# US 12,180,309 B2 · Multimodal polyethylene > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,180,309 B2 - Document ID: US12180309B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/622,232 - Filed: 2020-06-23 - Published: 2022-11-17 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-04 - Assignees: Sabic Global Technologies B.V. - Applicants: Sabic Global Technologies B.V. - Inventors: Francisco Perez Valencia; Coen Hendriksen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180309B2 ## CPC - C08F 10/02: Ethene - C08L 23/06: Polyethylene - C08F 4/65912: {in combination with an organoaluminium compound} - C08F 4/65916: {supported on a carrier, e.g. silica, MgCl2, polymer} - C08F 110/02: Ethene - C08F 210/16: Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers - C08F 2500/05: Bimodal or multimodal molecular weight distribution - C08F 2500/07: High density, i.e. > 0.95 g/cm3 - C08F 2500/17: Viscosity - C08L 23/0815: {with aliphatic 1-olefins containing one carbon-to-carbon double bond} - C08L 2205/02: containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group - C08L 2205/025: containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure - C08L 2207/062: HDPE - C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) ## Abstract The invention relates to an ethylene polymer comprising a low molecular weight component and a high molecular weight component, wherein—the ethylene polymer has a density of 955 to 977 kg/m3 and a viscosity value η100 of at most 1500 Pa·s and a strain hardening as determined according to ISO18488 of at least 25 MPa, for example 30 to 40 MPa,—the amount of the low molecular weight component with respect to the total ethylene polymer is at least 60 wt %,—the low molecular weight component has a Mw of 10,000 to 50,000 g/mol, a ratio of Mw/Mn of 2.5 to 4.5 and a density of 965 to 985 kg/m3 and—the high molecular weight component has a Mw of 100,000 to 1,000,000, a ratio of Mw/Mn of 2.5 to 4.0 and a density of 920 to 950 kg/m3. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ethylene polymer comprising a low molecular weight component and a high molecular weight component, wherein the ethylene polymer has a density of 955 to 977 kg/m3 and a viscosity value η100 of at most 1500 Pa·s and a strain hardening as determined according to ISO18488 of at least 25 MPa, an amount of the low molecular weight component with respect to total ethylene polymer is at least 60 wt %, the low molecular weight component has a Mw of 10,000 to 50,000 g/mol, a ratio of Mw/Mn of 2.5 to 4.5 and a density of 965 to 985 kg/m3 and the high molecular weight component has a Mw of 100,000 to 1,000,000 g/mol, a ratio of Mw/Mn of 2.5 to 4.0 and a density of 920 to 950 kg/m3. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene polymer is an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and at least one C3-C20 α-olefins. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene polymer has a viscosity value η100 of at most 1450 Pa·s. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene polymer has a shear thinning index η100 to η0.01 of at least 10. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene polymer has a melt flow rate as measured according to ISO1133-1:2011 at 190° C. and 5 kg of 1.0 to 20 dg/min. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the low molecular weight component with respect to the total ethylene polymer is 60 to 90 wt %. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene polymer has has a Charpy impact strength, measured according to ISO179-1 at −30° C., of at least 4.0 KJ/m2 and/or a tensile modulus, measured according to ISO527-2/1BA/50, of at least 1100 MPa. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the low molecular weight component is an ethylene homopolymer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein an amount of a polymer fraction having a Mw of less than 2,500 g/mol is at most 4.2 wt % with respect to the ethylene polymer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the high molecular weight component is a copolymer of ethylene and at least one C3-C20 α-olefins wherein an amount of the at least one C3-C20 α-olefins in the copolymer is 0.001 mol % to 1.5 mol %. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ethylene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the high molecular weight component has a Mw of 200,000 to 400,000 g/mol and/or a melt flow rate as measured according to ISO1133-1:2011 at 190° C. and 21.6 kg of 0.10 to 1.00 g/10 min. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A process for preparing the ethylene polymer according to claim 1, comprising the steps of i) polymerizing ethylene monomer and optionally one or more alpha-olefin comonomers in the presence of a metallocene catalyst to obtain the low molecular weight component and ii) polymerizing ethylene monomer, and optionally one or more alpha-olefin comonomers in the presence of a metallocene catalyst to obtain the high molecular weight component. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The process according to claim 11, wherein step i) and step ii) are performed in cascaded reactors or the process comprises melt-mixing or solution blending the low molecular weight component and the high molecular weight component made in different reactors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A composition comprising the ethylene polymer according to claim 1 and additives. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) An article or a blow molded article comprising the ethylene polymer according to claim 1.