Process to produce enhanced melt strength ethylene/α-olefin copolymers and articles thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428636-B2
Application number	US-201214001209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2012
Priority date	Mar 28, 2011
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

An ethylene/α-olefin copolymer comprising units derived from ethylene; and units derived from at least one α-olefin; wherein the ethylene/α-olefin copolymer has a density in the range of from 0.90 to 0.94 g/cc; a melt index (I 2 ) in the range of from 0.05 to 50 dg/min; an Mw/Mn of from 3 to 5; and from 300 to 500 vinyl unsaturations per 1,000,000 carbon atoms in the ethylene/α-olefin copolymer is provided. Also provided is a process for producing an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer comprising: (1) polymerizing ethylene and one or more α-olefins in a polymerization reactor; (2) thereby producing an enhanced melt strength ethylene/α-olefin copolymer having from 300 to 500 vinyl unsaturation units per 1,000,000 carbon atoms, a density in the range of from 0.90 to 0.94 g/cc; a melt index (I 2 ) in the range of from 0.05 to 50 dg/min; and a Mw/Mn of from 3 to 5.

First claim

We claim:

1. A blend comprising:
an ethylene/1-octene copolymer comprising units derived from ethylene and units derived from 1-octene, wherein the ethylene/1-octene copolymer has a density in the range of from 0.921 to 0.94 g/cc; a melt index (I 2 ) in the range of 0.05 to 50 dg/min; an Mw/Mn of from 3 to 5; and from 300 to 350 vinyl unsaturations per 1,000,000 carbon atoms in the ethylene/1-octene copolymer; and wherein the ethylene/1-octene copolymer is produced using a polymerization step occurring at a temperature of at least 205° C.; and
a low density polyethylene (LDPE).

2. The blend according to claim 1 , wherein the ethylene/1-octene copolymer has a melt strength of at least 3.0 cN.

3. The blend according to claim 1 , wherein the ethylene/1-octene copolymer has from 330 to 350 vinyl unsaturations per 1,000,000 carbon atoms in the ethylene/1-octene copolymer.

4. A film comprising the blend according to claim 1 .

5. A process for producing an ethylene/1-octene copolymer comprising:
polymerizing ethylene and 1-octene in a polymerization reactor, wherein the ethylene/1-octene copolymer is produced using a polymerization step occurring at a temperature of at least 205° C., thereby producing an ethylene/1-octene copolymer having a density in the range of from 0.921 to 0.94 g/cc; a melt index (I 2 ) in the range of 0.05 to 50 dg/min; an Mw/Mn of from 3 to 5; and from 300 to 350 vinyl unsaturations per 1,000,000 carbon atoms in the ethylene/1-octene copolymer.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the polymerization step occurs in the presence of 0.01 to 0.04 mole percent of hydrogen.

7. The process of claim 5 , wherein the polymerization step occurs in the presence of 0.015 to 0.03 mole percent of hydrogen.

8. The process of claim 5 , wherein the polymerization step occurs at a temperature from 205 to 240° C.

9. The process of claim 5 , wherein the polymerization step occurs at a temperature from 205 to 215° C.

10. The process of claim 5 , wherein the polymerization step occurs in a single stage solution reactor.

11. The process of claim 5 , further comprising adding, post-reactor, a primary antioxidant to a product stream produced in the polymerization step.

12. The process of claim 5 , further comprising adding, post-reactor, a secondary antioxidant to a product stream produced in the polymerization step.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein the secondary antioxidant is a phosphite.

Assignees

• Effler Lawrence J
• Karjala Teresa P
• Demirors Mehmet
• Savargaonkar Nilesh R
• Bensason Selim
• Zhou Zhe
• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Effler Lawrence J
• Karjala Teresa P
• Demirors Mehmet
• Savargaonkar Nilesh R
• Bensason Selim
• Zhou Zhe

Classifications

• C08L23/0815

  with aliphatic 1-olefins containing one carbon-to-carbon double bond · CPC title

• C08J3/201

  Pre-melted polymers · CPC title

• C08J2323/08

  Copolymers of ethene (C08J2323/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08L23/20

  having four to nine carbon atoms · CPC title

• C08K5/52

  Phosphorus bound to oxygen only · CPC title