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Crystallization analysis fractionation of poly(ethylene-co-styrene) produced by metallocene catalysts

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Abstract

Ethylene homo polymer and ethylene–styrene copolymers were synthesized using Cp2ZrCl2 (1)/methyl aluminoxane (MAO) and rac-silylene-bis (indenyl) zirconium dichloride (2)/MAO catalyst systems by varying styrene concentration and reaction conditions. Crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF), DSC, FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy were used for characterizing the synthesized polymers. Interestingly, styrene was able to increase the activity of 1/MAO and 2/MAO catalyst systems at low concentrations, but at higher concentrations the activity decreases. The 1/MAO system at low and high pressure was unable to incorporate styrene, and the final product was pure polyethylene. On the other hand, with 2/MAO polymerization of ethylene and styrene yielded copolymer containing both styrene and ethylene. Results obtained from CRYSTAF and DSC reveal that on using 1/MAO system at high pressure, the resulting polymer in the presence of styrene has similar crystallinity as the polymer produced without styrene. Using both 1/MAO at low pressure and 2/MAO leads to decrease in crystallinity with increase in styrene concentration, even though the former does not incorporate styrene.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to Center of Research Excellence in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for project funds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Muhammad Shahzad Kamal, Omer Bin Sohail & Mamdouh A. Al-Harthi

  2. Center of Research Excellence in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Mamdouh A. Al-Harthi

  3. NMR Core Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Abdul-Hamid M. Emwas

  4. Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami Osawa, Tokyo, Japan

    Bijal Kottukkal Bahuleyan

  5. Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratories of Chemical Synthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    John E. Bercaw

Authors
  1. Muhammad Shahzad Kamal
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  2. Bijal Kottukkal Bahuleyan
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  3. Omer Bin Sohail
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  4. Abdul-Hamid M. Emwas
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  5. John E. Bercaw
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  6. Mamdouh A. Al-Harthi
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Correspondence to Mamdouh A. Al-Harthi.

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Kamal, M.S., Bahuleyan, B.K., Sohail, O.B. et al. Crystallization analysis fractionation of poly(ethylene-co-styrene) produced by metallocene catalysts. Polym. Bull. 70, 2645–2656 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-013-0980-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-013-0980-6

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