# US 5,346,963 A · Graft-modified, substantially linear ethylene polymers and methods for their use > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,346,963 A - Document ID: US5346963A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/054,376 - Filed: 1993-04-28 - Granted: 1994-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 1993-04-28 - Assignees: The Dow Chemical Company - Inventors: Morgan M. Hughes; Kyle G. Kummer; Stephen R. Betso; Michael E. Rowland; Morris S. Edmondson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5346963A ## CPC - C08L 51/06: grafted on to homopolymers or copolymers of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing only one carbon-to-carbon double bond - C08F 255/02: on to polymers of olefins having two or three carbon atoms - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) - C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS ## Abstract Substantially linear ethylene polymers, e.g., polyethylenes prepared by constrained geometry catalysis (substantially linear ethylene), which are grafted with one or more unsaturated organic compounds containing both ethylenic unsaturation and a carbonyl group, e.g., maleic anhydride, exhibit desirable adhesive properties. These graft-modified substantially linear ethylene polymers also impart desirable compatibility and impact properties to various thermoplastic polymer blends. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substantially linear ethylene polymer grafted with at least about 0.01 wt %, based on the weight of the grafted ethylene polymer, of an unsaturated organic compound containing at least one ethylenic unsaturation and at least one carboxyl group or at least one derivative of the carboxyl group selected from the group consisting of an ester, an anhydride and a salt, the ethylene polymer characterized as having: (i) a melt flow ratio, I.sub.10 /I.sub.2, .gtoreq.5.63; (ii) a molecular weight distribution, M.sub.w /M.sub.n, defined by the equation: M.sub.w /M.sub.n .ltoreq.(I.sub.10 /I.sub.2) -4.63; (iii) a density greater than about 0,850 g/cm.sup.3; and (iv) a critical shear rate at onset of surface melt fracture of at least 50 percent greater than the critical shear rate at the onset of surface melt fracture of a linear olefin polymer having about the same I.sub.2 and Mw/Mn. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 1 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer comprises between about 95 and 50 wt % polymerized ethylene monomer and between about 5 and 50 wt % of at least one polymerized alpha-olefin comonomer of 3 to about 20 carbon atoms. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 2 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer has a density between about 0.860 and about 0.935 g/cm.sup.3. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 3 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer has a melt flow ratio from about 6.5 to 15. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 4 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer has a melt index from about 0.5 to 200 g/10 min. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 5 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer has a molecular weight distribution measured by gel permeation chromatography of between about 1.5 and 2.5. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 6 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer is an interpolymer of ethylene and at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, and 1-octene. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 7 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and 1-butene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene or 1-octene. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 6 in which the substantially linear ethylene polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and 1-octene. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 6 in which the unsaturated organic compound is selected from the group consisting of maleic, acrylic, methacrylic, itaconic, crotonic, alpha-methyl crotonic and cinnamic acids, anhydrides, esters and their metal salts and fumaric acid and its ester and its metal salt. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 7 in which the unsaturated organic compound is maleic anhydride. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The grafted ethylene polymer of claim 1 in which the grafted unsaturated organic compound is between about 0.05 and about 10% of the weight of the grafted polymer.