Abstract

Metallocene catalysts, viz., rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2, rac-Me2Si(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 and Ph2C(Flu)(Cp)ZrCl2, were studied in homopolymerization of 1-octadecene and the first two were used in copolymerization of ethylene with 1-octadecene. They exhibited different activities and rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 was the most active in the homopolymerization carried out at 70 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, the activities were practically identical. In the copolymerization runs, the catalysts were similarly active, and the Et-bridged catalyst was the more active. The copolymers prepared over rac-Me2Si(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 were found to have more comonomer incorporated. The composition of copolymerization products was found (C-13-NMR) to vary with the catalyst system. DSC thermograms showed poly-1-octadecene prepared over rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 to vary in properties with polymerization temperature (Figs. 3-5). The homopolymer prepared at 700C showed endotherms at 41 degrees C and 53 degrees C and that prepared at 30 degrees C produced one broader peak at 67 degrees C. With mc-Me2Si(Ind)(2)ZrCl2, the 70 degrees C homopolymer produced one broader peaks at 41 degrees C and 53 degrees C and the 30 degrees C homopolymer gave peaks at 7 degrees C and 67 degrees C. The two peaks in the homopolymer thermograms appear to be explicable in terms of different structural ordering in various homopolymer domains. As the comonomer concentration in the feed was increased, the molecular weight decreased and otherwise was independent of the type of the metallocene used.