Low density ethylene-based polymers with broad molecular weight distributions and low extractables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228036-B2
Application number	US-201214354054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2012
Priority date	Nov 23, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

The invention provides an ethylene-based polymer comprising the following properties: a) a melt index (12)>2.0 dg/min; b) a Mw(abs) versus 12 relationship: Mw(abs)<A+B(I2), where A=2.40×10 5 g/mole, and B=−8.00×10 3 (g/mole)/(dg/min); and c) a G′ versus 12 relationship: G′>C+D(I2), where C=127.5 Pa, and D=−1.25 Pa/(dg/min). The invention also provides an ethylene-based polymer comprising the following properties: a) a melt index (12)>2.0 dg/min; b) a G′ versus 12 relationship: G′>C+D(I2), where C=127.5 Pa, and D=−1.25 Pa/(dg/min) c) a chloroform extractable (Clext) versus G′ relationship: Clext.<E+FG′, where E=0.20 wt %, and F=0.060 wt %/Pa; and d) a “weight fraction (w) of molecular weight greater than 10 6 g/mole, based on the total weight of polymer, and as determined by GPC(abs),” that meets the following relationship: w<I−J(I2), where I=0.080, and J=−4.00×10 −3 min/dg.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ethylene-based polymer comprising the following properties:
a) a melt index (I2)≧2.0 dg/min;
b) a Mw(abs) versus I2 relationship: Mw (abs)<A+B(I2), where A=2.40×10 5 g/mole, and B=−8.00×10 3 (g/mole)/(dg/min);
c) a G′(at G″=500 Pa, 170° C.) versus I2 relationship: G′≧C+D(I2), where C=127.5 Pa, and D=−1.25 Pa/(dg/min).

2. An ethylene-based polymer comprising the following properties:
a) a melt index (I2)≧2.0 dg/min;
b) a G′ versus I2 relationship: G′(at G″=500 Pa, 170° C.)>C+D(I2), where C=127.5 Pa, and D=−1.25 Pa/(dg/min)
c) a chloroform extractable (Clext) versus G′ relationship: Clext≦E+FG′, where E=0.20 wt %, and F=0.060 wt %/Pa; and
d) a “weight fraction (w) of molecular weight greater than 10 6 g/mole, based on the total weight of polymer, and as determined by GPC(abs),” that meets the following relationship: w<I+J(I2), where I=0.080, and J=−4.00×10 −3 min/dg.

3. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer further comprises: d) a chloroform extractable (Clext) versus G′ relationship: Clext≦E+FG′, where E=0.20 wt %, and F=0.060 wt %/Pa.

4. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene-based polymer is selected from a polyethylene homopolymer or an ethylene-based interpolymer.

5. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the ethylene-based polymer is selected from a polyethylene homopolymer or an ethylene-based copolymer; and wherein the comonomer of the ethylene-based copolymer is selected from vinyl acetate, an alkyl acrylate, CO, acrylic acid, a carboxylic acid-containing comonomer, or a mono olefin.

6. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 5 , wherein the comonomer is present in an amount from 0.5 to 10 wt % comonomer, based on weight of copolymer.

7. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises less than 30 mole ppm of a crosslinking agent and/or a comonomer with crosslinking capability, based on total moles of monomer units in the ethylene-based polymer.

8. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has a hexane extractable level ≦4.5 wt %, based on weight of polymer.

9. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a polyethylene homopolymer.

10. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is an ethylene-based copolymer; and wherein the comonomer of the ethylene-based copolymer is selected from vinyl acetate, an alkyl acrylate, CO, acrylic acid, a carboxylic acid-containing comonomer, or a mono olefin.

11. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight Mw(abs)≧G+H(I2), where G=1.60×10 5 g/mole, and H=−8.00×10 3 (g/mole)/(dg/min).

12. The ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has an I2≦20 g/10 min.

13. A composition comprising the ethylene-based polymer of claim 1 .

14. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the composition has a “neck-in” value ≦150 mm, at a temperature=290° C., a coating weight=25 g/m 2 and a line speed=300 m/min.

15. An article comprising at least one component formed from the composition of claim 13 .

16. The article of claim 15 , wherein the article is an extrusion coating or a film.

Assignees

• Berbee Otto J
• Den Doelder Cornelis F
• Hinrichs Stefan
• Karjala Teresa P
• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Berbee Otto J
• Den Doelder Cornelis F
• Hinrichs Stefan
• Karjala Teresa P

Classifications

• C08F110/02 Primary

  Ethene · CPC title

• C08F2/01

  characterised by special features of the polymerisation apparatus used · CPC title

• C08L23/0853

  Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers · CPC title

• C09D123/0853

  Vinylacetate · CPC title

• C09D123/0815

  Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins · CPC title