Process for producing polymer

• US 7,214,745 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denki Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denki Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Toru, Hanazato, Shingo, Nakajima, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; David W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Rip A.
• Application Number:
  US10/486,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 526/160, 526/170, 526/943, 526/134, 526/129, 526/153, 526/126
• US Class Current: 526/153
• 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 110/02 Ethene
• 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 2420/08 Heteroatom bridge, i.e. Cp or analog where the bridging atom linking the two Cps or analogs is a heteroatom different from Si
• 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 2500/12 Melt flow index or melt flow ratio
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65912 in combination with an organoaluminium compound
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/65927 two cyclopentadienyl rings being mutually bridged
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/943 Polymerization with metallocene catalysts

Abstract

A process for producing an olefin polymer with high polymerization activity without using an expensive co-catalyst or using a limited amount of the co-catalyst, more particularly a process for producing a high molecular weight (co)polymer with high polymerization activity even at a high polymerization temperature which is more practical.

At least one olefin is polymerized by means of a polymerization catalyst comprising at least one transition metal compound selected from transition metal compounds which have a substituted indenyl group, represented by a certain specific chemical formula, and an organoaluminum compound represented by the formula Al(R)₃.

Claims

1. A process for producing an olefin polymer, comprising:

polymerizing at least one olefin in the presence of a polymerization catalyst comprising an alumoxane and

at least one transition metal compound selected from the group consisting of transition metal compounds represented by the following formula (1); and

an organoaluminum compound represented by the following formula (2);

2. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the substituted indenyl group is represented by the following formulae (3-1) or (3-2):

3. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 2, wherein the two A in the formula (1) are substituted indenyl groups represented by the formulae (3-1) or (3-2), and in this case, the two A may be the same or different.

4. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein at least one A or the two A in the formula (1) are any one of substituted benzoindenyl groups which may have substituents, represented by the formulae (4-1) to (4-3), and in this case, the two A may be the same or different:

5. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the organoaluminum compound is triisobutyl aluminum.

6. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the amount of aluminum in the organoaluminum compound is within a range of from 10 to 100,000 times by molar ratio based on the transition metal in the transition metal compound.

7. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the olefin polymer exhibits a relation between the molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) obtained by GPC (gel permeation chromatography) and the ratio (I₁₀/I₂) of the melt flow rates measured by changing the load to 10 kg and 2 kg, satisfies the following formulae:

30>

MFI>

1.25 m+6.25,

10>

m>

2;

wherein MFI is the ratio (I₁₀/I₂) of MFR under loads of 10 kg and 2 kg, and

m is the molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) by GPC.

8. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the molar amount of aluminum derived from the alumoxane is at most 50% based on the molar amount of aluminum derived from the organoaluminum compound.

9. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 1, wherein the molar amount of aluminum derived from the alumoxane is at most 20% based on the molar amount of aluminum derived from the organo aluminum compound.

10. A process for producing an olefin polymer, comprising:

polymerizing at least one olefin in the presence of a polymerization catalyst with no addition of alumoxane, said polymerization catalyst comprising

at least one transition metal compound selected from the group consisting of transition metal compounds represented by the following formula (1); and

an organoaluminum compound represented by the following formula (2);

11. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 10, wherein the substituted indenyl group is represented by the following formulae (3-1) or (3-2):

12. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 11, wherein the two A in the formula (1) are substituted indenyl groups represented by the formulae (3-1) or (3-2), and in this case, the two A may be the same or different.

13. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 10, wherein at least one A or the two A in the formula (1) are any one of substituted benzoindenyl groups which may have substituents, represented by the formulae (4-1) to (4-3), and in this case, the two A may be the same or different:

14. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 10, wherein the organoaluminum compound is triisobutyl aluminum.

15. The process for producing an olefin polymer according to claim 10, wherein the amount of aluminum in the organoaluminum compound is within a range of from 10 to 100,000 times by molar ratio based on the transition metal in the transition metal compound.