Effect of methylaluminoxane/transition-metal ratio on the physical properties and chemical composition distributions of ethylene-hexene copolymers produced by a rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2/TiCl4/MAO/SMB catalyst

A silica-magnesium bisupport (SMB) was prepared by a sol-gel method for use as a support for the impregnation of TiCl₄ and rac-Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂. The prepared rac-Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/TiCl₄/MAO(methylaluminoxane)/SMB catalyst was applied to the ethylene-hexene copolymerization under the conditions of variable Al(MAO)/Zr ratio and fixed Al(TEA, triethylaluminum)/Ti ratio. The effect of Al(MAO)/Zr ratio on the physical properties and chemical composition distributions of ethylene-hexene copolymers produced by a rac-Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/TiCl₄/MAO/SMB catalyst was investigated. The catalytic activity of rac-Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/TiCl₄/MAO/SMB was steadily increased with increasing Al(MAO)/Zr ratio from 200 to 500. The ethylene-hexene copolymer produced with Al(MAO)/Zr = 300, 400, and 500 showed two melting points at around 110 °C and 130 °C, while that produced with Al(MAO)/Zr = 200 showed one melting point at 136 °C. The number of chemical composition distribution (CCD) peaks was increased from 4 to 7 and the short chain branches of ethylene-hexene copolymer were distributed over lower temperature region with increasing Al(MAO)/Zr ratio. The lamellas in the copolymer were distributed over lower temperature region and the small lamellas in the copolymer were increased with increasing Al(MAO)/Zr ratio. The rac-Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/TiCl₄/MAO/SMB catalyst preferably produced a ethylene-hexene copolymer with non-blocky sequence ([EHE]) with increasing Al(MAO)/Zr ratio.     

Heterogeneous zirconocene catalyst on magnesium support MgCl2(THF)2 modified by AlEt2Cl for ethylene polymerisation

The heterogeneous bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride catalyst of the composition MgCl₂(THF)/(AlEt₂Cl)_0.34/(Cp₂ZrCl₂)_0.01 as determined by FTIR, XRD, and AAS analyses was synthesised and, after activation by MAO, applied for ethylene polymerisation. The catalyst turned out to be stable and more active than those magnesium supported catalysts already known from the literature. The polyethylene produced has a relatively high molecular weight (M_w > 200,000 g/mol), a narrow and monomodal molecular weight distribution (MWD = 2.4), a bulk density of about 180 g/dm³, and monomodal particle size distribution. Application of a ternary Al(i-Bu)₃/MAO/B(C₆F₅)₃ activator decreased the amount of MAO needed and increased catalyst activity, but did not change the reaction mechanism.     

Zeolite‐supported metallocene catalyst for ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization

Commercial zeolite acid mordenite was thermally treated for use as a support for bis(n‐butyl‐cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride [(n‐BuCp)₂ZrCl₂] for the further evaluation of ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization. The polymerization time, temperature, and solvent, as well as the addition of tri(isobutyl)aluminum in the hexane medium, were evaluated. The catalytic activity and 1‐hexene content in the copolymer synthesized with the supported system were very near those obtained with the homogeneous precursor. A comonomer effect was observed for both systems. The polymerization rate profiles were obtained for ethylene polymerization, and the activation energy and monomer reactivity were calculated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3038–3048, 2004     

Effects of cocatalyst on structure distribution of propylene polymers catalyzed by rac-Me2Si(Ind)2ZrCl2/aluminoxane

Propylene polymerization and propylene/1-octene copolymerization were studied using rac-Me₂SiInd₂ZrCl₂(1)/MAO or rac-Me₂SiInd₂ZrCl₂/(MAO + TIBA) as catalyst (methyl aluminoxane, MAO; AliBu₃, TIBA). The structure distribution of the polymers was characterized by temperature gradient extraction fractionation or precipitation fractionation, as well as by DSC analysis of the thermal segregated samples. By comparing the structure distribution of polypropylene and propylene-1-octene copolymer synthesized by 1/MAO and 1/(MAO + TIBA), it is found that adding TIBA in the catalyst system increase the blockiness of the polymer chain, especially in the copolymerization system. It is assumed that, when iso-butyl is incorporated in the aluminoxane, ion pair of the active center and the aluminoxane counter ion may exist in different states that show different catalytic behaviors, resulting in the formation of polymers with block structure.     

Supported metallocene catalysts prepared by impregnation of MAO modified silica by a metallocene/monomer solution

Silica supported (butylcyclopentadienyl)₂ZrCl₂/MAO catalysts were synthesized according to the “incipient wetness” method from a solution of metallocene in a liquid monomer. The monomer was allowed to polymerize yielding a catalyst containing polyhexene (PH), polystyrene (PS) or polyoctadiene (PO). One catalyst containing no polymer was also synthesized. The catalysts were used to polymerize ethene at 70°C and 4 bar total pressure. The measured average activities were 5 300 kg PE/(mol Zr · h) for (BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO/PH/SiO₂, 8 600 kg PE/(mol Zr · h) for (BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO/PS/SiO₂, 3 400 kg PE/(mol Zr · h) for (BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO/PO/SiO₂ and 5 700 kg PE/(mol Zr · h) for (BuCp)₂ZrCl₂/MAO/SiO₂. The polyhexene, polystyrene or polyoctadiene in the catalyst forms a protective layer around the active sites. Even after exposure to air for five hours these catalysts retain some polymerization activity.     

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     

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.     

The Influence of Bridge Type on the Activity of Supported Metallocene Catalysts in Ethylene Polymerization简

Ethylene polymerization was carried out by immobilization of rac-ethylenebis(1-indenyl)zirconium dichloride(Et(Ind)2 ZrCl2) and rac-dimethylsilylbis(1-indenyl)zirconium dichloride(Me2 Si(Ind)2 ZrCl2) preactivated with methylaluminoxane(MAO) on calcinated silica at different temperatures. Polymerizations of ethylene were conducted at different temperatures to find the optimized polymerization temperature for maximum activity of the catalyst. The Me2 Si bridge catalyst showed higher activity at the lower polymerization temperature compared to the Et bridge catalyst. The highest catalytic activities were obtained at temperatures about 50 °C and 70 °C for Me2 Si(Ind)2 ZrCl2 /MAO and Et(Ind)2 ZrCl2 /MAO catalysts systems, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy results and polymerization activity results confirmed that the best temperature for calcinating silica was about 450 °C for both catalysts systems. The melting points of the produced polyethylene were about 130 °C, which could be attributed to the linear structure of HDPE.     

Synthesis of zirconocenes bearing benz[f]indenyl ligand and their use as a catalyst in ethylene polymerization

Benz[f]indenyl zirconium complexes have been successfully synthesized and characterized. Their catalytic activities were evaluated for the polymerization of ethylene. The complexes combined with MAO can be highly active single site catalysts, which display activities comparable with that of the Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO system and provide very high molecular weight polyethylenes. The melting point of the polymers indicates the formation of linear polyethylene.     

Catalytic dehydrogenation of cyclooctane with titanium, zirconium and hafnium metallocene complexes

Metallocene complexes in combination with cocatalysts like methylalumoxane (MAO) are not only excellent catalysts for olefin polymerization but also appropriate catalysts for the activation of alkanes in homogeneous (autoclave) and heterogeneous (fixed bed reactor) reactions. The activities of the catalysts depend on the temperature, the cocatalysts, additives, the central metal and the ligand structure. Generally, complexes with low steric demands and MAO as cocatalyst gave the highest activities. The comparison of different π-ligands resulted in the following activity order: cyclopentadienyl > indenyl > fluorenyl. The influence of σ-ligands and n-donor ligands gave the following activity order: -Cl > -PMe₃ > -CH₂Ph > -(CH₂)₄CH₃ > -NPh₃. The activities depended on the nature of the cocatalyst and decreased in the following order: MAO ? AlMe₃ > AlEt₃. The addition of aluminum powder and the Lewis base NPh₃ increased the activity of the Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO catalyst. The Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO/NPh₃ catalyst showed the highest activity in homogeneous reactions with 458 turnovers in 16 h at 300 °C. The Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO/NPh₃/SI1102 catalyst gave the highest activity in heterogeneous catalysis with 206 turnovers in 5 h at 350 °C. None of the catalysts required a hydrogen acceptor like an external olefin.     

Reduction reactions of the metallocene complex (η-C5H4CMe2C9H7)2ZrCl2

The preparation and characterization of the substituted bis(cyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride complexes (η⁵-C₅H₄CMe₂C₉H₇)₂ZrCl₂ (1a, b) is reported. The isomer mixture of 1a, b was treated with different reducing agents such as sodium and n-butyllithium under various reaction conditions. In these reactions CC and CH activation and cleavage reactions were observed. In combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) 1a, b and 3 showed low activities as homogeneous ethylene polymerization catalysts and no activities towards propylene. Compounds 2 and 3 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.     

Coordination polymerization with the novel η-C20H17Ti(OPr)3 complex

Modified corannulene based transition metal complexes of titanium as a novel group of metallocene catalysts were synthesized and investigated in coordination polymerization reactions as catalysts in the syndiospecific bulk polymerization of styrene. In comparison to the zirconium complex exo-(η⁵-C₂₀H₁₇)(η⁵-C₅H₅)ZrCl₂, the titanium complex η⁵-C₂₀H₁₇Ti(OⁱPr)₃ shows a significantly increased polymerization activity, a considerably improved stereoregularity of the syndiotactic polymer chain, indicated by the increased melting temperature of 269 °C, as well as a higher weight average molecular weight and a narrower molecular weight distribution.     

A new catalytic system for the copolymerization of dicyclopentadiene with CO: PdCl2/phen/M(CF3SO3)n

A new three-component catalytic system, PdCl₂/phen/M(CF₃SO₃)_n, was studied in the copolymerization of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) with CO. It was found that the PdCl₂/phen/CF₃SO₃H catalytic system gave a very low catalytic activity, and the PdCl₂/phen/M(CF₃SO₃)_n catalytic system exhibited high activity when M(CF₃SO₃)_n was introduced instead of CF₃SO₃H. The resultant cooligomer was analyzed using various techniques such as FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DSC and TGA. The results indicated that the copolymer was a polyspiroketal (PS) of CO and DCPD. Due to the tension of the ring of DCPD, the degree of copolymerization is low and the degree of crystallinity is also not high. The effects of ligands, M(CF₃SO₃)_n, solvents, 1,4-benzoquinone/PdCl₂ molar ratio, and temperatures on the copolymerization have been discussed in detail. The results showed that this novel catalytic system exhibited highly efficient activity, especially when 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) was used as ligand and Cu(CF₃SO₃)₂ was used as cocatalyst. The corresponding reaction rate was 49 000 g PS/molPd h when the reaction was carried out at 60 °C and 3.0 MPa of CO. The weight average molecular weight (M_w) and the number average molecular weight (M_n) of the resultant cooligomer were 1180 g/mol and 564 g/mol, respectively.     

SILICA-SUPPORTED NICKEL AND ZIRCONIUM CATALYSTS FOR BRANCHED POLYETHYLENE*

8-Aminoquinoline nickel dichloride and bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride (Cp_2ZrCl_2) were supportedsimultaneously on silica to produce branched polyethylene successfully by combined polymerization. The supportedpolymerization results showed that the molecular weight of polyethylene increased while the molecular weight distributionbecame wider and the molecular chains of oligomers remaning in the final solution became shorter as compared to theoligomers obtained in polymerization processes with pure 8-aminoquinoline nickel dichloride catalysis, as well as theCp_2ZrCl_2 and nickel combination system. With decreasing amount of Ni catalyst in the supported catalyst, the molecular chains of oligomers in the resulting solution became shorter, while α-olefin selectivity increased.     

Kinetic studies on the syndiotactic propylene polymerization catalyzed over iPr(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl2

Kinetic studies on the syndiospecific polymerizations of propylene with iPr(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂/methylaluminoxane (MAO) were performed at 20, 40 and 70 °C and at 5 atm with various Al/Zr molar ratios. The average polymerization activity for 60 min decreased, and the time to reach a maximum activity (t_max) decreased as Al/Zr molar ratio increased. However, at Al/Zr molar ratio of 10,000, catalytic activity decreased rapidly and became the smallest among any other Al/Zr molar ratios after 20 min of polymerization. At higher Al/Zr molar ratio, methylation and cationization progress rapidly, but its polymerization rate decayed quickly due to strong interaction between MAO and metallocene, resulting in less active species. Regardless of change in polymerization temperature, t_max was maintained around 15 min. Stereoregularity was strongly dependent on the polymerization temperature, and active site isomerization was dominant source for stereoirregularity, and it was strongly influenced by polymerization temperature.     

Synthesis, characterization, and ethylene polymerization behavior of [(RR′-admpzp)2Ti(OPr)2] complexes (RR′-admpzp = 1-dialkylamino-3-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)-propan-2-olate)

[(RR′-admpzp)₂Ti(OPrⁱ)₂] complexes (2a-c), synthesized from reaction of Ti(OPrⁱ)₃Cl (0.5 equiv) with 1-dialkylamino-3-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)-propan-2-ol compounds in the presence of triethylamine (0.5 equiv), are pseudo-octahedral with each RR′-admpzp ligand κ²-O,N(pyrazolyl) coordinated to the titanium center. In solution, 2a-c adopt isomeric structures that are in dynamic equilibrium. At 23 °C, 2a-c/1000 MAO catalyst systems furnished high molecular weight polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 2.7-2.8). At 100 °C, 2a-c/MAO catalyst systems exhibited increased polymerization activity and 2c/1000 MAO system furnished high molecular weight polyethylene with a molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 2.1) that is close to that found for single-site catalysts.     

Highly active/selective and adjustable zirconium polymerization catalysts stabilized by aminopyridinato ligands

This paper describes a substantial enhancement of the aminopyridinato ligand stabilized early transition metal chemistry by introducing the sterically very demanding 2,6-dialkylphenyl substituted aminopyridinato ligands derived from (2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-[6-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-pyridin-2-yl]-amine (1a-H, ApH) and (2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-[6-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-pyridin-2-yl]- amine (1b-H, Ap^∗H). The corresponding bis aminopyridinato zirconium dichloro complexes, [Ap₂ZrCl₂] (3a) and [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] (3b) and the dimethyl analogues, [Ap₂ZrMe₂] (4a) and [Ap₂^∗ZrMe₂] (4b) (Me = methyl) were synthesized, using standard salt metathesis routes. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was carried out for the dichloro derivatives. Both zirconium metal centers have a distorted octahedral environment with a cis-orientation of the chloride ligands in 3a and a closer to trans-arrangement in 3b. The dimethyl derivatives are proven to be highly active ethylene polymerization catalysts after activation with [R₂N(Me)H][B(C₆F₅)₄] (R = C₁₆H₃₃-C₁₈H₃₇). During attempted co-polymerizations of α-olefins (propylene) and ethylene high activity and selectivity for ethylene and nearly no co-monomer incorporation was observed. Increasing the steric bulk of the ligand going from (2,6-dimethylphenyl) to (2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) substituted pyridines, switches the catalyst system from producing long chain α-olefins to polymerization of ethylene in a living fashion. In contrast to the dimethyl complexes only [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] in the presence of MAO at elevated temperature gave decent polymerization activity. NMR investigations of the reaction of dichloro complexes with 25 equiv. of MAO or AlMe₃ at room temperature revealed, that [Ap₂ZrCl₂] decomposes under ligand transfer to aluminum and formation of [ApAlMe₂], while [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] remains almost unreacted under the same conditions. The aminopyridinato dimethyl aluminum complexes, [ApAlMe₂] (5a) and [Ap^∗AlMe₂] (5b) were synthesized independently and structurally characterized. The aluminum complexes 5a and b show no catalytic activity towards ethylene, when “activated” with[R₂N(Me)H][B(C₆F₅)₄].     

Phospholyl catalysts for olefin polymerization

Seventeen different phospholyl ligands were incorporated in a total of 22 zirconium complexes, (Phos)₂ZrCl₂, (Phos)(C₅H₅)ZrCl₂, investigated in propylene polymerization catalysis using methylaluminoxane as cocatalyst. Atactic polypropylene with M_n varying from 450 to >20 000 and vinylidene end groups (CH₂C(Me)R) was obtained with activities up to 170 kg/g Zr·h. For the 11 diphospholyls of structure (2,5-R₂C₄H₂P)₂ZrCl₂, catalytic activity was highest with substituents of moderate bulk adjacent to phosphorus (e.g., c-Pr, Ph), whereas complexes with two small (H) or two large (CMe₃, SiMe₃) ligand substituents were inactive. It is hypothesized that optimum activity with MAO requires selective blocking of phosphorus lone pair coordination to aluminum, whilst allowing free propylene approach to the active site. The degree of polymerization increased steadily in the series of 2,5-disubstituted phospholyl complexes, dialkyl<alkyl-phenyl<diphenyl, suggesting that electronic factors are more important than steric factors in determining M_n.     

Synthesis and characterization of ethylene‐propylene‐1‐pentene terpolymers

Ethylene (E), propylene (P), and 1‐pentene (A) terpolymers differing in monomer composition ratio were produced, using the metallocenes rac‐ethylene bis(indenyl) zirconium dichloride/methylaluminoxane (rac‐Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/MAO), isopropyl bis(cyclopentadienyl)fluorenyl zirconium dichloride/methylaluminoxane (Me₂C(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂/MAO, and bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride, supported on silica impregnated with MAO (Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO/SiO₂/MAO) as catalytic systems. The catalytic activities at 25 °C and normal pressure were compared. The best result was obtained with the first catalyst. A detailed study of ¹³C NMR chemical shifts, triad sequences distributions, monomer‐average sequence lengths, and reactivity ratios for the terpolymers is presented. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 947–957, 2008     

Aminosilylene-bridged ansa-zirconocenes for branched polyethylenes with bimodal molecular weight distributions

Reactions of the dilithium salt of aminosilylene-bridged ligands with (Me₂N)₂ZrCl₂(THF)₂ followed by the treatment of Me₃SiCl are found to be an efficient synthetic route to aminosilylene-bridged ansa-zirconocenes, R₂N(Me)Si(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂ZrCl₂ (R = Me (1), Et (2)) and Me₂N(Me)Si(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅Me₄)ZrCl₂ (3). Crystal structure of 3 determined by X-ray diffraction study reveals the presence of π-bonding interaction between N and Si atoms, which is further supported by DFT calculation results. These complexes are very active (>1 × 10³ Kg/(mol Cat.·atm·h)) for homopolymerization of ethylene in the presence of methylalumoxane (MAO) cocatalyst, generating polyethylenes that contain branches as well as bimodal molecular weight distribution (MWD). Methyl, ethyl, butyl, and other longer branches (n ≥ 6) are observed in the resulting polyethylenes. The polyethylenes from 1, 2 and 3/MAO show a broad MWD range (6.3-42.2, 3.5-4.0 and 2.6-3.4, respectively).