Control of molecular weight distribution in propylene polymerization with Ziegler–Natta/metallocene catalyst mixtures

Propylene polymerization was investigated with a sequential addition of Ziegler–Natta and metallocene catalysts. From the fact that the molecular weights of polypropylene (PP) produced with Ziegler–Natta and with metallocene catalysts differ, it was possible to control the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of PP with a sequential addition of methylaluminoxane and rac-ethylenebis(indenyl)zirconium dichloride followed by triethylaluminum and magnesium dichloride-supported titanium tetrachloride catalyst. The obtained PP exhibited a wide MWD curve with shoulder peak. The position and height of each peak was controlled with the variation of polymerization time for each catalyst as well as the amount of each catalyst. The MWD of PP prepared with sequential addition of catalysts was much wider than that of PP obtained from each catalyst. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67:2213–2222, 1998     

Effects of chemical structure of phenolic antioxidants on Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance during propylene polymerization

Present work studied the synthesis of in-reactor stabilization of polypropylene via introducing antioxidant into polymerization media. Special attention was dedicated to assess the efficiency of antioxidant in catalyst deactivation. Three different types of antioxidants (Irganox 1076, Irganox 1010 and Irganox 1330) which contain ester and/or phenolic OH functional groups were chosen to investigate their impact on Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance during slurry propylene polymerization. Our Results indicated that not only phenolic OH groups but also esteric bond of antioxidants are capable of interacting with active center of catalyst and consequently decreasing the catalyst activity. Our propylene polymerization results showed that determining factors such as antioxidant chemical structures and its steric hindrance effect and the number of functional groups (phenolic and esteric groups) affected on the Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance. Therefore, effects of these three types of antioxidants on polymer characteristics such as particle size distribution, morphology, T _m , T _c , X _c , and isotacticity were evaluated. Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that introducing antioxidant during propylene polymerization did not destroy the spherical morphology of the polypropylene particles. Conclusively, due to the negative effect of esteric bond of antioxidant on Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance, the use of antioxidant without ester groups (Irganox 1330) is more recommended during propylene polymerization.     

Silica-Based Ziegler–Natta Catalysts: A Patent Review

Silica-based Ziegler–Natta catalysts are important industrially in the manufacture of polyethylene and polypropylene. They are scientifically very interesting because of the complex effects of porous silica on catalyst performance. This patent review explains how silica–based Ziegler–Natta catalysts are related to Phillips chromium–silica catalysts and explores their value for the gas phase and slurry processes for the manufacture of polyolefins. The subcategories dealt with are the following: magnesium–titanium–silica catalysts, which are valuable for high-density polyethylene, for the ethylene copolymers called linear low-density polyethylene;and ethylene–propylene rubber, and for isotactic polypropylene; vanadium–silica catalysts, which are useful in the polymerization and copolymerization of ethylene; and vanadium plus titanium–silica catalysts which often exhibit reactivity synergism. Dual-site and multisite catalysts are also reviewed.     

Preparation and properties of isotactic polypropylene obtained from MgCl2-supported TiCl4 catalyst bearing bifunctional internal donor

In this research, a novel MgCl₂-supported TiCl₄ catalyst in conjunction with bifunctional internal donor was synthesized. The effects of internal donor on propylene polymerization behaviors and polymer properties (morphology, M _w and MWD) were investigated. It was found that the activity of novel catalyst was higher than that of the traditional DIBP-based Ziegler–Natta catalyst, while the catalyst activity was less influenced by the ether group length of the bifunctional internal donor. It was also observed that the MWD of PP obtained by bifunctional internal donor-based catalyst was broader than that of PP made by DIBP-based Ziegler–Natta catalyst.     

Gas-phase polymerization of propylene at low reaction rates: a precise look at catalyst fragmentation

In this work, we reported the development of a mini-reactor experimental setup for synthesizing of polypropylene with heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalysts in gas-phase. Use of pro-activated 4th generation of Ziegler–Natta catalyst and preheated monomer feed enabled the polymerization reaction to be carried out at constant temperature. Evaluation of monomer consumption with high precision (0.01 bar pressure drop) allowed the detection of polymerization yield at low reaction rates. In this regard, polymerization yield, particle morphology and catalyst fragmentation were studied, as well. The results of melt microscopy showed that catalyst fragmentation was developed during the reaction, and was not restricted to the initial rupture of catalyst particles. The rate determination showed a peak during the polymerization (not necessarily at the initial stage). The results showed that depending on the reaction condition, this peak could be either a consequence of a major catalyst fragmentation or overheating. Low reaction yield, large fragments of catalyst and agglomeration of particles were considered as evidence of particle overheating and polymer local melting. As we imposed the results of melt microscopy for the polymerization conditions, a layer-by-layer fragmentation of the catalyst was found to be the main fragmentation process, at least at the beginning of the polymerization reaction.     

Porous versus novel compact Ziegler–Natta catalyst particles and their fragmentation during the early stages of bulk propylene polymerization

The effect of the porosity of Ziegler–Natta catalyst particles on early fragmentation, nascent polymer morphology, and activity were studied. The bulk polymerization of propylene was carried out with three different heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalysts under industrial conditions at low temperatures, that is, with a novel self‐supported catalyst (A), a SiO₂‐supported catalyst (B), and a MgCl₂‐supported catalyst (C), with triethyl aluminum as a cocatalyst and dicyclopentyl dimethoxy silane as an external donor. The compact catalyst A exhibited no measurable porosity and a very low surface area (<5 m²/g) by Brunauer–Emmet–Teller analysis, whereas catalysts B and C showed surface areas of 63 and 250 m²/g, respectively. The surface and cross‐sectional morphologies of the resulting polymer particles at different stages of particle growth were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The compact catalyst A showed homogeneous and instantaneous fragmentation already in the very early stages of polymerization, which is typically observed for porous MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts. Moreover, the compact catalyst particles gave rise to almost perfectly spherical polymer particles with a smooth surface. In contrast, the silica‐supported catalyst B gave rise to particles having a cauliflower morphology, and the second reference catalyst C produced fairly spherical polymer particles with a rough surface. All of the three catalysts exhibited similar activities of 450 g of polypropylene/g of catalyst after 30 min of polymerization, and most interestingly, the comparative kinetic data presented indicated that the reaction rates were not influenced by the porosity of the catalyst. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008.     

一种新型丙烯聚合催化剂的研究

阐述在一定的条件下制备了一种新型的用于丙烯聚合的负载型Ziegler/Natta催化剂,在此催化剂体系中添加了一种新的内给电子体BN,结果表明:此种催化剂具有催化活性高,粒度非常集中,聚合得到的聚丙烯细粉少,此催化剂氢调敏感,等规度可调,聚合物性能好等特点.     

Kinetic and morphological study of a magnesium ethoxide‐based Ziegler–Natta catalyst for propylene polymerization

BACKGROUND: Kinetic and morphological aspects of slurry propylene polymerization using a MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst synthesized from a Mg(OEt)₂ precursor are investigated in comparison with a ball‐milled Ziegler–Natta catalyst. RESULTS: The two types of catalyst show completely different polymerization profiles: mild activation and long‐standing activity with good replication of the catalyst particles for the Mg(OEt)₂‐based catalyst, and rapid activation and deactivation with severe fragmentation of the catalyst particles for the ball‐milled catalyst. The observed differences are discussed in relation to spatial distribution of TiCl₄ on the outermost part and inside of the catalyst particles. CONCLUSION: The Mg(OEt)₂‐based Ziegler–Natta catalyst is believed to show highly stable polymerization activity and good replication because of the uniform titanium distribution all over the catalyst particles. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of phenolic,phosphite, lactone,and their mixtures of antioxidants on Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance during propylene polymerization

This study investigated the use of antioxidants and mixtures of these antioxidants during slurry propylene polymerization using the Ziegler–Natta catalyst. Antioxidant masking using triethylaluminium is the key to reducing the destructive effect of antioxidants containing OH phenolic groups on Ziegler–Natta catalyst performance. According to the synergistic properties, antioxidant mixtures with different ratios were evaluated for their masking conditions and amounts of antioxidant added. Polymer characteristics such as catalyst activity, isotacticity, oxidative induction time, and particle‐size distribution of the products in the presence of different amounts of antioxidants were evaluated. The results showed that phosphite and lactone antioxidants have more effect on catalyst performance during polymerization than phenolic antioxidants. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 21:299–304, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

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     

Study on morphology of high impact polypropylene prepared by in situ blending

High impact polypropylene (HIPP) was prepared by in situ blending of isotactic polypropylene and ethylene–propylene rubber (EPR) with spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst. Morphology and pore characteristics of such HIPP were investigated by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, and mercury intrusion. Amorphous phase was removed from polypropylene matrix and characterized by ¹³C NMR spectrum. It was found that the EPR prepared in this manner contained variable composition polymer chains with a distribution of ethylene and propylene sequence lengths. Final products of HIPP were free flowing, spherical granules. There were small pores in HIPP, which seemed not to be filled up, and could be determined by mercury intrusion even when the content of rubber was up to 24 wt %. Homopolypropylene with pore diameter between 100 and 10,000 nm was suitable for EPR to fill in during ethylene–propylene copolymerization. The block copolymer fractions act as a compatilizer between matrix and EPR. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1386–1390, 2006     

Study on propene polymerization using a novel spherical Ziegler‐Natta catalyst and its kinetics

The effects of the Al/Ti ratio and external donor (ED) on the catalytic activity and kinetics of propene polymerization catalyzed by a spherical Ziegler‐Natta (Z‐N) catalyst were investigated. The preparation conditions of the catalyst play an important role in the polymerization kinetics. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3737–3740, 2003     

Synthesis and characterization of propylene‐α‐olefin random copolymers with isotactic propylene sequence. II. Propylene–hexene‐1 random copolymers

A series of novel hexene‐1–propylene random copolymers with isotactic sequence of propylene was synthesized with a MgCl₂‐supported Cr(acac)₃ catalyst. The molecular weight distribution of copolymers and homopolymers was considerably narrower than that of typical polyolefins produced by heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalysts. The crystallizability of the copolymers having a propylene‐unit content of more than 50 mol % drastically decreased with decreasing propylene‐unit content, and the copolymers with a propylene content of less than 50 mol % were completely amorphous. In the present novel type of random copolymers with crystallizable and noncrystallizable units, a single glass transition was observed between pure polypropylene and polyhexene‐1, and a major component was found to govern the final morphology and the mechanical characteristics. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2949–2954, 2004     

Chain structure and mechanical properties of polyethylene/polypropylene/poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene)in‐reactor alloys synthesized with a spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst by gas‐phase polymerization

Two polyethylene/polypropylene/poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) in‐reactor alloy samples with a good polymer particle morphology were synthesized by sequential multistage gas‐phase polymerization with a spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst. The alloys showed excellent mechanical properties, including both toughness and stiffness. With temperature‐gradient extraction fractionation, both alloys were fractionated into five fractions. The chain structures of the fractions were studied with Fourier transform infrared, ¹³C‐NMR, and thermal analysis. The alloys were mainly composed of polyethylene, polyethylene‐b‐polypropylene block copolymer, and polypropylene. There also were minor amounts of an ethylene–propylene segmented copolymer with very low crystallinity and an ethylene–propylene random copolymer. The block copolymer fraction accounted for more than 44 wt % of the alloys. The coexistence of these components with different structures was apparently the key factor resulting in the excellent toughness–stiffness balance of the materials. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 640–647, 2005     

Catalytic activity and control of the nascent morphology of polyethylenes obtained with first and second generation of Ziegler–Natta catalysts

The morphologies of the as-produced polyethylenes obtained by slurry polymerization process of ethylene in n-heptane, using heterogeneous conventional and supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts, were investigated. The ability of four different catalytic systems in controlling the size and shape of the nascent polymer particles were tested. The catalytic systems employed were: the original Ziegler type catalyst produced by reduction of TiCl₄ with Et₂AlCl, the Natta type catalyst TiCl₃–AA, the reduced TiCl₄ with the metal carbonyls [Mo(CO)₆ and Mn₂(CO)₁₀], and the supported TiCl₄ on three commercial silicas having different surface areas: Davison 951, 952, and also the Dart 1000. It was found that the carriers affect the catalytic activity of the final catalyst and also its kinetic behavior. The supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts control more easily the nascent polymer particles (size, shape, and porosity) than the conventional ones. In addition the morphology of the catalysts and the subsequent polymer particles are closely related to the parent morphology of the silicas used as carriers. Furthermore, the nascent morphology of the polyethylenes obtained with the conventional TiCl₄–Et₂AlCl catalytic system can be modified by using different |Al|/|Ti| ratios, resulting in more dense, spherical, and bigger polymer particles by increasing this ratio. On the other hand, detailed studies on the texture or arrangement of the polymer particles reveal the existence of mainly two fine morphologies (globular and wormlike), which are the result of the order of the primary or elementary catalyst particles (microspheres and platelets), the force linking them together, and the activity of the polymerization centers placed on their surface.     

Chain structure of polyethylene/polypropylene in‐reactor alloy synthesized in gas phase with spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst

Two polyethylene/polypropylene (PE/PP) in‐reactor alloy samples were synthesized by multi‐stage gas‐phase polymerization using a spherical Ziegler–Natta catalyst. The alloys show excellent toughness and stiffness. FTIR, ¹³C‐NMR and thermal analysis proved that the alloys are mainly composed of polyethylene, PE‐block‐PP copolymer and polypropylene. There are also a few percent of ethylene‐propylene segmented copolymer with very low crystallinity. The block copolymer fraction accounts for more than 25 % of the alloy. The role of the block copolymer as compatibilizer between PE and PP is believed to be the key factor that results in the excellent toughness–stiffness balance of the material. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Different behaviors of metallocene and Ziegler–Natta catalysts in ethylene/1,5‐hexadiene copolymerization

The behaviors of three different catalyst systems, TiCl₄/MgCl₂, Cp₂ZrCl₂ and Cp₂HfCl₂, were investigated in ethylene/1,5‐hexadiene copolymerization. In the Fourier transform infrared spectra of the copolymers, cyclization and branching were detected for 1,5‐hexadiene insertion in the metallocene and Ziegler–Natta systems, respectively. DSC and viscometry analyses results revealed that copolymers with lower T_m and crystallinity and higher molecular weight were obtained with metallocene catalysts. The sequence length distribution of the copolymers was investigated by using the successive self‐nucleation and annealing thermal fractionation technique. The continuous melting endotherms obtained from successive self‐nucleation and annealing analysis were employed to get information about short‐chain branching, the branching dispersity index, comonomer content and lamella thickness in the synthesized copolymers. The results established that metallocene catalysts were much more effective than Ziegler–Natta catalysts in the incorporation of 1,5‐hexadiene in the polyethylene structure. Metallocene‐based copolymers had higher short‐chain branching and comonomer content, narrower branching dispersity index and thinner lamellae. Finally, the tendency of the employed catalysts in the 1,5‐hexadiene incorporation and cyclization reaction was explored via molecular simulation. The energy results demonstrated that, in comparison to Ziegler–Natta, metallocene catalysts have a much higher tendency to 1,5‐hexadiene incorporation and cyclization. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Analysis of polyolefins and olefin copolymers using Crystaf technique: Resolution of Crystaf curves

An experimental technique, crystallization analysis fractionation (Crystaf), is used to analyze compositional uniformity of ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers and isotactic polypropylene. A computerized method for quantifying Crystaf data is developed based on resolution of Crystaf curves into their elemental components, with each component representing a fraction of the polymer with the same degree of chain imperfection. This analysis of Crystaf curves gives three parameters characterizing crystallizable polymer material: (a) the number of compositionally uniform components, (b) properties of each compositionally uniform component (in the case of ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers, the comonomer content), and (c) the quantity of each component. Crystaf analysis of several ethylene/1‐hexene copolymers produced with supported Ti‐based Ziegler‐Natta catalysts shows the existence of two groups of copolymer components. The first group includes components with low comonomer content, in the Crystaf analysis they precipitate at high temperatures as several relatively sharp peaks. The second group includes components with high comonomer contents; they precipitate at much lower temperatures, as a broad overlapping group of peaks. The peak resolution technique was applied to analysis of ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers prepared with a supported catalyst at different temperatures, a copolymer produced with a pseudo‐homogenous Ziegler‐Natta catalyst, and to isotactic polypropylene. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Melt spinning of metallocene catalyzed polypropylenes. I. On‐line measurements and their interpretation

The melt spinning of metallocene catalyzed isotactic polypropylene resins was investigated. The details are presented for on‐line studies performed on six miPP resins with melt flow rates (MFRs) between 10 and 100 and a Ziegler–Natta catalyzed isotactic polypropylene resin with a MFR of 35 for comparison. The on‐line studies indicated that, as the molecular weight and polydispersity increased, crystallization occurred closer to the spinneret at higher crystallization temperatures and under lower spin line stresses. Further, as the spinning speed increased, crystallization occurred closer to the spinneret at higher crystallization temperatures because of increased stress in the spin line. These observations were interpreted in terms of an increased rate of crystallization caused by increased molecular orientation in the spin line with increasing molecular weight and increasing spinning speed. This “stress‐enhanced” crystallization was further interpreted in terms of an increased rate of crystal nucleation. It was further concluded that the narrower molecular weight distribution of metallocene resins was the primary factor that produced differences in the structure and properties of fibers spun from these resins compared to those of Ziegler–Natta catalyzed resins of similar weight‐average molecular weight or MFR. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 3223–3236, 2001     

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