Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2002-07-09
Wu, David W. (Department: 1713)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
C526S125600, C526S201000, C526S160000, C526S348400, C526S348500, C526S348600, C526S065000, C526S916000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06417300
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to terpolymerization. It relates in particular to terpolymers of ethylene, 1-pentene and a third alpha olefin, to a process for producing such terpolymers, and to a method of preparation of a prepolymer.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and a further alpha olefin (“&agr;-olefin”) which differs as regards its total number of carbon atoms, by more than 1 unit from 1-pentene.
In other words, according to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a terpolymer which comprises a polymerization product obtained by polymerizing at least ethylene, 1-pentene and a further alpha olefin (“&agr;-olefin”) which differs as regards its total number of carbon atoms, by more than 1 unit from 1-pentene.
The Inventors have discovered that known art relating to the copolymerization of ethylene with different alpha olefins, and known art relating to the terpolymerization of ethylene with alpha olefins cannot be applied directly to the terpolymerization of ethylene with 1-pentene and a third alpha olefin. On the contrary, in the terpolymerization of ethylene with 1-pentene and the further &agr;-olefin according to the invention, surprising application terpolymers can be obtained with unexpected domains of fundamental properties. It is known from the art that polymers of ethylene, in the same domain of density, exhibit appropriate application properties derived from the density, with known correction mainly due to differences in the melt flow index and the index of polydispersity. The Inventors have, however, surprisingly found that terpolymers of ethylene with 1-pentene and a further or third alpha olefin according to this invention may have the same domain of density and while in the same domain of melt flow index and/or domain of polydispersity may, however, have very different and surprising application properties.
The Inventors have even more surprisingly discovered that within the family of. the terpolymers of ethylene with 1-pentene and a third alpha olefin according to this invention, particular families with even more surprising application properties can be obtained. Thus, a terpolymer of ethylene with 1-pentene and a further &agr;-olefin as hereinbefore described can have unexpectedly different properties when compared with a terpolymer of ethylene with one pentene and a further &agr;-olefin differing, as regards its total number of carbon atoms, from 1-pentene and having fewer carbon atoms than 1-pentene.
The properties of the terpolymer of the invention are determined mainly by the ratio or proportion of ethylene to the combination of 1-pentene and the further &agr;-olefin in the terpolymer, and by the ratio or proportion of 1-pentene to the further &agr;-olefin. In other words, the properties of the terpolymer, based on the ethylene: the sum of the total comonomer content, on a molar basis, can be altered by varying the molar ratio of the 1-pentene: further &agr;-olefin. In this manner, a large number of particular terpolymers can be obtained with large range of application properties controlled between certain limits. Typical applications of the terpolymer include extrusions, blow moulding and injection moulding.
The ratio of the molar proportion of ethylene to the sum of the molar proportions of 1-pentene and the further &agr;-olefin may be between 99,9:0,1 and 90:10.
The ratio of the molar proportion of 1-pentene to that of the further &agr;-olefin may be between 0,01:99,99 and 99,99:0,01. The preferred third &agr;-olefin content of the terpolymer, based on the 1-pentene content thereof, is greater than 10% by mass and, most preferably, greater than 20% by mass.
The third alpha olefin may be any alpha olefin having a total number of carbon atoms greater than 6 and less than 10 except alpha olefins with a branch directly linked to the double bond. Preferred are linear alpha olefins. The most preferred are alpha olefins with a total number of carbon atoms equal to or less than 8.
The Inventors have surprisingly discovered that terpolymers of ethylene, 1-pentene and a further &agr;-olefin wherein the number of carbon atoms of the third alpha olefin differs 3 units or less from 1-pentene often have superior application properties and a better balance of properties to those where the number of carbon atom differs by more than 3 units from 1-pentene.
In particular, the further alpha olefin may be 1-octene. The terpolymer of this aspect of the invention will thus be a terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and 1-octene.
The terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and 1-octene may have the following properties:
(a) A melt flow rate, as measured according to ASTM D 1238, in the range of about 0,01 to about 100 g/10 min; and/or
(b) A density as measured according to ASTM D 1505, in the range 0,890 to about 0,950.
In an even more particular case, this terpolymer may be such that when it is bottom blown into a film having a thickness of 30&mgr;, the film complies with the following requisites:
(i) An impact strength, as measured according to ASTM D 1709, of greater than 60 g: and/or
(ii) A tear strength, as measured according to ASTM 1922, of greater than 2,3 g/&mgr;m in the machine direction (MD) and greater than 11 g/&mgr;m in the transverse direction (TD).
In another particular case, the terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and 1-octene may be such that when injection moulded according to ASTM D 647, it has the following properties:
(a) A melt flow rate, as measured according to ASTM D 1238, in the range of about 0,01 to about 100 g/10 min; and/or
(b) A density as measured according to ASTM D 1505, in the range 0,890 to about 0,950;
(c) an Izod notched impact strength, as measured according to ASTM D 256, of between 5 and 50 kJ/m
2
;
(d) a tensile strength at yield, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between 7,5 and 15 MPa; and
(e) a modulus, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between 150 and 600 MPa.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and a further alpha olefin (“&agr;-olefin”) which, as regards its total number of carbon atoms, differs by 1 unit from 1-pentene and has more carbon atoms than 1-pentene, and which, when injection moulded according to ASTM D 647, complies with the following requisites:
(a) a melt flow rate, as measured according to ASTM D 1238, in the range of about 0,01 to about 100 g/10 min; and/or
(b) a density as measured according to ASTM D 1505, in the range 0,890 to about 0,950;
(c) an Izod notched impact strength, as measured according to ASTM D 256, of between 5 and 65 kJ/m
2
;
(d) a tensile strength at yield, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between 9 and 25 MPa; and
(e) a modulus, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between than 200 and 1000 MPa.
In other words, according to the second aspect of the invention, there is provided a terpolymer which comprises a polymerization product obtained by polymerizing at least ethylene, 1-pentene and a further alpha olefin (“&agr;-olefin”) which, as regards its total number of carbon atoms, differs by 1 unit from 1-pentene and has more carbon atoms than 1-pentene, and which, when injection moulded according to ASTM D 647, complies with the following requisites:
(a) a melt flow rate, as measured according to ASTM D 1238, in the range of about 0,01 to about 100 g/10 min; and/or
(b) a density as measured according to ASTM D 1505, in the range 0,890 to about 0,950;
(c) an Izod notched impact strength, as measured according to ASTM D 256, of between 5 and 65 kJ/m
2
;
(d) a tensile strength at yield, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between 9 and 25 MPa; and
(e) a modulus, as measured according to ASTM D 256 M, of between than 200 and 1000 MPa.
This alpha olefin may thus be 1-hexene. The terpolymer of this aspect of the invention is thus a terpolymer of ethylene, 1-pentene and 1-hexene.
This terpolymer may also be such that when it is bottom blown into a film having a thickness of 30&mgr;, the film complies with the following requisites:
(i) An im
Joubert Dawid Johannes
Potgieter Ignatius Hendrik
Tincul Ioan
(Sasol Technology (Proprietary) Limited)
Ladas & Parry
Rabago R.
Wu David W.
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