Microstructure-controlled copolymers of ethylene and C3-C10 alpha-olefins

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11091613-B2
Application number	US-201916271419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2019
Priority date	Dec 13, 2016
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A copolymer including ethylene units and units of one or more C 3-10 alpha-olefins. The copolymer has a number average molecular weight of less than 5,000 g/mol, as measured by GPC. The ethylene content of the copolymer is less than 80 mol %. At least 70% of molecules of the copolymer have an unsaturated group, and at least 70% of said unsaturated groups are located in a terminal vinylidene group or a tri-substituted isomer of a terminal vinylidene group. The copolymer has a crossover temperature of −20° C. or lower and/or a certain ethylene run length. Also disclosed are a method for making the copolymer and polyolefins plasticized with 1-40 wt % of the copolymer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A copolymer comprising ethylene units and propylene units,
wherein the copolymer has a number average molecular weight of less than 4,000 g/mol as measured by GPC;
the ethylene content of the copolymer is less than 65 mol %;
at least 70% of molecules of the copolymer have an unsaturated group, and at least 70% of said unsaturated groups are terminal vinylidene groups of the Formula (I) or a tri-substituted isomer of a terminal vinylidene group of the Formula (II):

wherein R is a methyl group and

indicates a bond attached to the remaining portion of the copolymer:
21.4% or less of unit triads in the copolymer are ethylene-ethylene-ethylene triads; and the copolymer has a crossover temperature of −35° C. or lower.

2. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has an average ethylene unit run length of less than 2.6.

3. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene content of the copolymer is less than 55 mol %.

4. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene content of the copolymer is at least 10 mol % and less than 65 mol %.

5. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene content of the copolymer is at least 40 mol % and less than 65 mol %.

6. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the C 3 -C 10 alpha-olefin content of the copolymer is at least 46.2 mol %.

7. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein at least 85 mol % of the copolymer terminates in the terminal vinylidene group or the tri-substituted isomer of the terminal vinylidene group.

8. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has an average ethylene unit run length of less than 2.4.

9. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has an average ethylene unit run length of less than 2.

10. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the crossover temperature of the copolymer is −40° C. or lower.

11. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has a polydispersity index of less than or equal to 4.

12. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has a polydispersity index of less than or equal to 3.

13. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the number average molecular weight of the copolymer is from 800 g/mol to less than 4,000 g/mol, as measured by GPC.

14. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein less than 20% of unit triads in the copolymer are ethylene-ethylene-ethylene triads.

15. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has a number average molecular weight less than 3,500 g/mol, as measured by GPC.

16. The copolymer of claim 15 , wherein the ethylene content of the copolymer is at least 10 mol % and less than 65 mol %.

17. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein at least 75 mol % of the copolymer terminates in the terminal vinylidene group or the tri-substituted isomer of the terminal vinylidene group.

18. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein at least 95 mol % of the copolymer terminates in the terminal vinylidene group or the tri-substituted isomer of the terminal vinylidene group.

19. The copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has a number average molecular weight of from 1,000 to 2,500 g/mol, as measured by GPC.

Assignees

• Afton Chemical Corp

Inventors

• Cain Nathaniel
• Loper John
• Cunningham Lawrence
• Roos Joseph W

Classifications

• C08F4/65912

  in combination with an organoaluminium compound · CPC title

• C08F2800/10

  as molar percentages · CPC title

• C08F210/16 Primary

  Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers · CPC title

• C08F4/65908

  in combination with an ionising compound other than alumoxane, e.g. (C6F5)4B-X+ · CPC title

• C08K3/22

  of metals · CPC title