Highly branched, low molecular weight polyolefins and methods for their production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780941-B2
Application number	US-202217573858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2022
Priority date	Feb 6, 2018
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

Low molecular weight, highly branched polyolefins are provided. Also provided are catalyst-mediated methods of making the low molecular weight, highly branched polyolefins and a catalyst system for carrying out the methods. The catalyst system is a homogeneous catalytic system that includes a single-site organozirconium complex and hydrocarbon-soluble perfluoroarylborate co-catalyst that is highly active for the oligomerization of olefin monomers in non-polar media.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for olefin oligomerization, the method comprising combining olefin monomers with a single-site organozirconium complex and a perfluoroarylborate compound in a non-polar non-coordinating solvent or a halogenated solvent, whereby the single-site organozirconium complex and the perfluoroarylborate compound mediate the oligomerization of the olefin monomers into an olefin oligomer comprising branches having end groups comprising vinyl groups, vinylidene groups, or a combination thereof, and reacting the end groups with one or more reactants to form functionalized end groups.

2. A method for olefin oligomerization, the method comprising combining α-olefin monomers with a single-site organozirconium complex and a perfluoroarylborate compound in a non-polar non-coordinating solvent or a halogenated solvent, whereby the single-site organozirconium complex and the perfluoroarylborate compound mediate the oligomerization of the olefin monomers into an olefin oligomer, wherein the α-olefin monomers comprise 1-hexene monomers.

3. A method for olefin oligomerization, the method comprising combining olefin monomers with a single-site organozirconium complex and a perfluoroarylborate compound in a non-polar non-coordinating solvent or a halogenated solvent, whereby the single-site organozirconium complex and the perfluoroarylborate compound mediate the oligomerization of the olefin monomers into an olefin oligomer, wherein the perfluoroarylborate compound has the structure:

where:
each R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 is independently chosen from H, F, Cl, substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 ) alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 )alkenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 )cycloalkyl, wherein the substituted (C 4 -C 40 )alkyl and substituted (C 4 -C 40 )cycloalkyl are substituted with one or more R S , where each R S is chosen from (C 1 -C 20 )alkyl and halogen;
provided that at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , or R 5 is chosen from substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 30 )alkyl and substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 )cycloalkyl.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the olefin monomers are combined with the single-site organozirconium complex and the perfluoroarylborate compound in the non-polar non-coordinating solvent.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the non-polar non-coordinating solvent is methylcyclohexane.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the non-polar non-coordinating solvent is pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, or cyclohexane.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the olefin monomers include ethylene.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the olefin monomers comprise α-olefin monomers.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein each R 1 is a substituted or unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 )cycloalkyl.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein each R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 is an H atom.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein each R 1 is an unsubstituted (C 4 -C 40 )cycloalkyl.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein each R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 is an H atom.

13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the perfluoroarylborate compound has the structure:

Assignees

• Univ Northwestern

Inventors

• Marks Tobin Jay
• Gao Yanshan
• Lohr Tracy L
• Wang Qian
• Chung Yip-Wah
• Pickens Iii David B

Classifications

• C08F110/02 Primary

  Ethene · CPC title

• C08F4/52

  selected from boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, thallium or rare earths (C08F4/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08F4/76

  selected from titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium or tantalum · CPC title

• C08F210/02

  Ethene · CPC title

• C08F210/14

  Monomers containing five or more carbon atoms · CPC title