Ethylene/α-olefins block interpolymers

• US 7,608,668 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dow Global Technologies, Inc. (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Qui, Xiahua, Hustad, Phillip D., Hazlitt, Lonnie G., Carnahan, Edmund M., Kuhlman, Roger L., Taha, Angela N., Poon, Benjamin C., Cheung, Yunwa W., Li Pi Shan, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zemel; Irina S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lenihan; Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/376,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20060199930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 525/268, 525/242, 525/53, 525/191, 525/240, 526/346
• US Class Current: 525/240
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 212/08 Styrene

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a class of ethylene/α-olefin block interpolymers. The ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are characterized by an average block index, ABI, which is greater than zero and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, M_w/M_n, greater than about 1.3. Preferably, the block index is from about 0.2 to about 1. In addition or alternatively, the block ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is characterized by having at least one fraction obtained by Temperature Rising Elution Fractionation (“TREF”), wherein the fraction has a block index greater than about 0.3 and up to about 1.0 and the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer has a molecular weight distribution, M_w/M_n, greater than about 1.3.

Claims

1. An ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer comprising polymerized units of ethylene and α

-olefin, wherein the interpolymer is a block interpolymer comprising randomly distributed hard segments and soft segments wherein the interpolymer is characterized by an average block index greater than about 0.1 and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, M_w/M_n, greater than about 1.3.

2. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the average block index is in the range from about 0.4 to about 1.0.

3. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the average block index is in the range from about 0.3 to about 0.7.

4. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the average block index is in the range from about 0.6 to about 0.9.

5. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the average block index is in the range from about 0.5 to about 0.7.

6. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the α

-olefin is styrene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, norbornene, 1-decene, 1,5-hexadiene, or a combination thereof.

7. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the α

-olefin is 1-butene.

8. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the α

-olefin is 1-octene.

9. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the M_w/M_n is from about 1.7 to about 3.5.

10. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the ethylene content is greater than 50 mole percent.

11. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the hard segments are present in an amount from about 5% to about 85% by weight of the interpolymer.

12. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the hard segments comprise at least 98% of ethylene by weight.

13. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the soft segments comprise less than 90% of ethylene by weight.

14. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the soft segments comprise less than 50% of ethylene by weight.

15. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the interpolymer comprises at least 10 hard and soft segments connected in a linear fashion to form a linear chain.

16. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the soft segments do not include a tip segment.

17. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the hard segments do not include a tip segment.

18. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the average block index is in the range from about 0.1 to about 0.3.

19. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the interpolymer has a density of less than about 0.91 g/cc.

20. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the interpolymer has a density in the range from about 0.86 g/cc to about 0.91 g/cc.

21. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the M_w/M_n is greater than about 1.5.

22. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the M_w/M_n is greater than about 2.0.

23. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the M_w/M_n is from about 2.0 to about 8.

24. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer is characterized by at least one melting point, T_m, in degrees Celsius, and a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of T_m and d correspond to the relationship;

T_m>

−

2002.9+4538.5(d)−

2422.2(d)².

25. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1, wherein the ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer is characterized by an elastic recovery, Re, in percent at 300 percent strain and 1 cycle measured with a compression-molded film of the ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer, and a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of Re and d satisfy the following relationship when ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer is substantially free of a cross-linked phase;

Re>

1481−

1629(d).

26. The ethylene/α

-olefin interpolymer of claim 1 made using a shuttling agent selected from the group consisting of diethyl zinc, di(i-butyl)zinc, di(n-hexyl)zinc, triethylaluminum, trioctylaluminum, triethylgallium, i-butylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxane), i-butylaluminum bis(di(trimethylsilyl)amide), n-octylaluminum di(pyridine-2-methoxide), bis(n-octadecyl)i-butylaluminum, i-butylaluminum bis(di(n-pentyl)amide), n-octylaluminum bis(2,6-di-t-butylphenoxide, n-octylaluminum di(ethyl(1-naphthyl)amide), ethylaluminum bis(t-butyldimethylsiloxide), ethylaluminum di(bis(trimethylsilyl)amide), ethylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide), n-octylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide), n-octylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxide, ethylzinc(2,6-diphenylphenoxide), and ethylzinc(t-butoxide).