Ethylene/propylene copolymers vanadium-based catalysts

Block copolymers of propylene with ethylene have been produced in commercial polymerization processes using heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts. In all processes the block copolymers are produced in small concentrations, and the major products are homopolymers. Well-defined block copolymers free of homopolymer impurities can be prepared with catalysts exhibiting a living polymerization character. In this section we deal with the synthesis of well-defined block copolymers using the living polypropylene which has been prepared with soluble vanadium-based catalysts. 

The Ziegler-Natta catalysts have acquired practical importance particularly as heterogeneous systems, mostly owing to the commercial production of linear high- and low-density polyethylenes and isotactic polypropylene. Elastomers based on ethylene-propylene copolymers (with the use of vanadium-based catalysts) as well as 1,4-cz s-and 1,4-tran.y-poly(l, 3-butadiene) and polyisoprene are also produced. These catalysts are extremely versatile and can be used in many other polymerisations of various hydrocarbon monomers, leading very often to polymers of different stereoregularity. In 1963, both Ziegler and Natta were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry. 

With the sole exception of the random ethylene-propylene copolymers, for industrial applications heterogeneous catalysts have been used for alkene polymerisations. Ethylene-propylene statistical copolymerisation has been carried out using homogeneous vanadium-based catalysts [28]. 

Let us recall also that vanadium-based soluble Ziegier-Natta catalysts have found widespread industrial application for the manufacture of elastomeric ethylene/propylene copolymers and ethylene/propylene/diene terpolymers [319-322]. The most commonly used vanadium-based catalysts for random ethylene/propylene copolymerisation are those prepared from VCI4, VOCI3, V(Acac)3, VO(OEt)Cl2, VO(OEt)2Cl or VO(OEt)3 as precursors and AlEt3, AlEt2Cl or Al(z-Bu)2Cl as activators, with an Al/V molar ratio not exceeding 3 1 [37, 72],... 

The same conclusion as in the case of propylene homopolymerisation has been drawn considering IR [396] and NMR [389,395] spectra of ethylene/propylene copolymers obtained with vanadium-based syndiospecific catalysts. The type of propylene insertion depends on the kind of last inserted monomer unit secondary insertion [scheme (40)] occurs more frequently when the last monomeric unit of the growing chain is propylene, while primary propylene insertion [scheme (39)] is more frequent when the last monomeric unit of the growing chain is ethylene [2]. The above explains the microstructure of ethylene/propylene copolymers obtained with vanadium-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts. These copolymers contain both m and r diads when the sequence of propylene units is interrupted by isolated ethylene units i.e. a propylene insertion after an ethylene insertion is substantially non-stereospecific [327,390,397], The existence of a steric interaction between the incoming monomer molecule and the last added monomer unit is also confirmed by the fact that the propagation rate for the secondary insertion of propylene in syndiospecific polymerisation is lower than for primary insertion in non-stereospecific polymerisation [398],... 

Elastomeric copolymers are made by either solution or suspension process using a vanadium based catalyst along with alkyl aluminum compound as cocatalyst. In the suspension process propylene is used as a diluent, whereas in the solution process hexane is used as diluent. Superior catalysts based on supported titanium compounds have further improved the suspension process in recent years. In the conventional suspension process, ethylene, propylene and catalysts are fed continuously to a stirred reactor at 20 °C and 12 kg cm total pressure. Diethylzinc is used to control molecular weight. 

J. Tech. 1993, 31, 247-262. (f) Dall Occo, T. Gafimberti, M. Balbontin, G Ethylene/propylene copolymers with vanadium-based catalysts Cocatalyst effect. Polym. Adv. Technol. 1993, 4, 429-434 and references therein. 

The copolymerizations between monoolefins and dienes have been considered to be of practical and theoretical importance. As reported in the literatures ethylene-butadiene and propylene-butadiene copolymers can be prepared with conventional Ziegler-Natta titanium-based or vanadium-based catalysts. The copolymer composition and monomer sequence distribution strongly depend on the catalyst system and polymerization conditions. Alternating copolymers were synthesized when the catalyst components were mixed at the... 

Ethylene-propylene (30-60 mole per cent) copolymers produce substances which are rubbery in nature. They are prepared by using Ziegler catalysts based on vanadium oxychloride/aluminium trihexyl by solution process at 40°C using chlorobenzene or pentane as a solvent. These can be vulcanised with peroxides. Ethylene-propylene-hexa 1, 4-diene terpolymers are rubbers which can be vulcanised with sulphur. 

Of particular interest are random copolymers of ethylene and propylene, which are obtainable with soluble vanadium-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts such as V(Acac)3—AlEt2Cl [453], VOCl3-AlEt2Cl [72], VOC13-A1(/-Bu)2C1... 

Vanadium catalysts have also been developed for polyethylene and ethylene-based copolymers, particularly ethylene-propylene-diene rubbers (EPDM). Homogeneous (soluble) vanadium catalysts produce relatively narrow molecular weight distribution polyethylene, whereas supported V catalysts give broad MWD. ... 

As opposed to the problems associated with the formation of sequential block copolymers, the preparation of relatively random copolymers is much easier and the provision of polyethylenes having a controlled degree of branching by copolymerization with propylene and butene is now a well-established commercial operation. When ethylene and propylene are employed in approximately equal proportions the ethylene-propylene rubbers are obtained. For this purpose strictly random copolymers are desirable, for which soluble vanadium catalysts are often preferred (20). With TiCls-based catalyst the propylene monomer molecule prefers to add to a propylene end unit rather than to an ethylene end unit (and vice versa). This tends to produce nonrandom blocky copolymers. Thus a recent paper by Coover ef al. (21) selects as catalysts formulations which maximize this tendency and achieve the preparation of block copolymers in a TiCl3/AlEt2Cl catalyst system in the presence of butene and propylene together. 

Commercial ethylene-propylene rubbers (EPR or EPM ) generally contain about 35 mole % propylene although rubbery properties are shown by copolymers with a propylene content ranging from 30—60 mole %. At the present time, these materials are prepared exclusively by Ziegler-type processes. Generally, true solution processes are preferred in which a soluble catalyst system is used and the polymer remains in solution rather than form a slurry. A common soluble catalyst system is based on vanadium oxychloride/aluminium trihexyl. Catalysts of this type favour the formation of amorphous atactic polymers and lead to narrower molecular weight distributions than solid catalysts. Typically, polymerization is carried out at about 40°C in a solvent such as chlorobenzene or pentane and the polymer is isolated by precipitation with an alcohol. 

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