Resin particle produced by diene polymerization with rare earth and transition metal catalysts

• US 6,001,478 A
• Filed: 08/08/1997
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Minghui, Cann, Kevin Joseph, Apecetche, Maria Angelica
• Primary Examiner(s): TESKIN, FRED M
• Application Number:
  US08/907,767
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 526/114, 526/115, 526/116, 526/164, 526/901, 526/904, 523/207, 428/402, 428/407, 524/789, 524/856
• US Class Current: 428/407
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/34 Polymerisation in gaseous state
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 36/04 conjugated
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/545 rare earths being present, e.g. triethylaluminium + neodymium octanoate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/901 Monomer polymerized in vapor state in presence of transition metal containing catalyst
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/904 Monomer polymerized in presence of transition metal containing catalyst at least part of which is supported on a polymer, e.g. prepolymerized catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2982 Particulate matter [e.g., sphere, flake, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2998 including synthetic resin or polymer

Abstract

There is provided a process for preparing a polydiene comprising polymerizing a diene selected from the group consisting of butadiene, isoprene, or a mixture thereof under polymerization conditions in a gas phase reactor optionally in the presence of an inert particulate material and in the presence of a catalyst comprising (i) a rare earth metal component, (ii) a transition metal component selected from the group consisting of nickel compound, cobalt compound or titanium compound, and (iii) cocatalyst.

Claims

1. A resin particle which is granular and free-flowing comprising an outer shell having a mixture of an inert particulate material and a polymer selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene, polyisoprene, or a copolymer of butadiene and isoprene;

said inert particulate material being present in said outer shell in an amount higher than 75% by weight based on the weight of said outer shell; and

an inner core having a mixture of said polymer and said inert particulate material, said polymer being present in the inner core in an amount higher than 90% by weight based on the weight of said inner core; and

wherein the resin particle has a residue of rare earth metal ranging from about 10 to 400 ppm based upon the total polymer and a residue of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, titanium and mixtures thereof ranging from about 1 to 120 ppm based upon the total polymer.

2. The resin particle of claim 1 wherein the polymer has a weighted average molecular weight of about 200,000 to 2,000,000 and a dispersity index of about 3 and 20;

and wherein the inert particulate material is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, silica, and mixtures thereof.