US 6,462,161 B1Granted

Polyolefin composition with molecular weight maximum occurring in that part of the composition that has the highest comonomer content

AssigneeBP Chemicals Limited

InventorsLarry D. Cady, Christopher J. Frye, Philip Howard, Teresa P. Karjala, Peter J. Maddox, Ian M. Munro, Deepak R. Parikh, S. Roy Partington, Kevin P. Peil, Lee Spencer, William R. Van Volkenburgh, Peter S. Williams, David R. Wilson, J. Mark Winter

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

The invention relates to a polyolefin copolymer composition produced with a catalyst having a metallocene, complex in a single reactor for the polymer of an α-olefin monomer with one or more olefin comonomers, and a molecule weight maximum which occurs in that 50 percent by weight of the composition which has the highest weight percent comonomer content. Preferably, the composition has a comonomer partitioning fact Cpf which is equal to or greater than 1.10 or molecule weight partitioning fact Mpf which is equal to or greater than 1.15. Preferred composition also have at least 0.01 long chain branches per 1000 carbon atoms along the polymer backbone. These compositions with reverse molecular engineering have. superior properties and are easily processable due to the simultaneous presence of the association of high molecular weight with high comonomer content and of long chain branching.

Claims50

Dependent claims

A polyolefin copolymer composition produced with a catalyst having a metallocene complex in a single reactor in a process for the polymerization of an α-olefin monomer with one or more olefin comonomers, the composition having a molecular weight maximum which occurs in that 50 percent by weight of the composition which has the highest weight percent comonomer content, as expressed by having a comonomer partitioning factor Cpf which is equal to or greater than 1.10 and/or a molecular weight partitioning factor Mpf which is equal to or greater than 1.15, where the comonomer partitioning factor Cpf is calculated from the equation:

C pf = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i · c i ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j · c j ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j ,
where ci is the mole fraction comonomer content and wi is the normalized weight fraction as determined by GPC/FTIR for the n FTIR data points above the median molecular weight, cj is the mole fraction comonomer content and wj is the normalized weight fraction as determined by GPC/FTIR for the m FTIR data points below the median molecular weight, wherein only those weight fractions wi or wj which have associated mole fraction comonomer content values are used to calculate Cpf and n and m are greater than or equal to 3;
and where the molecular weight partitioning factor Mpf is calculated from the equation:
M pf = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i · M i ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j · M j ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j ,
where Mi is the viscosity average molecular weight and wi is the normalized weight fraction as determined by ATREF-DV for the n data points in the fractions below the median elution temperature, Mj is the viscosity average molecular weight and wj is the normalized weight fraction as determined by ATREF-DV for the m data points in the fractions above the median elution temperature, wherein only those weight fractions, wi or wj which have associated viscosity average molecular weights greater than zero are used to calculate Mpf and n and m are greater than or equal to 3, wherein the composition has at least 0.01 long chain branches per 1000 carbon atoms along the polymer backbone.

2 more elements

A process for producing a polyolefin copolymer composition comprising reacting an α-olefin monomer with one or more olefin comonomers using a metallocene catalyst in a single reactor to form a polyolefin copolymer composition having at least 0.01 long chain branches per 1000 carbon atoms along the polymer backbone and a molecular weight maximum which occurs in that 50 percent by weight of the composition which has the highest weight percent comonomer content, as expressed by having a comonomer partitioning factor Cpf which is equal to or greater than 1.10 and/or a molecular weight partitioning factor Mpf which is equal to or greater than 1.15, where the comonomer partitioning factor Cpf is calculated from the equation:

C pf = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i · c i ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j · c j ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j ,
where ci is the mole fraction comonomer content and wi is the normalized weight fraction as determined by GPC/FTIR for the n FTIR data points above the median molecular weight, cj is the mole fraction comonomer content and wj is the normalized weight fraction as determined by GPC/FTIR for the m FTIR data points below the median molecular weight, wherein only those weight fractions wi or wj which have associated mole fraction comonomer content values are used to calculate Cpf and n and m are greater than or equal to 3;
and where the molecular weight partitioning factor Mpf is calculated from the equation:
M pf = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i · M i ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ w i ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j · M j ∑ j = 1 m ⁢ w j ,
where Mi is the viscosity average molecular weight and wi is the normalized weight fraction as determined by ATREF-DV for the n data points in the fractions below the median elution temperature, Mj is the viscosity average molecular weight and wj is the normalized weight fraction as determined by ATREF-DV for the m data points in the fractions above the median elution temperature, wherein only those weight fractions, wi or wj which have associated viscosity average molecular weights greater than zero are used to calculated Mpf and n and m are greater than or equal to 3.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/180,414Filed 6 Nov 1998 · us provisional application
Priority: 17 May 1996
Published: US 2002/0165330 A17 Nov 2002
Granted: 8 Oct 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

C08F 210/00
Copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
C08F 210/16
Copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond: copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP…
C08J 5/18
Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular substances: manufacture of films or sheets
C08L 23/06
Homopolymers or copolymers of ethene: polyethylene