model to simulate the effect of operation conditions on Crystaf profiles and calibration curves

Crystallization analysis fractionation (Crystaf) is a polymer characterization technique used to estimate chemical composition distributions (CCDs) of semicrystalline copolymers. The Crystaf profile can be transformed into a CCD using a calibration curve that relates average comonomer content to peak crystallization temperature. The calibration curve depends on copolymer molecular properties and Crystaf operation conditions. In this investigation, we applied a crystallization kinetics model to simulate Crystaf calibration curves and to quantify how Crystaf calibration curves depend on these factors. We applied the model to estimate the CCDs of three ethylene/1‐hexene copolymers from Crystaf profiles measured at different cooling rates and showed that our predictions agree well with the CCDs described by Stockmayer's distribution. We have also used this new methodology to investigate the effects of cooling rate, molecular weight, and comonomer type on Crystaf profiles and calibration curves. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 866–876, 2009     

Calculation of Molecular Weight Distributions in Non‐Linear Free‐Radical Polymerization Using the Numerical Fractionation Technique

Mathematical Modeling of non‐linear polymerization systems subject to gel formation is a challenging endeavor. At the gel point, the second and higher molecular weight moments diverge to infinity making it impossible to obtain the molecular weight distribution (MWD). The numerical fractionation (NF) technique utilizes a refinement of the method of moments to model non‐linear polymerization systems that form gel. Since the method of moments yields results in terms of average quantities, some information is lost when reconstructing the MWD using NF. As a consequence, a broad shoulder appears at the high chain length end of the MWD tail. This study demonstrates that the validity of the gamma distribution deteriorates for the broader branched polymer generations and evaluates the performance of various alternative model distributions. Proper selection of the model distribution enhances the NF‐reconstructed MWD.     

Simulation of Crystallization Analysis Fractionation (Crystaf) of Linear Olefin Block Copolymers

Summary: Linear olefin block copolymers (OBCs) have microstructures that are unique among polyolefins and exhibit properties that are different from those of other polyolefin elastomers. Characterizing their chain microstructures is a challenging task, as conventional characterization techniques cannot probe directly block length distribution or composition. In this work, we used a Monte Carlo model to predict the microstructure details of OBCs and a modified version of the Crystaf model previously developed in our groups to describe theoretical Crystaf profiles for model OBCs. This model can be used as a tool to interpret Crystaf results of these interesting new polyolefins and to relate them to OBC microstructures. Effects of polymerization parameters on OBC microstructure and Crystaf profiles were also discussed.     

Comonomer Distribution in Polyethylenes Analysed by DSC After Thermal Fractionation

Ethylene copolymers exhibit a broad range of comonomer distributions. Thermal fractionation was performed on different grades of copolymers in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Subsequent melting scans of fractionated polyethylenes provided a series of endothermic peaks each corresponding to a particular branch density. The DSC melting peak temperature and the area under each fraction were used to determine the branch density for each melting peak in the thermal fractionated polyethylenes. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) showed no branches whereas linear low-density polyethylenes (LLDPE) exhibited a broad range of comonomer distributions. The distributions depended on the catalyst and comonomer type and whether the polymerisation was performed in the liquid or gas phase. The DSC curves contrast the very broad range of branching in Ziegler—Natta polymers, particularly those formed in the liquid phase, with those formed by single-site catalysts. The metallocene or single-site catalysed polymers showed, as expected, a narrower distribution of branching, but broader than sometimes described. The ultra low-density polyethylenes (ULDPE) can be regarded as partially melted at room temperature thus fractionation of ULDPE should continue to sub-ambient temperatures. The thermal fractionation is shown to be useful for determining the crystallisation behaviour of polyethylene blends.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The reactor polymer alloys: The shifting of the frontier of polymer research

The discovery (1968) of the high yield Ziegler-Natta catalysts based on active MgCl₂ was the beginning of a scientific and industrial revolution that has brought about the creation of superactive, isospecific, spheriform fourth generation catalytic systems. The rationalization of the polymer/catalyst replication phenomenon and the understanding of the catalyst “architecture” effects on polymer shape and morphology has led to the exploitation of the “Reactor Granule Technology”. This has made the generation of a broad range of homo, copolymers and multiphase alloys (Catalloy) possible by synthesis, most of which having a previously unobtainable spectrum of performance (Refs. 1,2,3). The reactor granule technology concept has also been the basis for the achievement of a family of polyolefin/non polyolefin alloys with engineering properties. More recently, the reactor granule approach has been extended so as to couple the advantages of both heterogeneous and homogeneous metallocene catalysts (mixed catalysis), thus allowing the synthesis of a very new family of “in situ” polyolefin alloys.     

Multicomponent analysis of poly(propylene) using fractionation,tacticity and molecular weight data

Heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts are known to contain multiple catalytic sites and produce polymers that contain multiple components. An approach is described in this work that combines fractionation, ¹³C NMR and molecular weight distribution data to determine the number and the characteristics of the different components found in the polymer. The methodology is applied to published data on poly(propylene). The analyses indicate that poly(propylene) made with heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts consists of at least four components. Three of these components obey enantiomorphic-site models, and the fourth component obeys Bernoullian model.