Process for producing polyolefin elastomer employing a metallocene catalyst

• US 6,136,744 A
• Filed: 12/15/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lion Copolymer Geismar, LLC (East West Copolymer LLC)
• Original Assignee: Uniroyal Chemical Company Inc (Lanxess AG)
• Inventors: Gillis, Daniel J., Karpeles, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): WOOD, ELIZABETH D
• Application Number:
  US08/990,612
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 502/118, 502/128, 502/129, 502/131, 502/134, 502/152, 502/153, 502/154, 502/157, 502/171
• US Class Current: 502/118
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 10/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/06 Organic solvent
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/06 Propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/14 Monomers containing five or more carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/16 Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/18 with non-conjugated dienes, e.g. EPT rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 236/00 Copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, at least one having two or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds C08F232/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/01 High molecular weight, e.g. >800,000 Da.
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/03 Narrow molecular weight distribution, i.e. Mw/Mn < 3
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/17 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/21 Rubbery or elastomeric properties
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2500/25 Cycloolefine
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65908 in combination with an ionising compound other than alumoxane, e.g. (C6F5)4B-X+
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65912 in combination with an organoaluminium compound
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/6592 containing at least one cyclopentadienyl ring, condensed or not, e.g. an indenyl or a fluorenyl ring
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65922 containing at least two cyclopentadienyl rings, fused or not
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65927 two cyclopentadienyl rings being mutually bridged
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 5/04 made of rubber F16G5/02 takes precedence consisting of several parts F16G5/16
• 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: Y10S 526/943 Polymerization with metallocene catalysts

Abstract

A cation-generating cocatalyst is provided for activating a metallocene procatalyst. The cocatalyst comprises (1) a metal- and/or metalloid-containing first component, e.g., an aluminum compound, (2) a neutral metal- and/or metalloid-containing second component, e.g., a borane compound, and (3) an anionic metal- and/or metalloid-containing third component, e.g., a metal containing borate.

Claims

1. A cation-generating cocatalyst for activating a metallocene procatalyst, the cocatalyst comprising a metal- and/or metalloid-containing first component capable of exchanging one or more non-cyclopentadienyl ligands coordinated to the transition metal of the metallocene up to the full number of such ligands present with, independently, a hydrogen atom, a carbohydryl group containing up to about 20 carbon atoms or an oxyhydrocarbyl group containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

a neutral metal- and/or metalloid-containing second component having at least one aryl group possessing at least one electron-withdrawing substituent; and

, an anionic metal containing third component having at least one aryl group possessing at least one electron-withdrawing substituent, alone or in combination with a metalloid-containing third component having at least one aryl group possessing at least one electron-withdrawing substituent.

2. The cocatalyst of claim 1 wherein the first component is an aluminum compound, the second component is a borane compound and the third component is a metal borate compound.

3. The cocatalyst of claim 2 wherein the aluminum compound is a trialkylaluminum or dialkylaluminum hydride, the borane compound is a tris(haloaryl)borane and the metal borate compound is an alkali metal-, alkaline earth metal-, transition metal- or metalloid tetrakis (haloaryl)borate.

4. The cocatalyst of claim 3 wherein the aluminum compound is a trialkylaluminum, the borane compound is a tris(halophenyl)borane and the metal borate compound is an alkali metal tetrakis(halophenyl)borate.

5. The cocatalyst of claim 2 wherein the aluminum compound is at least one of trimethylaluminum, triethylaluminum, tri(n-propyl)aluminum, triisopropylaluminum, tri(n-butyl)aluminum, tri(n-propyl)aluminum, triisobutylaluminum, tri(n-hexyl)aluminum, tri(n-octyl)aluminum, dimethyaluminum hydride, diethylaluminum hydride, diisopropylaluminum hydride, di(n-propyl)aluminum hydride, diisobutylaluminum hydride, di(n-butyl)aluminum hydride, dimethylaluminum ethoxide, di(n-propyl)aluminum ethoxide, diisobutylaluminum ethoxide or di(n-butyl)aluminum ethoxide, the borane compound is at least one of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, tris(methoxyphenyl)borane, tris(trifluoromethylphenyl)borane, tris(3,5-di[trifluoromethyl]phenyl)borane, tris(tetrafluoroxylyl)borane or tris(tetrafluoro-o-tolyl)borane and the metal borate compound is at least one of lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, lithium tetrakis(trifluoromethylphenyl)borate, lithium tetrakis (3,5-di[trifluoromethyl]phenyl)borate, sodium tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl)borate, potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, magnesium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, titanium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or tin tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.