Effect of ZnCl2‐ and SiCl4‐doped TiCl4/MgCl2/THF catalysts for ethylene polymerization

In this research, ethylene polymerization was carried out in the presence of different additives (ZnCl₂, SiCl₄, and the combined ZnCl₂‐SiCl₄) on TiCl₄/MgCl₂/THF catalytic system. The presence of ZnCl₂‐SiCl₄ mixtures showed higher activity in ethylene polymerization when compared with the catalytic activity in the presence of single Lewis acids, ZnCl₂, or SiCl₄. The modified catalyst with ZnCl₂‐SiCl₄ demonstrated the highest activity, which was more than three times the activity of the system without Lewis acid modification. The enhanced activity can be attributed to the reduction in the peak intensity of MgCl₂/THF complexes with Lewis acid compounds as proven by XRD. This was reasonable because of some THF removal from the structure of MgCl₂/THF by Lewis acid compounds. In addition to the effect of modification with additives on the partial elimination of THF, the catalytic activities could be increased due to the titanium atoms that have been locally concentrated on the surface as seen by energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy measurement. On the basis of the in situ electron spin resonance measurement, the mixed metal chlorides (ZnCl₂‐SiCl₄) addition could promote the amount of Ti³⁺after reduction with triethylaluminum. It revealed that the modification of TiCl₄/MgCl₂/THF catalytic system with mixed metal chlorides (ZnCl₂‐SiCl₄) is very useful for ethylene polymerization. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1588–1594, 2013     

Effect of support structure on the activity of Cr/nanosilica catalysts and the morphology of prepared polyethylene

Phillips‐type catalysts are responsible for the commercial production of more than one‐third of all polyethylene sold worldwide. Many types of chromium‐based catalysts are used in the Phillips polymerization process. Ordered mesoporous silica structures were synthesized using various surfactant species. Chromium nitrate nonahydrate (Cr(NO₃)₃·9H₂O) complex was grafted onto the surface of pure silica and was used for ethylene polymerization. The materials were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In the as‐synthesized materials, Cr³⁺ is present as a surface species in pseudo‐octahedral coordination. After calcination, Cr³⁺ is almost completely oxidized to Cr⁶⁺, which is anchored onto the surface in various oxidative states. The catalyst polymerization activity is dependent on the chromium loading, the pre‐calcination temperature and the support properties. In particular, the chromium catalyst prepared using spherical SBA‐15 is more active than the other catalysts investigated. Porous and nano‐fibrous polyethylene samples were prepared using various silica‐supported chromium catalytic systems. Differential scanning calorimetry results show that the melting point of samples produced with the SBA‐15‐supported catalyst is higher than that of samples produced with Cr/SiO₂ under the same conditions, which could be related to the existence of an extended‐chain structure. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Stepwise polymerization of propylene and ethylene with Cr(acetylacetonate)3/MgCl2–ethylbenzoate/diethylaluminium chloride catalyst system

During propylene polymerization with the Cr(acetylacetonate)₃/MgCl₂–Et₂AlCl–ethylbenzoate catalyst system which shows high isospecificity for propylene polymerization, it was found that the chain transfer and termination reactions can be neglected. Based on this result, some stepwise polymerizations of propylene and ethylene were carried out with the same catalyst system varying polymerization conditions. The resulting copolymers were separated by temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) and afforded two fractions which were eluted at different temperatures. From the ¹³C NMR, DSC and GPC analyses of each fraction, it was considered that the corresponding block copolymer existed in the fraction eluted at higher temperature. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane to Ethylene with Carbon dioxide over Cr–Ce/SBA-15 Catalysts

Chromium oxide supported on SBA-15 was modified with Ce species by an incipient method. The effect of Ce on the activity of Cr/SBA-15 catalyst in the dehydrogenation of ethane with CO₂ was investigated. The activity is enhanced for Ce modified Cr/SBA-15 catalyst for the dehydrogenation of ethane with CO₂. The cycle between Cr⁶⁺ and Cr³⁺ species can be carried out viaing the dehydrogenation of ethane and oxidation of CO₂ processes.     

Preparation of Cr–Ti Binary Oxide Anchored Mesoporous Silica by CVD Method and Their Photocatalytic Activities

Cr–Ti binary oxide anchored mesoporous silica (Cr–Ti/MCM-41) was prepared by stepwise CVD treatments of MCM-41 with TiCl₄ and CrO₂Cl₂. Cr–Ti/MCM-41 exhibited higher efficiency for the photocatalytic polymerization of ethylene as well as the oxidation of CO into CO₂ than those on single component Cr⁶⁺-oxide anchored MCM-41 under UV and visible light.     

Performance of H‐ZSM‐5‐supported bimetallic catalysts for the combustion of polluting volatile organic compounds in air

The performance of H‐ZSM‐5‐supported bimetallic catalysts with chromium as the base metal in the combustion of ethyl acetate and benzene is reported. A reactor operated from 100 to 500 °C at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 32 000 h^?1 was used for study of the activity. A combination of 1.0 wt% chromium and 0.5 wt% copper yielded a catalyst (Cr_1.0Cu_0.5/Z) with improved conversion and carbon dioxide yield. Cr₂O₃ (Cr³⁺) and CuO (Cu²⁺) were the predominant metal species in the catalyst. In agreement with the Mars–van Krevelen model, improved reducibility of Cr³⁺ in the presence of Cu²⁺ led to an improvement in activity. The copper content in Cr_1.0Cu_0.5/Z also favored the formation of deep combustion products. Condensation and subsequent growth of coke precursors in the catalyst pores led to the formation of a softer and less aromatic coke fraction while dehydrogenation activity on acid sites formed a harder and more aromatic coke fraction. The use of Cr_1.0Cu_0.5/Z favored the formation of lower molecular weight intermediates, leading to reduction in formation of softer coke. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of supported vanadium catalyst on ethylene polymerization reactions

BACKGROUND: In the research area of homogeneous Ziegler–Natta olefin polymerization, classic vanadium catalyst systems have shown a number of favourable performances. These catalysts are useful for (i) the preparation of high molecular weight polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions, (ii) the preparation of ethylene/R‐olefin copolymers with high R‐olefin incorporation and (iii) the preparation of syndiotactic polypropylenes. In view of the above merits of vanadium‐based catalysts for polymerization reactions, the development of well‐defined single‐site vanadium catalysts for polymerization reactions is presently an extremely important industrial goal. The main aim of this work was the synthesis and characterization of a heterogeneous low‐coordinate non‐metallocene (phenyl)imido vanadium catalyst, V(NAr)Cl₃, and its utility for ethylene polymerization. RESULTS: Imido vanadium complex V(NAr)Cl₃ was synthesized and immobilized onto a series of inorganic supports: SiO₂, methylaluminoxane (MAO)‐modified SiO₂ (4.5 and 23 wt% Al/SiO₂), SiO₂? Al₂O₃, MgCl₂, MCM‐41 and MgO. Metal contents on the supported catalysts determined by X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy remained between 0.050 and 0.100 mmol V g^?1 support. Thermal stability of the catalysts was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Characterization of polyethylene was done by gel permeation chromatography and DSC. All catalyst systems were found to be active in ethylene polymerization in the presence of MAO or triisobutylaluminium/MAO mixture (Al/V = 1000). Catalyst activity was found to depend on the support nature, being between 7.5 and 80.0 kg PE (mol V)^?1 h^?1. Finally, all catalyst systems were found to be reusable for up to three cycles. CONCLUSION: Best results were observed in the case of silica as support. Acid or basic supports afforded less active systems. In situ immobilization led to higher catalyst activity. The resulting polyethylenes in all experiments had ultrahigh molecular weight. Finally, this work explains the synthesis and characterization of reusable supported novel vanadium catalysts, which are useful in the synthesis of very high molecular weight ethylene polymers. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Polymerization of ethylene using a nickel α-diimine complex covalently supported on SiO2–MgCl2 bisupport

Bisupported catalyst for ethylene polymerization was prepared by mixing alcohol solution of MgCl₂ with pretreated SiO₂ in heptane, and further treating with bis(4-(4-amine-3,5-diisopropylbenzyl)-2,6-diisopropylphenylimino) acenaphtheneNiBr₂ (abbreviated as NiLBr₂) solution. The bisupported catalyst could be used to polymerize ethylene with high activity using alkylaluminum halides as inexpensive cocatalysts. According to high-temperature GPC, the weight-average molecular weights of the polymers obtained ranged from 2.15 × 10⁵ to 9.27 × 10⁵, with molecular weight distributions of 3.12–4.23. By adjusting the polymerization temperatures, the products with good morphologies could be obtained. The resultant polyethylenes were confirmed by ¹³C-NMR to contain significant amounts not only of methyl but also of ethyl, propyl, butyl, amyl, and longer side chains (longer than six carbons).     

Copolymerization of propylene with 1‐octene catalyzed by MgCl2/TiCl4/diether catalyst

MgCl₂/TiCl₄/diether is a fifth‐generation Ziegler–Natta catalyst for the commercial polymerization of propylene. The outstanding features of this catalyst are the high activity and high isotacticity for propylene polymerization without using an external electron donor. In this study, we explored the copolymerization of propylene and 1‐octene with MgCl₂/TiCl₄/diether catalyst. It was found that MgCl₂/TiCl₄/diether catalyst showed higher polymerization activity and led to greater 1‐octene content incorporation, compared with a fourth‐generation Ziegler–Natta catalyst (MgCl₂/TiCl₄/diester). With an increase in 1‐octene incorporation in polypropylene chains, the melting temperature, glass transition temperature and crystallinity of the copolymers decreased distinctly. The microstructures of the copolymers were characterized using ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and the copolymer compositions and number‐average sequence lengths were calculated from the dyad concentration and distribution. This result is very important for the in‐reactor polyolefin alloying process, especially for the case of a single catalyst and two‐step (or two‐reactor) process. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

FTIR investigation of ethylene coordination and polymerization on reduced Cr/SiO2 catalyst

FTIR spectroscopy was applied to study the initial steps of ethylene polymerization on reduced chromia-silica (0.5 wt% Cr/SiO₂). To decrease the speed of the reaction small doses of gas were introduced to the catalyst in each run and C₂D₄ was used to confirm band assignments. At the initial steps of the reaction only ethylene molecules coordinated to probably Cr _A ²⁺ cations were observed. The concentration of such complexes was estimated to be about 50% of the total amount of Cr atoms in the sample. The FTIR spectrum of the polymer formed at the initial doses of C₂H₄ (when [C₂H₄] [Cr]) was found to be slightly different from that formed after excess ethylene was introduced onto the catalyst ([C₂H₄] > [Cr]).     

Preparation and copolymerization of polyvalent metal salts of ethyleneglycol–methacrylate–maleate

Preparation of polyvalent metal salts of ethyleneglycol–methacrylate–maleate (EMM) was investigated by the reaction of Na salt of EMM and chlorides of polyvalent metals such as Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Co^2?, and Cu²⁺. It was found that, among the metal salts obtained, the Cr salt could be obtained in the form of (EMM? )₂Cr(OH) in high purity, where EMM? means EMM residue, Then, (EMM? )₂Cr(OH) was copolymerized with styrene, MMA, and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. In the copolymerization, the rates of copolymerization increased markedly as the concentration of (EMM? )₂Cr(OH) increased. As for the physical properties of the copolymers obtained, Rockwell hardness and compressive strength can be improved by introducing (EMM? )₂Cr(OH) into the polymers, and HDT, tensile, and flexural strengths can also be improved by selecting the most suitable concentration of (EMM? )₂Cr(OH) according to the species of vinyl monomer. Further, TGA and boiling water resistance of the copolymers are also discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of polyethylene (PE)/clay nanocomposites by <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> polymerization with vanadium-based intercalation catalyst

Summary  Complete exfoliation of clay during vanadium-based Zigler-Natta polymerization of ethylene has been successfully carried out by using clay and MgCl₂ hybrid supports. MgCl₂ offers catalyst loading sites, and the vanadium catalyst is avoided directly anchoring in the surface of the clay, so intercalation catalyst clay/MgCl₂/VOCl₃displays high activity for ethylene polymerization. Exfoliated PE/clay nanocomposites are confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Strong interaction between the dispersed clay particles and the polymer matrices provides good thermal and mechanical properties. Compared with pure PE, all these nanocomposites show enhancement of the melting temperature (T_m) and the thermal decomposition temperatures. Additionally, the incorporation of clay into the PE matrix significantly improves the mechanical properties of these nanocomposites. The increased tensile strength has been observed in the range of 3.4 to 7.9 MPa. The tensile moduli of the PE/clay nanocomposite are 23.4%-45.3% higher than that of the pure PE.     

Ethylene polymerization by phenylenedimethylene‐bridged homobinuclear zirconocene/methylaluminoxane systems

In the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO), ethylene polymerization was successfully performed with homobinuclear zirconocene complexes {[(C₅H₅)ZrCl₂](C₅H₄CH₂ C₆H₄CH₂C₅H₄)[(C₅H₅)ZrCl₂]; 3o , 4m , and 5p }, which were prepared conveniently by the reaction of disodium(phenylenedimethylene)dicyclopentadienide [C₆H₄(CH₂C₅H₄Na)₂] with 2 equiv of (N⁵‐Cyclopentadienyl)trichlorozirconium dimethoxyethane (CpZrCl₃(DME)) in tetrahydrofuran and characterized by ¹H‐NMR and elemental analysis. The effects of the polymerization parameters, such as the temperature, time, concentration of the catalyst, MAO/catalyst molar ratio, and isomeric difference of the homobinuclear metallocene complexes 3o , 4m , and 5p were studied in detail. The results showed that all three catalytic systems had moderate activities in ethylene polymerization and afforded polyethylene with relatively broad polydispersities. The catalytic activity of 4m was somewhat higher than that of 3o and 5p but lower than that of 4,4′‐bis(methylene)biphenylene‐bridged zirconocene catalysts; this indicated that the distance between the two metal centers was too short in comparison with a 4,4′‐bis(methylene)biphenylene bridge to increase the catalytic activity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Preparation of biomimetic‐bone materials and their application to the removal of heavy metals

Since heavy metals react with some components in bone, it can be surmized that these components would strongly fix heavy metals. Hydroxyapatite and a series of substituted‐apatites that are likely to exist in bone were prepared under near‐physiological conditions with the aim of developing materials that are capable of effectively removing low concentrations of heavy‐metal ions at near‐neutral conditions. The obtained apatites were characterized by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. They were also tested for their ability to remove Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr, and As. The carbonate‐substituted apatite exhibited very strong fixation of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cr³⁺, and moderately strong fixation of Hg²⁺. Based on a heavy‐metal‐fixing mechanism, a bone‐like composite, with chitosan as the saccharide portion and a polyaspartyl polymer as the protein portion, was synthesized via co‐precipitation. The biomimetic composite was excellent at removing Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cr³⁺, with removal percentages as high as 99.8% and residual concentrations as low as 0.01 mg/L. However, the composite had little fixation of Cr₂O₇^2?, CrO₄^2?, or H₃AsO₃. When Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III), the percent removed increased greatly. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 229–240, 2013     

TiCl4 immobilized on a composite support SiO2/MgCl2·x(1,4-butanediol)/poly[styrene-co-(acrylic acid)] for ethylene polymerization: The barrier effect of poly[styrene-co-(acrylic acid)]

By immobilizing titanium-based Ziegler–Natta catalyst on composite support, SiO₂/MgCl₂·x(1,4-butanediol)/poly[styrene-co-(acrylic acid)] (SiO₂/MgCl₂·xBD/PSA) and SiO₂/MgCl₂·xBD/PSA/TiCl₄ (SMPT) were synthesized for ethylene polymerization. SiO₂/MgCl₂·xBD/TiCl₄ without PSA was also prepared for comparison. The results of energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, SEM, and thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that SMPT had a unique core-mantle-shell structure. The PSA layer can be considered as a barrier for the mass-transfer of reactants based on the results of self-diffusion measurement by pulsed field gradient NMR and ethylene polymerization. The polyethylene produced by SMPT showed high molecular weight (MW) and broad molecular weight distribution (MWD). The influences of PSA content, hydrogen, and comonomer on the ethylene polymerization behavior were also investigated. The results further demonstrated that the PSA layer in the composite support had different diffusion capabilities to the reactants. The physical properties of the produced polyethylene implied the possibility to control the MW and MWD of polyethylene by the manipulation of PSA layer. The catalyst fragmentation during ethylene polymerization was also affected by the PSA shell due to its barrier effect. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Studies on VOCl3/MgCl2/NaY/Al2Et3Cl3 complex support catalysts for the copolymerization of ethylene and propylene

Using VO²⁺ as a spin probe, a new method to obtain microenvironmental information on supports was developed which can be used in the choice of supports for coordination catalysts. Utilizing the above method, NaY was chosen as second support component. A complex support catalyst VOCl₃/MgCl₂/NaY/Al₂Et₃Cl₃ was prepared and used in ethylene–propylene copolymerization. Higher polymerization activity was obtained with this catalytic system. Alternating the ratio of two kinds of supports, the composition and sequence structure of copolymers could be controlled, which showed that NaY participated in the active species, affected the insertion of monomer, and changed the composition and sequence structure of copolymers. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane with CO2 Over Cr/H[B]MFI Catalysts

Abstract  

Cr/silicalite-1 and Cr/H[B]MFI catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method, and Cr/H[B]MFI were further treated by steaming. The catalysts were employed for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with CO₂ as the oxidant. Cr/H[B]MFI showed significantly higher catalytic activity than Cr/silicalite-1, and steamed Cr/H[B]MFI was superior in the reaction stability to Cr/H[B]MFI. The nature of the supported chromium species have been characterized by a number of physicochemical techniques, such as Raman, UV–vis and NMR. It is concluded that the steaming led to the auto-reduction of some Cr⁶⁺ to Cr³⁺, and resultant Cr³⁺ species might be located near the boron center in the borosilicate framework to counterbalance the negative charge of the framework. The transformation of Cr⁶⁺ species to Cr³⁺ species, facilitated by the steaming process and the presence of boron in the catalyst, is responsible for the enhanced stability of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with carbon dioxide as the oxidant.     

The roles of Grignard reagent in the Ziegler–Natta catalyst for propylene polymerization

Grignard reagent PhMgCl was added during the preparation of the catalyst system MgCl₂/di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP)/TiCl₄—AlEt₃/diphenyl dimethoxyl silane (DPDMS) to improve its performance. It was found that PhMgCl could enhance both the activity of the catalyst and the isotacticity of the products, but decreased the Ti content of the catalysts under the same preparation conditions. The polymerization kinetics showed that PhMgCl accelerates the decay in the same time that it increased the initial and final polymerization rates. By means of UV-vis spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, and the Ti content determination of the catalysts, the multiple roles of PhMgCl were disclosed: reduction of Ti⁴⁺ to Ti³⁺, association with MgCl₂ to replace part of TiCl₄ in aspecific active sites, and complexing with the original active sites to form new active sites. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polm Sci 65:925–930, 1997     

Study of low catalytic activity systems (biscyclopentadienyl complexes–aluminoxane) on olefin polymerization

Olefin polymerization using low activity catalyst systems: Cp₂WCl₂–methylaluminoxane, [Cp₂Mo(CH₃)₂][PF₆]–methylaluminoxane and Cp₂Mo(CH₃)₂–methylaluminoxane, is described. All these catalyst systems were studied in ethylene and propylene polymerization; however, they only showed catalytic activity for ethylene. Only one type of methylaluminoxane (MAO) was used, prepared in an Al/H₂O ratio of 2. The kinetics of polymerization were examined and the experimental data (either presented here or in previous papers) were fitted to the kinetic models developed previously and now extended to account for the methylaluminoxane effect. ©1997 SCI     

Organic/inorganic support for immobilizing (n‐BuCp)2ZrCl2/TiCl3 hybrid catalyst for use in the preparation of polymer blends

Reactor blends of ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and low‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (LMWPE) were synthesized by two‐step polymerization using a hybrid catalyst. To prepare the hybrid catalyst, styrene acrylic copolymer (PSA) was first coated onto SiO₂/MgCl₂‐supported TiCl₃; then, (n‐BuCp)₂ZrCl₂ was immobilized onto the exterior PSA. UHMWPE was produced in the first polymerization stage with the presence of 1‐hexene and modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), and the LMWPE was prepared with the presence of hydrogen and triethylaluminium in the second polymerization stage. The activity of the hybrid catalyst was considerable (6.5 × 10⁶ g PE (mol Zr)^?1 h^?1), and was maintained for longer than 8 h during the two‐step polymerization. The barrier property of PSA to the co‐catalyst was verified using ethylene polymerization experiments. The appearance of a lag phase in the kinetic curve during the first‐stage polymerization implied that the exterior catalyst ((n‐BuCp)₂ZrCl₂) could be activated prior to the interior catalyst (M‐1). Furthermore, the melting temperature, crystallinity, degree of branching, molecular weight and molecular‐weight distribution of polyethylene obtained at various polymerization times showed that the M‐1 catalyst began to be activated by MMAO after 40 min of the reaction. The activation of M‐1 catalyst led to a decrease in the molecular weight of UHMWPE. Finally, the thermal behaviors of polyethylene blends were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry