Mesoporous Silica Supported Multiple Single‐Site Catalysts and Polyethylene Reactor Blends with Tailor‐Made Trimodal and Ultra‐Broad Molecular Weight Distributions

A ternary blend of the bisiminopyridine chromium (III) (Cr‐ 1 ) with the bisiminopyridine iron (II) (Fe‐ 2 ) post‐metallocenes with the quinolylsilylcyclopentadienyl chromium (III) halfsandwich complex (Cr‐ 3 ) was supported on mesoporous silica to produce novel multiple single‐site catalysts and polyethylene reactor blends with tailor‐made molecular weight distributions (MWDs). The preferred cosupporting sequence of this ternary blend on MAO‐treated silica was Fe‐ 2 followed by Cr‐ 1 and Cr‐ 3 . Cosupporting does not impair the single‐site nature of the blend components producing polyethylene fractions with = 10⁴ g · mol⁻¹ on Cr‐ 1 , = 3 × 10⁵ g · mol⁻¹ on Fe‐ 2 , and = 3 × 10⁶ g · mol⁻¹ on Cr‐ 3 . As a function of the Fe‐ 2 /Cr‐ 1 /Cr‐ 2 mixing ratio it is possible to control the weight ratio of these three polyethylenes without affecting the individual average molecular weights and narrow polydispersities of the three polyethylene fractions. Tailor‐made polyethylene reactor blends with ultra‐broad MWD and polydispersities varying between 10 and 420 were obtained. When the molar ratio of Fe‐ 2 /Cr‐ 1 was constant, the ultra‐high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE, > 10⁶ g · mol⁻¹) content was varied between 8 and 16 wt.‐% as a function of the Cr‐ 3 content without impairing the blend ratio of the other two polyethylene fractions and without sacrificing melt processability. When the molar ratio Fe‐ 2 /Cr‐ 3 was constant, it was possible to selectively increase the content of the low molecular weight fraction by additional cosupporting of Cr‐ 1 . Due to the intimate mixing of low and ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylenes (UHMPEs) produced on cosupported single‐site catalysts a wide range of melt processable polyethylene reactor blends was obtained.