Propylene polymers incorporating polyethylene macromers

A branched olefin polymer having an isotactic polypropylene backbone, optionally comprising monomer units from one or more comonomers, and sidechains derived from macromers comprising:

• (a) vinyl ended copolymer chains having a number average molecular weight (Ma) of about 1500 to 75,000, the number average molecular weight being determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) at 145° C.;
• and
• (b) a ratio of vinyl groups to total olefin groups according to the formula:
• (vinyl groups/olefin groups)>(comonomer mole percentage+0.1)a×10a×b,
• wherein a=−0.24 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.20 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.18 and b=0.83;
• or a=−0.15, b=0.83;
• or a=−0.10 and b=0.85;
• wherein:
• 1) the total number of vinyl groups per 1000 carbon atoms of the sidechains is greater than or equal to 8000÷Ma (as measured by 1H-NMR at 125° C.);
• 2) the Mw/Mn of the sidechains ranges from 2.083 to 5.666;
• and
• 3) the vinyl ended copolymer chains comprise ethylene and at least one comonomer selected from C3 to C12 α-olefins.

A process to produce a branched olefin copolymer having an isotactic polypropylene backbone, optionally comprising monomer units from one or more comonomers, and sidechains derived from macromers comprising:

• a) contacting ethylene and, optionally with one or more copolymerizable monomers, with a transition metal olefin polymerization catalyst activated by an alumoxane cocatalyst, the mole ratio of aluminum to transition metal is between 20:1 and 100:1, in a solution at a temperature of 30 to 150° C. and a pressure of up to 345 MPa;
• b) obtaining a polymer product having:
• 1) greater than 40% chain end-group unsaturation,
• 2) a number average molecular weight (Mn) of about 1500 to 25,154, (as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) at 145° C),
• 3) a ratio of vinyl groups to total olefin groups according to the formula:
• (vinyl groups/olefin groups)>(comonomer mole percentage+0.1)a×10a×b,
• wherein a=−0.24 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.20 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.18 and b=0.83;
• or a=−0.15, b=0.83;
• or a=−0.10 and b=0.85,
• 4) a total number of vinyl groups per 1000 carbon atoms greater than or equal to 8000÷Mn (as determined by 1H-NMR at 125° C.), and
• 5) the Mw/Mn ranging from 2.083 to 5.666;
• c) copolymerizing the polymer product with propylene and, optionally, one or more copolymerizable monomers, in a polymerization reactor under suitable polypropylene polymerization conditions using a chiral, stereorigid transition metal catalyst capable of producing isotactic polypropylene;
• and
• d) recovering a branched olefin copolymer having a total comonomer content of from 0 to 20 mole percent;
• and a mass ratio of the isotactic polypropylene to the sidechains ranging from 99.9:0.1 to 50:50.

A process to produce a branched olefin copolymer having an isotactic polypropylene backbone, optionally comprising monomer units from one or more comonomers, and sidechains derived from macromers comprising:

• a) contacting ethylene and at least one C3 to C12 olefin comonomer with a transition metal olefin polymerization catalyst activated by an alumoxane cocatalyst, the mole ratio of aluminum to transition metal is between 20:1 and 100:1, in a solution at a temperature of 30 to 150° C. and a pressure of up to 345 MPa;
• b) obtaining a polymer product having:
• 1) greater than 40% chain end-group unsaturation,
• 2) a number average molecular weight (Mn) of about 1500 to 75,000, (as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) at 145° C).
• 3) a ratio of vinyl groups to total olefin groups according to the formula:
• (vinyl groups/olefin groups)>(comonomer mole percentage+0.1)a×10a×b,
• wherein a=−0.24 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.20 and b=0.8;
• or a=−0.18 and b=0.83;
• or a=−0.15, b=0.83;
• or a=−0.10 and b=0.85,
• 4) a total number of vinyl groups per 1000 carbon atoms greater than or equal to 8000÷Mn (as determined by 1H-NMR at 125° C.), and
• 5) an Mw/Mn ranging from 2.083 to 5.666;
• c) copolymerizing the polymer product with propylene and, optionally, one or more copolymerizable monomers, in a polymerization reactor under suitable polypropylene polymerization conditions using a chiral, stereorigid transition metal catalyst capable of producing isotactic polypropylene;
• and
• d) recovering a branched olefin copolymer.