Metallocene polyethylene wax synthesis

Journal article

Solid polymethylaluminoxane (sMAO) supported ansa-bridged permethylindenyl zirconocenes Me2SB(CpR,I*)ZrX2 ({(η5-C9Me6)Me2Si(η5-C5H3R)}ZrX2; R = H, Me, and nBu; X = Cl, Br, Me, and CH2Ph) have been investigated as catalysts for the slurry-phase polymerization of ethylene in the presence of H2. The catalysts demonstrated remarkable stability to H2 both in a high-throughput screening system and in a 2 L batch reactor, with an almost constant ethylene uptake maintained throughout the polymerization runs. The catalysts demonstrated very high ethylene polymerization activities, almost 3 times higher than sMAO-(CpnBu)2ZrCl2 (industrial standard zirconocene catalyst) under the same conditions. The presence of small quantities of H2 (<1%) led to significant decreases in polymer molecular weights to produce commercially desirable polyethylene waxes (Mn < 10 kg mol-1) in a batch reactor.

Authors: Lamb, JV; Buffet, J-C; Turner, ZR; Khamnaen, T; O'Hare, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Journal: Macromolecules
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 14
• Pages: 5847-5856
• Publication date: 2020-07-14
• Acceptance date: 2020-07-02
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00990
• EISSN: 1520-5835
• ISSN: 0024-9297
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR