Polymer Compositions and Processes for Their Production
First Claim
1. A polymer composition comprising a reactor blend of:
- (a) a first copolymer component comprising a vinyl-terminated polymer (VTP) having at least 60% vinyl terminations relative to the total number of end-group unsaturations in the VTP , and further having 40 to 80 wt % content derived from ethylene, 0 to 15 wt % content derived from one or more polyenes, with the balance of content derived from one or more C3-C12 α
-olefins; and
(b) a second copolymer component comprising a high molecular weight polymer (HMP) having 35-75 wt % content derived from ethylene, 0 to 15 wt % content derived from one or more polyenes, with the balance of content derived from one or more C3-C12 α
-olefins;
wherein the second copolymer component has weight-average molecular weight (Mw) greater than that of the first copolymer component, and further has at least 5 wt % less ethylene-derived content than the ethylene-derived content of the first copolymer component; and
further wherein the reactor blend is made by a polymerization process comprising;
copolymerizing a plurality of monomers comprising (i) ethylene, (ii) one or more C2-C12 α
-olefin monomers, and optionally; and
(iii) one or more polyenes in the presence of a vinyl-terminated polymer-forming catalyst system (“
VTP catalyst system”
) and a high molecular weight polymer-forming catalyst system (“
HMP catalyst system”
), thereby forming thereactor blend;
wherein;
(i) the HMP catalyst system comprises a HMP catalyst compound and a first activator;
(ii) the VTP catalyst system comprises a VTP catalyst compound and a second activator; and
(iii) the VTP catalyst compound has the structural formula;
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Provided herein are polymerization processes and polymer compositions including reactor blends formed by such polymerization processes. The polymerization processes include copolymerization using two metallocene catalyst systems: the first catalyst system capable of producing polymers having 60% or more vinyl terminations, the second catalyst system capable of producing high molecular weight polymers, preferably incorporating at least some of the polymers produced by the first catalyst system into the high molecular weight polymers. The reactor blends formed thereby therefore include first and second copolymer components, which may differ in monomer content and weight-average molecular weight (Mw). Furthermore, the reactor blends may exhibit advantageous rheological properties, at least some of which are consistent with long-chain branching. Preferred reactor blends comprise ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymers.
-
Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A polymer composition comprising a reactor blend of:
-
(a) a first copolymer component comprising a vinyl-terminated polymer (VTP) having at least 60% vinyl terminations relative to the total number of end-group unsaturations in the VTP , and further having 40 to 80 wt % content derived from ethylene, 0 to 15 wt % content derived from one or more polyenes, with the balance of content derived from one or more C3-C12 α
-olefins; and(b) a second copolymer component comprising a high molecular weight polymer (HMP) having 35-75 wt % content derived from ethylene, 0 to 15 wt % content derived from one or more polyenes, with the balance of content derived from one or more C3-C12 α
-olefins;wherein the second copolymer component has weight-average molecular weight (Mw) greater than that of the first copolymer component, and further has at least 5 wt % less ethylene-derived content than the ethylene-derived content of the first copolymer component; and further wherein the reactor blend is made by a polymerization process comprising; copolymerizing a plurality of monomers comprising (i) ethylene, (ii) one or more C2-C12 α
-olefin monomers, and optionally; and
(iii) one or more polyenes in the presence of a vinyl-terminated polymer-forming catalyst system (“
VTP catalyst system”
) and a high molecular weight polymer-forming catalyst system (“
HMP catalyst system”
), thereby forming thereactor blend; wherein; (i) the HMP catalyst system comprises a HMP catalyst compound and a first activator; (ii) the VTP catalyst system comprises a VTP catalyst compound and a second activator; and (iii) the VTP catalyst compound has the structural formula; - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A polymer composition comprising a reactor blend of:
-
(a) a first EPDM copolymer having ethylene-derived content in a range of 20 to 80 wt %, diene-derived content in a range of 0.3 to 15 wt %, Mw of 5,000 to 80,000 g/mol, and at least 60% vinyl terminations relative to the total number of end-group unsaturations in the first EPDM copolymer; and (b) a second EPDM copolymer having at least 5 wt % less ethylene content than the first EPDM copolymer, diene-derived content in a range of 0.3 to 15 wt %, and Mw at least 1.5 times greater than the Mw of the first EPDM copolymer; wherein the reactor blend has both (i) a phase angle δ
at complex shear modulus G*=100,000 Pa of less than 54.5° and
(ii) LCB index measured at 125°
C. of less than 5. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification