Isotactic distribution

The complexity of molecular weight distributions (MWDs), chemical composition distributions (CCDs) and isotacticity distributions (IDs) of homo- and copolymers of propylene made with Ziegler-Natta catalysts constitutes a challenging problem for polymer quality control. These distributions affect the final mechanical and rheological properties of polypropylene (PP) and ultimately determine its applications. This issue becomes very complex with PP and copolymers of propylene and a-olefins made with heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts because polymers with broad and sometimes multimodal MWDs, CCDs and IDs can be produced. The major objective of propylene pol)onerization models is to predict these distributions and ultimately correlate them to mechanical and rheological properties [1]. 

Keywords polymerization kinetics, polymerization reactors, mathematical modelling, molecular weight distribution (MWD), chemical composition distribution (CCD), Ziegler-Natta catalysts, metallocenes, microstructure, isotacticity distribution, mass transfer resistances, heat transfer resistances, effects of multiple site types. 

Detailed modifications in the polymerisation procedure have led to continuing developments in the materials available. For example in the 1990s greater understanding of the crystalline nature of isotactic polymers gave rise to developments of enhanced flexural modulus (up to 2300 MPa). Greater control of molecular weight distribution has led to broad MWD polymers produced by use of twin-reactors, and very narrow MWD polymers by use of metallocenes (see below). There is current interest in the production of polymers with a bimodal MWD (for explanations see the Appendix to Chapter 4). 

Polystyrene produced by free-radical polymerisation techniques is part syndio-tactic and part atactic in structure and therefore amorphous. In 1955 Natta and his co-workers reported the preparation of substantially isotactic polystyrene using aluminium alkyl-titanium halide catalyst complexes. Similar systems were also patented by Ziegler at about the same time. The use of n-butyl-lithium as a catalyst has been described. Whereas at room temperature atactic polymers are produced, polymerisation at -30°C leads to isotactic polymer, with a narrow molecular weight distribution. 

Polymerization of t-butyl methacrylate initiated by lithium compounds in toluene yields 100% isotactic polymers 64,65), and significantly, of a nearly uniform molecular-weight, while the isotactic polymethyl methacrylate formed under these conditions has a bimodal distribution. Significantly, the propagation of the lithium pairs of the t-Bu ester carbanion, is faster in toluene than in THF. In hydrocarbon solvents the monomers seem to interact strongly with the Li+ cations in the transition state of the addition, while the conventional direct monomer interaction with carbanions, that requires partial dissociation of ion-pair in the transition state of propagation, governs the addition in ethereal solvents. 

When poly(propylene) was first made, it was found to exist in two possible forms. One was similar to poly(ethylene), but had greater rigidity and hardness the other was found to be amorphous and of little strength. The first of these is now known to be isotactic, that is with a regular stereochemistry at each alternating carbon atom. The other is now known to be atactic, that is with a random distribution of different stereochemical arrangements... 

A general method has been developed for the estimation of model parameters from experimental observations when the model relating the parameters and input variables to the output responses is a Monte Carlo simulation. The method provides point estimates as well as joint probability regions of the parameters. In comparison to methods based on analytical models, this approach can prove to be more flexible and gives the investigator a more quantitative insight into the effects of parameter values on the model. The parameter estimation technique has been applied to three examples in polymer science, all of which concern sequence distributions in polymer chains. The first is the estimation of binary reactivity ratios for the terminal or Mayo-Lewis copolymerization model from both composition and sequence distribution data. Next a procedure for discriminating between the penultimate and the terminal copolymerization models on the basis of sequence distribution data is described. Finally, the estimation of a parameter required to model the epimerization of isotactic polystyrene is discussed. 

In practice, there is no such thing as a pure isotactic or syndiotactic polymer. Once again, we find that polymers comprise a statistical distribution of chemical structures. Polymers that contain steric centers inevitably incorporate a certain number of steric defects that prevent us from obtaining 100% isotacticity or syndiotacticity. Polymer manufacturers vary the catalyst type and reaction conditions to control the tacticity level and the resulting properties. 

Polypropylene grades manufactured using Ziegler-Natta catalysts are predominandy isotactic, with a comparatively broad molecular weight distribution (Afw/Mn 3.5). Ziegler-Natta catalyzed polypropylene comprises the majority of commodity grade resins. 

Atactic polypropylene exhibits a greater vapor permeability relative to either syndiotactic or isotactic polypropylene of the same molecular weight distribution. Why is this so ... 

The tacticity or distribution of asymmetric units in a polymer chain can be directly determined using NMR spectroscopy and infrared (IR) spectroscopy and has been studied for a variety of polymers. Figure 5(a) and 5(b) show the proton NMR spectra [26,27] and IR spectra [28,29], respectively, for the two stereoisomers of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), syndiotactic and isotactic PMMA. These two structures in a polymer like PMMA give rise to different signatures in both the techniques. In the case of the NMR spectra [26,27], the... 

Here m is the mode order (m — 1,3,5. .., usually 1 for polyethylenes), c the velocity of light, p the density of the vibrating sequence (density of pure crystal) and E the Young s modulus in the chain direction. The LAM band has been observed in many polymers and has been widely used in structural studies of polyethylenes [94—99,266], as well as other semi-crystalline polymers, such as poly (ethylene oxide) [267], poly(methylene oxide) [268,269] and isotactic poly(propylene) [270,271], The distribution of crystalline thickness can be obtained from the width of the LAM mode, corrected by temperature and frequency factors [272,273] as ... 

A related enantiomerically pure zinc amide initiator, (340), has also been described.966 This complex catalyzes the alternating copolymerization of CHO and C02 to yield isotactic material (RR SS = 86 14). Similar enantiomeric excesses have been achieved using a mixture of Et2Zn and the chiral amino alcohol (341).967 Molecular weight distributions are much broader than using catalyst (340), but this protocol is still a convenient way to prepare optically pure diols (Scheme 23). 

The experimental results of the two methods a) and b) applied to copolymers bearing COCI SC CH and COd SC frKCH-j) 2 8rouPs are in fairly good agreement 7 as shown in Figure 2 for isotactic copolymers the distribution of B units is nearly bernouillian, as expected from the kinetics kQ=kj for syndiotactic copolymers B units tend to be isolated between A blocks, and their distribution is quite compatible with that calculated taken into account the corresponding autoretarded kinetics (ko>k] k - 0). 

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