Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

The Dow Chemical Company

Bp Chemicals Limited

Brian W S Kolthammer

Deepak R Parikh

Robert S Cardwell

Martin J Guest

Steven M Ueligger

Teresa Plumley Karjala

Malcolm F Finlayson

Lee Spencer

Jeffrey J Wooster

Miriam P Ripplinger

Ralph E Guerra

Craig C Garrison

James C Stevens

Bharat Indu Chaudhary

Yunwa Wilson Cheung

David R Wilson

Pak-Wing Steve Chum

Charles F Diehl

Selim Yalvac

Daniel D VanderLende

Robert K Rosen

Morris S Edmondson

Ronald P Markovich

Jacquelyn A deGroot

Kevin P Peil

Stanley W Smith

Bruce A Story

Robert D Swindoll

Jesus Nieto

Adam E Laubach

The present invention relates to an ethylene/&#x3b1;-olefin interpolymer product comprising at least one &#x3b1;-olefin interpolymerized with ethylene and, characterized in at least one aspect, as having improved properties when utilized in a hot melt adhesive formulation. The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing the interpolymer product wherein the process comprises employing two or more single site catalyst systems in at least one reaction environment (or reactor) and wherein the at least two catalyst systems have (a) different comonomer incorporation capabilities or reactivities and/or (b) different termination kinetics, both when measured under the same polymerization conditions. The interpolymer products are useful, for example, in applications such as hot melt adhesives, and also for impact, bitumen and asphalt modification, adhesives, dispersions or latexes and fabricated articles such as, but not limited to, foams, films, sheet, moldings, thermoforms, profiles and fibers.

Interpolymers suitable for use in hot melt adhesives and processes to prepare same

An article of manufacture comprises a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl aromatic monomer having a molecular weight of less than 15,000. Preferably, the copolymer is characterized by a backbone having a first and second terminal end group, the first terminal end group is a methyl group, the second terminal end group is a vinyl group, wherein the ratio of the terminal methyl group to the terminal vinyl group is 0.8:1 to 1:0.8. The article of manufacture includes, but is not limited to, waxes, lubricants, additives, etc. The waxes may be used to formulate paints and coatings, printing inks, carbon paper, photo toners, building and construction materials, mold release agents, hot melt adhesives, candles. The waxes may also be used in wood processing, metal working, powder metallurgy and sintering, wax modeling, sizing, crop protection, and so on.

Low molecular weight copolymer of ethylene and vinyl aromatic monomer and uses thereof

A new process of interpolymerizing ethylene interpolymer products having improved properties, such as increased onset of crystallization temperature, is disclosed. Preferably, the process comprises interpolymerizing a first homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer and at least one second homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer using at least two constrained geometry catalysts having different reactivities such that the first ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer has a narrow molecular weight distribution (NMWD) with a very high comonomer content and relatively high molecular weight and the second ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer has a NMWD with a low comonomer content and a molecular weight lower than that of the first interpolymer. The resultant first homogeneous interpolymer is combined with the resultant second homogeneous interpolymer in appropriate weight ratios resulting in the desired finished polymer structure. The first interpolymer and the second interpolymer can be polymerized in a single reactor or they can be polymerized in separate reactors operated in parallel or series.

Ethylene interpolymer polymerizations

A polymer produced by a transition metal containing catalyst useful for the polymerization of &agr;-olefins is prepared by (A) forming in an inert atmosphere which excludes oxygen and moisture a slurry of (1) a porous inorganic oxide support material selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, or a combination of silica and alumina, said support material containing not greater than about 5 millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support material and a particle size not greater than about 10 microns and a surface area of from about 50 to about 800 m /g in an inert organic liquid medium; (B) mixing said slurry with (2) an alkoxide and stirring the resultant mixture at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to saturate the surface of the support material; (C) mixing the product form (B) with (3) a titanium compound or a combination of a titanium compound and (4) a vanadium compound and stirring the resultant mixture at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to allow complete reaction of the titanium compound and the vanadium compound with the organomagnesium moieties remaining on the solid support; (D) mixing the product from (C) with an inert organic solution of (5) a Group IIIA metal alkyl halide at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to complete the reduction of the titanium and vanadium, if present, compounds to their final oxidation state. Ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers which have greater than 17 percent high density fraction and a M /M ratio of less than about 3.6 are shown to be useful in making cast films which have good stretchability and good puncture resistance. Copolymers of the present invention having the specified properties are especially useful in making the films.

Silica supported transition metal catalyst

Process for making a non-pourable ultra-low molecular weight ethylene polymer composition and blends thereof. Such polymer compositions tend to have longer lamella and a greater degree of crystalline organization than corresponding higher molecular weight materials at an equivalent density.

Process for making ultra-low molecular weight ethylene polymers and blends thereof

Ethylene, an &agr;-olefin and, optionally, a diene monomer are polymerized in a process comprising the step of contacting (1) ethylene, (2) at least one C -C aliphatic &agr;-olefin, (3) optionally, at least one C -C diene, (4) a catalyst comprising (a) a metallocene complex, and (b) an activator, and (5) a solvent. The process is conducted in either a single reactor or in multiple reactors, the latter configured either in series or parallel. Solvent is removed from the polymer stream in an anhydrous, first stage solvent recovery operation such that the solids concentration of the product stream is increased by at least 100 percent. Additional solvent is removed in an anhydrous, second stage solvent recovery operation from the product of the first stage solvent recovery operation such that the solids concentration of the product stream is in excess of 65 weight percent.

Metallocene-catalyzed process for the manufacture of EP and EPDM polymers

A gas phase fluidized bed process is described for producing ethylene polymers having improved processability and an MWD of less than about 2.9. Multiple reactors in series or parallel may be used to produce in-situ blended polymers. Each reactor can separately have a constrained geometry catalyst or a conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyst as needed for obtaining in-situ blended polymer with the desired properties as long as there is a constrained geometry catalyst in at least one reactor. Olefin polymers can be produced according to this invention which have low susceptibility to melt fracture, even under high shear stress conditions.

Gas phase polymerization of olefins

Film, molded articles and fibers prepared from ethylene/&agr;-olefin interpolymer compositions are disclosed. The interpolymer compositions are blends prepared by combining specified amounts of a narrow molecular weight distribution, narrow composition distribution breadth index interpolymer, and a broad molecular weight distribution, broad composition distribution breadth index interpolymer, with each blend component having a specified density, melt index and degree of branching.

Ethylene interpolymer blend compositions

The subject invention pertains to a non-pourable homogeneous ultra-low molecular weight ethylene polymer composition and a process for the preparation thereof Such polymer compositions have longer lamella and a greater degree of crystalline organization than corresponding higher molecular weight materials at an equivalent density.

Ultra-low molecular weight ethylene polymers

A polymer produced by a transition metal containing catalyst useful for the polymerization of &agr;-olefins is prepared by (A) forming in an inert atmosphere which excludes oxygen and moisture a slurry of (1) a porous inorganic oxide support material selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, or a combination of silica and alumina, said support material containing not greater than about 5 millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support material and a particle size not greater than about 10 microns and a surface area of from about 50 to about 800 m,/g in an inert organic liquid medium; (B) mixing said slurry with (2) an alkoxide and stirring the resultant mixture at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to saturate the surface of the support material; (C) mixing the product form (B) with (3) a titanium compound or a combination of a titanium compound and (4) a vanadium compound and stirring the resultant mixture at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to allow complete reaction of the titanium compound and the vanadium compound with the organomagnesium moieties remaining on the solid support; (D) mixing the product from (C) with an inert organic solution of (5) a Group IIIA metal alkyl halide at a temperature of from about &minus;20&deg; C. to about 120&deg; C. for a time sufficient to complete the reduction of the titanium and vanadium, if present, compounds to their final oxidation state. Ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers which have greater than 17 percent high density fraction and a M,/M,ratio of less than about 3.6 are shown to be useful in making cast films which have good stretchability and good puncture resistance. Copolymers of the present invention having the specified properties are especially useful in making the films.

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Lake Jackson, TX, United States of America

Brian W S Kolthammer