Modified mesoporous magnesium ethoxide with spherical morphology for polypropylene Ziegler–Natta catalyst: preparation and characterization

Abstract

Magnesium ethoxide (MGE) was modified by addition of co-solvent (2-propanol) and manganese chloride (MnCl2) together and as a spherical support it was used to obtain Ziegler–Natta (Z–N) catalyst in the polymerization of propylene. The effect of 2-propanol and MnCl2 on nanostructure and morphology of MGE was investigated. The spherical and mesoporous MGE samples were characterized by specific surface area (BET), X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The relation between the synthetic procedure of MGE support and its structure was discussed. The modification of MGE by 2-propanol and MnCl2 showed a drastic change in the shape of plate-like building blocks of the support. The mean pore size of the modified MGE support was in the range of 4.6–5.2 nm and its surface area was in the range of 31.3–45.4 m2 g−1. The synthesized catalyst with modified MGE showed good activity in propylene polymerization with more than 99% isotacticity. The results showed that the fabricated spherical MGE would be a good condidaite support for Z–N catalysis application.