Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

The Dow Chemical Company

Peter L Wauteraerts

Lee Spencer

Grant B Jacobsen

Fumio Matsushita

Pak-Wing Steve Chum

Jozef Van Dun

Patrick J Schouterden

Akira Miyamoto

Larry Alan Meiske

Larry A Meiski

Blend compositions containing a novel homopolymer, the use of which allows the incorporation of more comonomer in the additional components of the blend (for the same overall density) resulting in increased tie molecule formation and improvement in properties such as ESCR, toughness and impact strength are disclosed. The homopolymers are important for applications where a high density is needed to ensure certain mechanical properties like abrasion resistance, indentation resistance, pressure resistance, topload resistance, modulus of elasticity, or morphology (for the chlorination of PE to CPE) and additional advantages such as melt processability. The blend can be obtained by dry or melt mixing the already produced components, or through in-situ production by in parallel and/or in series arranged reactors. These resins can be used in applications such as films, blow molded, injection molded, and rotomolded articles, fibers, and cable and wire coatings and jacketings and, various forms of pipe.

High density ethylene homopolymers and blend compositions

Disclosed is a novel ethylene copolymer by copolymerizing an ethylene and at least one comonomer selected from a compound represented by the formula HC&#x2550;CHR wherein R is an alkyl group or an aryl group, and a diene, by slurry polymerization process in the presence of a solid catalyst system comprising a support, a transition metal compound and an activator capable of converting the transition metal compound into a catalytically active transition metal complex.

Ethylene copolymer compositions

Blend compositions containing a novel homopolymer, the use of which allows the incorporation of more comonomer in the additional components of the blend (for the same overall density) resulting in increased tie molecule formation and improvement in properties such as ESCR, toughness and impact strength are disclosed. The homopolymers are important for applications where a high density is needed to ensure certain mechanical properties like abrasion resistance, indentation resistance, pressure resistance, topload resistance, modulus of elasticity, or morphology (for the chlorination of PE to CPE) and additional advantages such as melt processability. The blend can be obtained by dry or melt mixing the already produced components, or through in-situ production by in parallel and/or in series arranged reactors. These resins can be used in applications such as films, blow molded, injection molded, and rotomolded articles, fibres, and cable and wire coatings and jacketings and, various forms of pipe.

Disclosed is a novel ethylene copolymer by copolymerizing an ethylene and at least one comonomer selected from a compound represented by the formula H C&boxH;CHR wherein R is an alkyl group or an aryl group, and a diene, by slurry polymerization process in the presence of a solid catalyst system comprising a support, a transition metal compound and an activator capable of converting the transition metal compound into a catalytically active transition metal complex. The produced copolymer has a density of from 0.870 to 0.980 and a molecular weight distribution (M /M ) of from 3 to 10, and exhibiting GPC/FT-IR characteristics and CFC characteristics, both of which define a comonomer content distribution, wherein, in one aspect, the lower the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction in a molecular weight distribution of an ethylene copolymer, the lower the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction; and, in the other aspect, the higher the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction, the higher the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction, so that ethylene copolymer exhibits high impact strength and excellent ESCR properties. Further, the ethylene copolymer contains substantially no impurites such as a wax, a gel and the like. Thus, the ethylene copolymer and blend compositions therefrom can be advantageously used for the production of film, fibers, foams or sheets including blown film, cast films, laminate films, blow-molded articles, injection molded articles, pipes, coating materials for cables, and the like.

A supported catalyst component prepared from a support material and an alumoxane, containing 15-40 weight percent of aluminum from the alumoxane (based on the total weight of the support material and alumoxane), said supported catalyst component being obtained by heating said support material and alumoxane under an inert atmosphere at a temperature of from about 85 to about 250.degree. C. for a period sufficient to fix said alumoxane to the support material, to provide a supported catalyst component; wherein not more than about 10 percent aluminum from said alumoxane and present in the supported catalyst component is extractable in a one-hour extraction with toluene at 90.degree. C. using 10 ml toluene per gram of supported catalyst component; and a transition metal compound, and a process for the preparation of the supported catalyst.

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Oostham, Belgium

Peter L Wauteraerts