Long-chain branching in PE from Cr/aluminophosphate catalysts

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Phillips Cr/silica catalysts have long been known to produce long-chain branching (LCB) in polyethylene (PE) through macromer incorporation. In fact, the manipulation of LCB levels through catalyst variables is a very useful way of controlling properties and molding behavior in commercial PE resins. Using alumina as the support, instead of silica, is one way of achieving very low levels of LCB. Adding small amounts of phosphate to the alumina base as a modifier causes a large rise in LCB levels. Phosphate also promotes the activity and melt index potential of the catalyst by contributing a large new low-MW population of PE chains. In this study LCB levels were measured and found to correlate nicely with the amount of phosphate added. The polymer from such a catalyst was then solvent-fractionated to determine the location of the LCB. It was found to be concentrated in this same low-MW polymer, to which the phosphate contributes, which suggests that the phosphate-associated Cr sites have a tendency to produce LCB. However, the incorporation of 1-hexene resulted in a flat short-chain branch (SCB) profile, indicating that there was no parallel behavior among the different sites between SCB and LCB incorporation. These results indicate a slightly different mechanistic pathway between the two monomers (macromer and 1-hexene). Furthermore the Cr sites must have incorporated macromers that were produced only at the same site, and not (as is usually portrayed) randomly from a general pool of vinyls contributed by all sites. To explain this finding, alternatives to the widely accepted random-incorporation mechanism are proposed, including a “tethered” vinyl end-group, and intra-, rather than the traditional inter-, molecular insertion of macromer.