Polymerization catalyst composition and method of employing same
AssigneesBridgestone Corporation, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorsSteven M. Baldwin, James J. Kuhel, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Without significantly impacting monomer conversion, the cis-1,4 mer content of conjugated diene mer in polymers can be increased by adding one or more Lewis bases to a catalyst composition that includes a Group 3 metal atom-containing carboxylate. This effect can be seen even at above average monomer concentrations.
Claims20
A process for providing a polymer from monomers that comprise at least one polyene, said process comprising:
- contacting, in one or more organic liquids, said monomers with a catalyst composition and allowing them to polymerize in a reaction mixture,
- wherein said catalyst composition comprises a compound that comprises a Group 3 metal atom-containing carboxylate, a catalyst activator, a compound that comprises a halogen atom, and a Lewis base, wherein a molar ratio of Lewis base to Group 3 metal atom is less than 1:1 to 1:30;
- wherein the monomers are present in a weight percentage of 15% to 30% by weight of a reaction mixture at a beginning of polymerization.
A process for providing a polymer from conjugated diene monomers, said process comprising contacting, in one or more organic liquids, said monomers with a catalyst composition and allowing them to polymerize, wherein said catalyst composition comprises a compound that comprises a lanthanide carboxylate, a catalyst activator, a compound that comprises a halogen atom, and a Lewis base, wherein a molar ratio of Lewis base to lanthanide is no more than 5:2;
- and
- wherein the Lewis base is selected from the group consisting of:
- 2,6-dialkylpyridine, oligomeric oxolanyl alkane, 2-ethylhexanoic acid (EHA), tri (nonylphenyl) phosphite, and combinations thereof.
A process for providing a polymer from 1,3-butadiene monomers, said process comprising:
- contacting, in one or more organic liquids, said 1,3-butadiene monomers with a catalyst composition that comprises a compound that comprises a neodymium carboxylate, an alkylating agent that consists of a trihydrocarbyl-aluminum and a dihydrocarbylaluminum hydride, a compound that comprises a halogen atom, and a Lewis base,
- wherein a molar ratio of Lewis base to neodymium is no more than 5:2;
- and
- the Lewis base corresponds to formula (I):
- wherein R represents a C1-C4 alkyl group and n is an integer of from 0 to 5;
- wherein the 1,3 butadiene monomers are present in a weight percentage of 15% to 30% by weight of a reaction mixture at a beginning of polymerization;
- a reactor temperature of −10° to 200° C. is maintained for polymerization;
- and the polymer has a cis-1,4-linkage content of at least 95%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.