Preparation of novel MgCl2‐adduct supported spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst for α‐olefin polymerization

In this article, preparation of novel MgCl₂‐adduct supported spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst for α‐olefin polymerization is reported. The factors affecting the particle size (PS) and particle size distribution (PSD) of the prepared support were investigated. In this method, the internal donor added while preparing MgCl₂‐adduct support was supposed to act as a crosslinking agent. Therefore it provided a reasonable way to enhance the morphology and control the PS of the resultant polymer particles. The possible mechanism is discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 945–948, 2006     

Chemical composition distribution study in ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization to produce LLDPE material using MgCl2‐TiCl4‐based Ziegler‐Natta catalysts

The characteristic features of LLDPE polymerization with ZN catalyst are the time drift effect during polymerization and the bending effect when trying to decrease density of the copolymer by adding more comonomer to the polymerization. The time drift in LLDPE polymerization is revealed by a constant decrease of comonomer incorporation during polymerization time. The bending is revealed by difficulties in lowering the density of LLDPE material below the density of 920 kg/m³. With increasing comonomer content during polymerization, the density does not decrease, but the soluble fraction increases. To try to observe if these phenomena are connected, two types of catalysts, SiO₂ supported and precipitated MgCl₂ ZN catalysts, were studied. A short time (10 min) and an extended time (60 min) copolymerization test series where the polymerizations were performed in the presence of a gradually increasing comonomer amount. Both catalysts show a strong bending when density is presented as a function of 1‐hexene both in 10‐ and 60‐min polymerization, indicating no connection between time drift and bending. The density, melting point, and crystallinity results all indicate that both catalysts are making similar copolymer material with identical chemical composition distribution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis of highly improved Ziegler‐Natta catalyst

The effects of media viscosity, mixing speed, and injection time on catalyst average particle size (APS), particle size distribution (PSD), and morphology in both conditions, with and without emulsifier, were investigated. Supports were prepared using a so‐called recrystallization method; then they were catalyzed under the same condition. To show the effects of emulsifier on the final product's properties such as catalyst activity, polymer isotacticity, and so on, two types of catalysts were polymerized and finally their results were compared. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs were used for morphological study. Results show that by increasing the media viscosity and injection time, APS of the catalyst support was decreased. But by increasing the mixing speed, APS was decreased and PSD was broadened. It was found that emulsifier reduces the sensitivity of APS and PSD of catalyst when the support preparation conditions are changed. Consequently, by employing emulsifier, highly improved catalyst was produced. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Ethylene polymerization using a novel MgCl2/SiO2‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst

A novel MgCl₂/SiO₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst was prepared using a new one‐pot ball milling method. Using this catalyst, polyethylenes with different molecular weight distributions were synthesized. The effects of the [Si]/[Mg] ratio, polymerization temperature and [Al]/[Ti] ratio on the catalytic activity, the kinetic behaviour and the molecular weight and the polydispersity of the resultant polymer were studied. It was found that the polydispersity index of the polymer could be adjusted over a wide range of 5–30 through regulating the [Si]/[Mg] ratio and polymerization temperature, and especially when the [Si]/[Mg] ratio was 1.70, the polydispersity index could reach over 25. This novel bi‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst is thus useful for preparing polyethylene with a required molecular weight distribution using current equipment and technological processes. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Three‐site mechanism and molecular weight: Time dependency in liquid propylene batch polymerization using a MgCl2‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst

This article demonstrates that the molecular weight of propylene homopolymer decreases with time, and that the molecular weight distribution (MWD) narrows when a highly active MgCl₂‐supported catalyst is used in a liquid pool polymerization at constant H₂ concentration and temperature. To track the change in molecular weight and its distribution during polymerization, small portions of homo polymer samples were taken during the reaction. These samples were analyzed by Cross Fractionation Chromatograph (CFC), and the resulting data were treated with a three‐site model. These analyses clearly showed that the high molecular weight fraction of the distribution decreases as a function of time. At the same time, the MWD narrows because the weight‐average molecular weight decreases faster than the number‐average molecular weight. A probable mechanism based on the reaction of an external donor with AlEt₃ is proposed to explain these phenomena. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1035–1047, 2001     

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     

A facile one‐step method for spherical support preparation of Ziegler‐Natta catalyst

This study reports a novel one‐step method to synthesize a new spherical support for Ziegler‐Natta catalyst under moderate condition. The support is obtained from a dispersion system where the particle stabilizer polyvinylpyrrolidone plays a main role to stabilize the spherical particles. The new chemical of the support is CH₃CH₂OMgOCH(CH₂Cl)₂, which is first reported here, has been approved by newly filed patents and also confirmed by solution NMR, solid state NMR, pyrolysis‐gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (Py‐GC‐MS), and ICP‐MS. The support and catalyst particles have uniform distributions. The catalyst prepared from this support has been evaluated with high activity. The polypropylene obtained has high isotacticity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41014.     

In Situ synthesis of inorganic filler‐filled polyethylene using polyethersulfone‐supported TiCl4 catalyst system

In situ ethylene polymerizations with inorganic fillers were performed using catalyst based on titanium tetrachloride supported on polyethersulfone. The inorganic fillers used were MgO, TiO₂, and CaCO₃, which were pretreated with cocatalyst (methylaluminoxine) for better dispersion onto the polymer matrix. The formation of polyethylene (PE) within the whole matrix was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared studies. The wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction profile of the synthesized PEs indicated the presence of crystalline region. It was found that the nature of inorganic filler did not have any remarkable effect on the melting characteristics of the polymer, but the degree of crystallinity of PE was found to be higher for TiO₂‐filled PE. The amount of filler incorporated into the matrix was also evaluated through thermogravimetric analysis, where TiO₂‐filled PE showed ～ 49% of filler material, which was also reflected in the higher productivity obtained by this system. The morphology of the filler‐filled PEs was different, whereas the elemental dispersion was found to be uniform on the surface as elucidated through energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Polymerization of ethylene and ethylene/1‐hexene over Ziegler‐Natta/Metallocene hybrid catalysts supported on SiO2 prepared by a sol‐gel method

A silica support for use in olefin polymerization was prepared by the gelation of a stable, colloidal phase of silica sol using a MgCl₂ solution as the initiator. The Ziegler‐Natta/Metallocene hybrid catalysts prepared using this support exhibited characteristics of both Ziegler‐Natta and metallocene catalysts. The polymers produced by the hybrid catalysts showed a bimodal molecular weight distribution pattern and two different melting points, corresponding to products arising from each catalyst. This suggests that the hybrid catalysts acted as individual active species and produced a blend of polymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2318–2326, 2000     

Study of propylene polymerization catalyzed by a spherical MgCl2‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst system: The effects of external donors

Spherical MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts containing internal donors, such as diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, and di‐n‐octyl phthalate, have been prepared. The effects of external donors, phenyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, and diphenyldimethoxylsilane, on the propylene polymerization catalyzed by these catalysts were studied. The results indicate that the external donors not only led to an increase in the isotactic index, but also affected the morphology of resultant polymer particles. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 738–742, 2005     

Effect of diether as internal donor on MgCl2‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst for propylene polymerization

This article demonstrates the influence of the molar ratio between diether as internal donor and Magnesium dichloride in processing of the catalyst preparation on the catalytic performance for propylene polymerization with MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst. The effect of electron donor on catalyst is investigated. The experimental data find that diether content on catalyst increases and Ti content on catalyst decreases with the increase of diether/Mg molar ratio. This result indicates that diether as internal donor is not coordinated to Ti species but to Mg species on catalyst. The introduction of diether remarkably improves the catalytic activity. The extents of improvement closely connect with diether/Mg molar ratio. The stereospecificity of catalyst intensively depends on the structure of diether as internal donor. The possible model of multi‐active sites on heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst is proposed to explain these phenomena. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1399–1404, 2006     

Advantages of an Emulsion‐Produced Ziegler‐Natta Catalyst Over a Conventional Ziegler‐Natta Catalyst

Summary: Self‐supported and MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalysts, produced by two catalyst synthesis methods are compared. Borealis Polymers OY (Finland), who supplied the catalysts, developed the catalyst synthesis methods. The first method (Method One) is based on an emulsion system and consists of an in situ single step preparation. The second method (Method Two) consists mainly of two steps: formation of the catalyst carrier particles, and their subsequent impregnation with the active material. The results showed that Method One produced catalysts of compact, spherical particles with good intra‐particle homogeneity and a narrow particle size distribution. On the other hand, Method Two produced catalyst particles whose properties depended directly on that of the catalyst carrier: they were spherical but very porous, with a broad particle size distribution. Polymer particles produced with the two catalyst systems are perfect replicas of the catalyst particles. Fines formed either during catalyst preparation or during polymerization were observed only with the catalyst prepared using Method Two. The particles of the catalysts produced using Methods One and Two had similar activities, independent of the initial particle size. Fragmentation of catalyst particles was very fast for both catalyst systems and was only observed to be 100% completed using the catalyst produced with Method One. Studies of the thermal properties showed that the catalyst prepared using Method One produced poly(propylene) of higher crystallinity and with a narrower melting peak.

SEM images of polymer particles produced by (A) Method One and (B) Method Two.     

Prepolymerization of ethylene with a Ziegler–Natta catalyst

The slurry prepolymerization of ethylene using TiCl₄/MgCl₂ as a catalyst was investigated. A 2³‐factorial experimental design method was employed to study the effects of the temperature, hydrogen, and active cocatalyst‐to‐catalyst molar ratio (Al/Ti) on the catalyst activity, prepolymer melt flow index, and powder bulk density. All dependent variables increased when the active Al/Ti ratio increased from 1 to 2. The hydrogen–Al/Ti interaction had a significant effect on the prepolymer melt flow index and catalyst activity. The hydrogen (partial pressure ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 bar) and temperature (ranging from 60 to 80°C) variables as well as the hydrogen–temperature and hydrogen–temperature–Al/Ti interactions increased the prepolymer powder bulk density, which ranged from 0.11 to 0.373 g/cc. To find the reason for the prepolymer powder bulk density variation with the operating conditions, the particle size distribution and crystallinity of the prepolymers were determined. The increasing catalyst activity, ranging from 132 to 660 g of polyethylene/mmol of Ti, enhanced the weight percentage of fines, which ranged from 3 to 60, and decreased the average particle size, which ranged from 562 to 120 μm. This was the reason for the increasing prepolymer powder bulk density and could be due to the breakup of the prepolymer particles during prepolymerization. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Kinetic study of a highly active MgCl2‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst in liquid pool propylene polymerization. II. The influence of alkyl aluminum and alkoxysilane on catalyst activation and deactivation

The influence of alkyl aluminum and alkoxysilane on the kinetics in liquid pool propylene batch polymerization was investigated with a highly active Ziegler–Natta catalyst system that consisted of MgCl₂/TiCl₄/diester–alkoxysilane/AlR₃. In this study, diethyl phthalate and t‐BuEtSi(OMe)₂ were used as a diester and an alkoxysilane, respectively. The catalyst activity depended on the concentration of the alkyl aluminum when it came into contact with the catalyst. In addition, alkoxysilane as an external donor had a role in activating the catalyst. With respect to activity decay, the overreduction of Ti did not seem to be the cause. Instead, the decay rate decreased with an increasing alkoxysilane/catalyst ratio. This implied that activity decay was caused by the formation of dormant sites after 2,1‐misinsertion of propylene. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2669–2679, 2002     

球形MgCl2载体催化剂催化乙烯聚合

考察了球形MgCl2载体催化剂在乙烯聚合过程中的催化性能和动力学行为,分析了聚合过程的传热、传质和温度、聚合压力对催化剂行为的影响。聚合温度在30～80℃和乙烯压力在0．12～0．72MPa时,随着温度和压力的提高,聚合活性增加,聚合物堆密度由0．27g/cm^3降低至0．22g/cm^3。     

Copolymerization of ethylene–propylene using high‐activity bi‐supported Ziegler–Natta TiCl4 catalyst

Heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta TiCl₄ catalyst using MgCl₂ and SiO₂ as supports was prepared under controlled conditions. Mg(OEt)₂ was used as a starting material and was expected to convert to active MgCl₂ during catalyst preparation. Due to the high surface area and good morphological control, SiO₂ was chosen as well. Slurry copolymerization of ethylene and propylene (EPM) was carried out in dry n‐heptane by using the catalyst system SiO₂/MgCl₂/TiCl₄/EB/TiBA or TEA/MPT/H₂ at temperatures of 40–70°C, different molar ratios of alkyl aluminum : MPT : Ti, hydrogen concentrations, and relative and total monomers pressure. Titanium content of the catalyst was 2.96% and surface area of the catalyst was 78 m²/g. Triisobutyl aluminum (TiBA) and triethyl aluminum (TEA) were used as cocatalysts, while ethyl benzoate (EB) and methyl p‐toluate (MPT) were used as internal and external donors, respectively. H₂ was used as a chain‐transfer agent. Good‐quality ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) of rubber was obtained at the ratio of [TiBA] : [MPT] : [Ti] = 320 : 16 : 1 and polymerization temperature was 60°C. When TiBA was used as a cocatalyst, a higher and more rubberlike copolymer was obtained. For both of the cocatalysts, an optimum ratio of Al/Ti was obtained relative to the catalyst productivity. Ethylene content of the copolymer obtained increased with increasing TiBA concentration, while inverse results were obtained by using TEA. Addition of H₂ increased the reactivity of the catalyst. The highest product was obtained when 150 mL H₂/L solvent was used. Increasing temperature from 40 to 70°C decreased the productivity of the catalyst, while irregular behavior was observed on ethylene content. Relative pressure of P_P/P_E = 1.4 : 1 and total pressure of 1 atm was the best condition for the copolymerization. Polymers with ethylene contents of 25–84% were obtained. Increasing ethylene content of EPR decreased T_g of the polymer obtained to a limiting value. Viscosity‐average molecular weight (M_v) decreased with increasing temperature and TiBA and H₂ concentration. However, increasing the polymerization time increased the M_v. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2597–2605, 2004     

Liquid Pool Copolymerization of Propylene/1‐Butene with a MgCl2‐Supported Ziegler‐Natta Catalyst

Summary: Liquid pool propylene/1‐butene copolymerizations were carried out in a batch reactor with a high activity Ziegler‐Natta catalyst system. Experimental runs were performed to evaluate the effect of the 1‐butene content on the crystallinity and melt temperature of the polymer resins. According to the results, 1‐butene can be significantly incorporated into the polymer chain at high polymerization rates over the whole range of copolymer compositions, leading to a decrease in the melting temperature (T_m) of the polymer, when compared to the poly(propylene) homopolymer, allowing for reduction of the sealing initiation temperature. It was observed by GPC and MFI measurements that the average molecular weights and the polydispersity index of the copolymer significantly decreased when compared to the ones obtained from poly(propylene). Despite high polymerization rates, polymer particles with good morphological features were produced in all cases. It was also observed that the absence of an external electron donor led to low crystallinity values for both the poly(propylene) homopolymer and for copolymers with different fractions of 1‐butene, when compared to literature values frequently reported for polymer resins based on 1‐butene and propylene. The obtained results indicate that a family of bulk propylene/1‐butene copolymer grades can be successfully developed for packaging and film applications.

Surface morphology and molecular weight distribution (deconvoluted into Schulz‐Flory distributions) of the propylene/1‐butene copolymer.     

Ultraviolet‐induced degradation of Ziegler‐Natta and metallocene catalyzed polyethylenes

The metallocene revolution has aroused a storm of interest and associated questions regarding the performance and durability of polyolefins. This new technology has impacted the additives used to stabilize and process polymers. In this work, Ziegler‐Natta and metallocene polyethylene (PE) samples were exposed to natural weather conditions under high doses of ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, and increased humidity. Weather‐induced degradation of the two sets of PEs was studied using gel permeation chromatography, mechanical properties testing, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The gel permeation chromatography analysis indicated the change in molecular weight distribution and molecular weights of metallocene PE to be more stable than conventional Ziegler‐Natta PE. The tensile properties of metallocene PE are known to have higher values than Ziegler‐Natta PE. The former exhibited a lower drop rate in mechanical properties when exposed to natural weather. Formations of nonvolatile carbonyl oxidation products, which absorb in the infrared region with a maximum absorbance level at 1742 cm⁻¹ were determined. This indicated a higher rate of photo‐oxidative and thermal degradation of Ziegler‐Natta PE as compared with metallocene PE. The ultraviolet stabilization of metallocene PE may require different doses and a new kind of stabilizer system that can impart a longer useful lifetime and are cost effective for PE used for outdoor purposes. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 1591–1596, 2000     

Polymerization of propylene using MgCl2 (ethoxide type)/TiCl4/diether heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst

Heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst of MgCl₂ (ethoxide type)/TiCl₄/diether was prepared. 2,2‐Diisobutyl‐1,3‐dimethoxy propane (DiBDMP), diether, was used as internal donor. Slurry polymerization of propylene was carried out using the catalyst in dry heptane while triethylaluminium (TEA) was used as co‐catalyst. The co‐catalyst effects, such as catalyst molar ratio, polymerization temperature, H₂ pressure, external donor, triisobutylaluminium (TiBA) and monomer pressure, on the activity of the catalyst and isotacticity index (II) of the polymers obtained were studied. Rate of polymerization versus polymerization time is of a decay type with no acceleration period. There are an optimum Al/Ti molar ratio and temperature to obtain the highest activity of the catalyst. The maximum activity was obtained at 60 °C. Increasing the monomer pressure to 1 010 000 Pa linearly increased the activity of the catalyst. Addition of hydrogen to 151 500 Pa pressure increased activity of the catalyst from 2.25 to 5.45 kg polypropylene (PP) (g cat)^?1 h^?1 using 505 000 Pa pressure of monomer. The II decreased with increasing Al/Ti ratio, monomer pressure, hydrogen pressure and increased with increasing temperature to 60 °C, following with decrease as the temperature increases. Productivity of 11.55 kg (PP) (g cat)^?1 h^?1 was obtained at 1 010 000 Pa pressure of monomer and temperature of 60 °C. Addition of methyl p‐toluate (MPT) and dimethoxymethyl cyclohexyl silane (DMMCHS) as external donors decreased the activity of the catalyst sharply, while the II slightly increased. Some studies of the catalyst structure and morphology of the polymer were carried out using FTIR, X‐ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller techniques. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

In situ synthesis of polybutene‐1/polypropylene spherical alloys within a reactor with an MgCl2‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst

A series of isotactic polybutene‐1/polypropylene (PB/PP) alloys with spherical morphology were prepared by MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst with sequential two‐stage polymerization technology. The first formed PP particles were used as micro‐reactors to initiate the bulk precipitation polymerization of butene‐1 further. The porous PP particles as a hard framework may prevent the adhesion of PB particles during the bulk precipitation polymerization process. At the same time, the bulk precipitation polymerization process allows for maximization of the butene‐1 polymerization rate and simplifies the butene‐1 polymerization process considerably. Finally, spherical PB alloys with a super‐high molecular weight PB component and adjustable PP component were synthesized in situ within the reactor. The structures and properties of the PB/PP alloys were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform IR, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction. The results showed that the MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst showed relatively high stereospecificity and efficiency for both propylene and butene‐1 polymerization. The incorporation of propylene on the PB matrix affects the properties of the final products markedly. The PB/PP alloys are expected to have a broader range of applications as a new family of high performance materials. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry