# US 8,580,902 B2 · Catalyst system, process for olefin polymerization, and polymer compositions produced therefrom

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,580,902 B2
- Document ID: US8580902B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/541,752
- Filed: 2009-08-14
- Published: 2010-02-04
- Granted: 2013-11-12
- Earliest claimed: 2008-08-01
- Assignees: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
- Applicants: Donna J. Crowther; Peijun Jiang; Rainer Kolb
- Inventors: Donna J. Crowther; Peijun Jiang; Rainer Kolb
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8580902B2

## CPC

- C08F 210/06: Propene
- B01J 31/0239: {Quaternary ammonium compounds}
- B01J 31/146: {of boron}
- B01J 31/1616: {Coordination complexes, e.g. organometallic complexes, immobilised on an inorganic support, e.g. ship-in-a-bottle type catalysts (catalysts comprising molecular sieves B01J29/00)}
- B01J 31/2295: {Cyclic compounds, e.g. cyclopentadienyls}
- C08F 10/06: Propene
- C08F 210/02: Ethene
- C08F 210/16: Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers
- B01J 31/0201: {Oxygen-containing compounds}
- B01J 31/0235: {Nitrogen containing compounds}
- B01J 31/0254: {on mineral substrates}
- B01J 31/0255: {Phosphorus containing compounds}
- B01J 31/1608: {the ligands containing silicon}
- B01J 2231/122: Cationic (co)polymerisation, e.g. single-site or Ziegler-Natta type
- B01J 2531/0269: Complexes comprising ligands derived from the natural chiral pool or otherwise having a characteristic structure or geometry
- B01J 2531/0297: Non-coordinating anions
- B01J 2531/40: Complexes comprising metals of Group IV (IVA or IVB) as the central metal
- B01J 2531/48: Zirconium
- B01J 2531/49: Hafnium
- C08F 4/65912: {in combination with an organoaluminium compound}
- C08F 4/65916: {supported on a carrier, e.g. silica, MgCl2, polymer}
- C08F 4/65927: {two cyclopentadienyl rings being mutually bridged}
- C08F 110/06: Propene
- Y10S 526/943: Polymerization with metallocene catalysts
- Y10T 442/60: Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

Provided are catalyst systems, processes for polymerizing one or more olefins, polymers resulting therefrom, and articles prepared from such polymers. The processes comprise contacting under polymerization conditions one or more olefin monomers, preferably propylene, with a catalyst system comprising a transition metal compound and an activator of the formula (1) or (2) as described herein. The polymer compositions described herein exhibit advantageously narrow composition distributions and high melting points in comparison to conventional polymers having the same comonomer content. The polymers described herein exhibit improved properties, e.g., pellet stability, impact properties, heat seal properties, and structural integrity in film and fabricated parts applications.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for the production of one or more copolymer compositions comprising contacting propylene and one or more comonomers with a catalyst system under polymerization conditions including conducting the polymerization in a homogeneous solution at a temperature of from about 80° C. to about 200° C. and a monomer conversion of from 5 to 90%, where:
a. the catalyst system comprises a transition metal compound and an activator, the activator having the formula:
[RnAH][Y]−,
where the R groups may be identical or different and are a C1 to C3 alkyl group; A is nitrogen; n is 3; and [Y]− is a non-coordinating anion represented by [B(R4)4]−, with R4 being an aryl group or a substituted aryl group, of which the one or more substituents are identical or different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, a halogen atom, halogenated aryl, and haloalkylaryl groups; and
wherein the transition metal compound is a dialkylsilylbis(indenyl) metallocene, wherein the metal is a Group 4 metal and the indenyl is unsubstituted or substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, C1 to C10 alkyl, C5 to C15 aryl, C6 to C25 arylalkyl, C6 to C25 alkylaryl, and wherein the metallocene has two leaving groups, X1 and X2, which are both halogen or C1 to C3 alkyl; and
b. the copolymer composition comprises units derived from propylene and ethylene, where the copolymer comprises from about 0.1 to about 20 wt % units derived from ethylene, and:
i. the density of the copolymer composition is less than about 0.970 g/cc,
ii. the heat of fusion of the copolymer composition is less than about 75 J/g,
iii. the melting point of the composition satisfies the relation Tm>−6.2*e +125, where e is the ethylene content of the composition in wt % and Tm is the melting point in degrees Celsius,
iv. the copolymer is prepared using one dialkylsilylbis(indenyl) metallocene, and
v. the copolymer composition has a T75−T25 value of less than 35, where T25 is the temperature in degrees Celsius at which 25% of the eluted polymer is obtained and T75 is the temperature in degrees Celsius at which 75% of the eluted polymer is obtained via temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF);
wherein the Mw of the polymer formed increases or at least does not substantially decrease with increasing monomer conversion at a given reaction temperature.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the copolymer comprises from about 2 to about 20 wt % units derived from ethylene.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process of claim 2, wherein the composition comprises from about 3 to about 16 wt % units derived from ethylene.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The process of claim 3, wherein the composition comprises from about 5 to about 14wt % units derived from ethylene.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the density of the composition is less than about 0.940 g/cc.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The process of claim 5, wherein the density of the composition is from about 0.860 to about 0.900 g/cc.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the molecular weight of the copolymer is from about 20,000 to about 400,000 g/mol.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the molecular weight distribution of the copolymer is from about 2.0 to about 2.4.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the soluble fraction, Fa, of the copolymer satisfies the following relation:
Fa<7*e+35,
where e is the ethylene content of the composition in wt %.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the soluble fraction, Fa, of the copolymer satisfies the following relation:
Fa<7*e+38,
where e is the ethylene content of the composition in wt %.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the soluble fraction, Fa, of the copolymer satisfies the following relation:
Fa<7*e+40,
where e is the ethylene content of the composition in wt %.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the copolymer composition has a T75−T25 value of less than 30,
wherein T25 is the temperature at which 25% of the eluted polymer is obtained and T75 is the temperature at which 75% of the eluted polymer is obtained via temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, wherein the copolymer composition has a T75−T25 value of less than 25.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The process of claim 13, wherein the copolymer composition has a T75−T25 value of less than 20.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the activator has the formula [Me3NH] [Y]+, where Me denotes a methyl group.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The process of claim 15, wherein [Y]− is tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, tetrakis(heptafluorophenyl)borate, or tetrakis(perfluorophenyl)borate.