Olefin polymer, olefin polymerization catalyst and process...

Details Olefin polymer, olefin polymerization catalyst and process... Olefin polymer, olefin polymerization catalyst and process...

2001-08-07

2003-10-14

Choi, Ling-Siu (Department: 1713)

Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser

Synthetic resins

Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...

C526S111000, C526S080000, C526S154000, C526S158000, C526S348000, C526S142000, C502S111000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06632900

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amorphous polymer and a process for production thereof, and a catalyst for polymerizing an olefin. More specifically, the present invention relates to an amorphous polymer having a high molecular weight enough to improve problems such as stickiness, elution to an organic solvent and the like, and to exhibit an elastomeric property and substantially not having a melting point, an olefin polymerization catalyst suitable for producing said amorphous polymer and a process for producing said amorphous polymer.
2. Description of Related Arts
An amorphous poly(&agr;-olefin)(for example, an atactic polypropylene and an atactic poly(1-butene)) has been mainly used as a sticking agent, an improving agent for a crystalline polyolefin and the like. However, the molecular weight of an amorphous poly(&agr;-olefin), as known well, is not high enough, therefore the amorphous poly(&agr;-olefin) has problems such as stickiness of a product, elution to an organic solvent and the like, and it is difficult to say that an elastomeric property is sufficiently exhibited.
With respect to a synthesis of the amorphous polymer, Some processes have been known. It has been known from old times that a low-crystalline polymer prepared as a by-product is recovered when an olefin is polymerized with a solid Ziegler-Natta catalyst and an isotactic polymer is produced. However, the polymer obtained then has a low molecular weight and wide molecular weight distribution, and there have been problems such as stickiness of a product, elution to an organic solvent and the like.
Further, there are a report (Chem. Commun., 1996, 783) in which a high molecular weight poly(1-hexene) can be synthesized by polymerizing 1-hexene under a ultra-high pressure of 250 Mpa with a catalyst composed of using a hafnocene dichloride compound and methyl aluminoxane, and a report (EP0604917 A2 and EP0604908 A2) in which a polypropylene having a weight average molecular weight Mw of 377,000, a molecular weight distribution Mw/Mn(number average molecular weight) of 2.64 and a viscosity [&eegr;] of 2.28 dl/g, and a poly(1-butene) having a viscosity [&eegr;] of 1.29 dl/g, can be synthesized by polymerizing propylene with a catalyst composed of dimethylsilylene bis(9-fluorenyl) zirconium dichloride and methyl alumoxane, but a polymer having an adequate high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution is not obtained.
On the other hand, a polymer having a Mw of more than 8×10
6
can be synthesized (Macromolecular Chemie, Rapid Communication, Vol. 10 (1989), page 349) by polymerizing propylene using a transition metal compound having an aryloxy ligand as a catalyst component, but the glass transition temperature of the polymer was somewhat high and an elastomeric property was not sufficient. Further, in the polymerization of an olefin having 4 or more carbon atoms with such catalyst, the resulted polymer was also not always satisfactory in the points of stickiness and elution property to an organic solvent.
As described above, a poly(&agr;-olefin of 4 or more carbon atoms) which has an adequate high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution and no melting point substantially, and is amorphous, is not obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an amorphous polymer having a high molecular weight enough to improve problems such as stickiness, elution to an organic solvent and the like, and to exhibit an elastomeric property, and substantially not having a melting point.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an olefin polymerization catalyst suitable for producing said amorphous polymer.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing said amorphous polymer.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from description below.
The present inventors have intensively studied to attain the above-mentioned objects, and as a result, completed the present invention.
According to the present invention, there are provided an olefin polymer selected from the group consisting of a 1-butene homopolymer, a copolymers of 1-butene with propylene or an alkenyl hydrocarbon having 5 or more carbon atoms, wherein said olefin polymer is an amorphous polymer having a polystyrene-reduced number average molecular weight of 200,000 and substantially not having a melting point, an olefin polymerization catalyst obtained by contacting:
a transition metal compound(A) represented by the general formula (1) described below;
an organoaluminumoxy compound (B) soluble in an aromatic solvent; and
water (C), wherein the molar ratio of aluminum atom contained in the organoaluminumoxy compound (B) to a transition metal atom contained in the transition metal compound (A) is 1 to 20000, and the amount of water used is 0.1 to 3.0 mol per 1 mol of aluminum atom contained in the organoaluminumoxy compound (B).
(wherein M represents a transition metal atom of the Fourth Group of the Periodic Table, X and Y independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyloxy group, a sulfonyloxy group, a di-substituted amino group or a substituted silyl group. R
1
, R
2
, R
3
, R
4
, R
5
, R
6
, R
7
and R
8
independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyloxy group, a di-substituted amino group or a substituted silyl group. Further, R
1
, R
2
, R
3
R
4
, R
5
, R
6
, R
7
and R
8
may be optionally bonded to form a ring. T represents a divalent covalent crosslinking group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a divalent group represented by —O—, —S—, —S—S—, —S(═O)—, —S(═O)
2
—, —C(═O)—, —N(R
9
)—, —P(R
9
)—, or —P(═O)(R
9
)— (wherein R
9
represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in each case), n is an integer of from 0 to 3.), and
a process for producing an olefin polymer which comprises polymerizing 1-butene, or 1-butene with propylene or an alkenyl hydrocarbon having 5 or more carbon atoms with said olefin polymerization catalyst.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5321107 (1994-06-01), Tsutsui et al.
patent: 5965758 (1999-10-01), Nabika et al.
patent: 0604908 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 0604917 (1994-07-01), None
patent: WO9500562 (1995-05-01), None
Miyatake et al. Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun. 10, 349-352 (1989).*
Miyatake et al., Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun., vol. 10, pp. 349-352 (1989).
Fries et al., Chem. Commun., pp. 783-784 (1996).
O. Henschke, J.M.S.-Pure Appl. Chem., A35 (3), pp. 473-481 (1998).

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