Ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer and method for preparing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11718693-B2
Application number	US-201917045658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2019
Priority date	May 4, 2018
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

The present invention provides an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having narrow molecular weight distribution together with a low density and an ultra low molecular weight, having minimized number of unsaturated functional groups, and having uniform crystallinity, thereby showing excellent physical properties, and a method for preparing the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer satisfying the following conditions i) to iv):
i) a density: 0.85 to 0.89 g/cc, measured according to ASTM D-792,
ii) a molecular weight distribution (MWD): 1.5 to 3.0,
iii) a viscosity: 6,000 cP to 40,000 cP, when measured at a temperature of 180° C., and
iv) a crystallization index (CI) according to the following Equation 1: 15 to 25,
CI= A 3 /B   [Equation 1]

in Equation 1,
A is full width at half maximum (FWHM) of a peak shown during measuring crystallization temperature, and
B is a numerical value measured as melt index (MI) according to ASTM D-1238 (condition E, 190° C., 2.16 kg load), wherein the numerical value has a unit of “dg/min”.

2. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the crystallization index is 16 to 23.

3. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , which has a weight average molecular weight of 17,000 to 40,000 g/mol.

4. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity is 8,500 to 35,000 cP, when measured at a temperature of 180° C.

5. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the density is 0.860 to 0.885 g/cc, measured according to ASTM D-792.

6. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the alpha-olefin comprises one or more selected from propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 4-methyl-l-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-undecene, 1- dodecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene, or 1-eicocene.

7. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the alpha-olefin is one or more selected from the group consisting of 1-buene, 1-hexene and 1-octene.

8. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein the alpha-olefin is comprised in an amount of from greater than 0 to 99 mol % or less, with respect to a total weight of the copolymer.

9. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , further satisfying the following conditions v) to vii):
v) a total number of unsaturated functional groups per 1,000 carbon atoms: 0.8 or less,
vi) a number average molecular weight (Mn): 9,000 to 25,000, and
vii) a melt index (MI) at 190° C., 2.16 kg load by ASTM D1238: 200 to 1,300 dg/min.

10. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , which has a number average molecular weight of 5,000 to 35,000.

11. The ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 1 , which has a crystallization temperature (Tc) of 45° C. to 60° C., and a melting temperature (Tm) of 60 to 80° C., wherein both the crystallization temperature and the melting temperature are measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

12. A method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer of claim 1 , comprising a step of polymerizing ethylene and an alpha-olefin-based monomer by injecting hydrogen in 45 to 100 cc/min in the presence of a catalyst composition including a transition metal compound of Formula 1:

wherein,
R 1 is hydrogen; alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; alkoxy of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; arylalkoxy of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; alkylaryl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; or arylalkyl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms,
R 2a to R 2e are each independently hydrogen; halogen; alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; alkoxy of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; or aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms,
R 3 is hydrogen; halogen; alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; alkylaryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; arylalkyl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; alkyl amido of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl amido of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; or phenyl which is substituted with one or more selected from the group consisting of halogen, alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 20 carbon atoms and aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms,
R 4 to R 9 are each independently hydrogen; silyl; alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; alkylaryl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; arylalkyl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; or a metalloid radical of a metal in group 14, which is substituted with hydrocarbyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; where among the R 6 to R 9 , adjacent two or more are optionally connected with each other to form a ring,
Q is Si or C,
M is a transition metal in group 4, and
X 1 and X 2 are each independently hydrogen; halogen; alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 2 to 20 carbon atoms; aryl of 6 to 20 carbon atoms; alkylaryl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; arylalkyl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms; alkylamino of 1 to 20 carbon atoms; or arylamino of 6 to 20 carbon atoms.

13. The method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 12 , wherein the compound of Formula 1 comprises a compound represented by any one among the structures below:

14. The method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 12 , wherein the catalyst composition further comprises a promoter for activating the transition metal compound of Formula 1.

15. The method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 14 , wherein the promotor comprises an organometal compound including a metal in group 13.

16. The method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 14 , wherein the promotor comprises one or more selected from a compound of the following Formula 2, a compound of the following Formula 3, or a compound of the following Formula 4:
R 41 —[Al(R 42 )—O] n —R 43   [Formula 2]

in Formula 2, R 41 , R 42 and R 43 are each independently any one selected from hydrogen, halogen, a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a halogen-substituted hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is an integer of 2 or more,
D(R 44 ) 3   [Formula 3]

in Formula 3, D is aluminum or boron, and each R 44 is each independently any one selected from halogen, a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a halogen-substituted hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms,
[L-H] + [Z(A) 4 ] − or [L] + [Z(A) 4 ] −   [Formula 4]

in Formula 4, L is a neutral Lewis base or Brønsted base; [L] + is a cationic Lewis acid, H is a hydrogen atom, [L-H] + is cationic Brønsted acid, Z is an element in group 13, and A is each independently a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms or a hydrocarbyloxy group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, wherein the hydrocarbyl group or the hydrocarbyloxy group is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents selected from halogen, a hydrocarbyloxy group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a hydrocarbylsilyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms.

17. The method of preparing the ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer according to claim 12 , wherein the transitional metal compound of Formula 1 is in a supported state on a support, and the a weight ratio of the transitional meta

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Gwak Rae Keun
• Jung Seung Hwan
• Gong Jin Sam
• Jun Jung Ho
• Lee Choong Hoon
• Lee Eun Jung
• Ju Hyun Jin
• Park In Sung
• Park Sang Eun

Classifications

• C08F210/16 Primary

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

• C09J123/0815 Primary

  Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins · CPC title

• C08F2500/17

  Viscosity · CPC title

• C08F2500/18

  Bulk density · CPC title

• C09J2301/304

  the adhesive being heat-activatable, i.e. not tacky at temperatures inferior to 30°C · CPC title