Patents Examined by R. Rabago
  • Patent number: 6482902
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a catalyst system comprising metallocene, cocatalyst, support material and, if desired, further organometallic compounds. The catalyst system can advantageously be used for the polymerization of olefins, where the use of aluminoxanes such as methylaluminoxane (MAO), which usually has to be used in a large excess, as cocatalyst can be dispensed with and a high catalyst activity and good polymer morphology are nevertheless achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Targor GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Bohnen, Cornelia Fritze
  • Patent number: 6482907
    Abstract: Olefins containing selected functional groups such as silyl, ether and alkenyl, and often containing a blocking group, may be copolymerized with unsubstituted olefins such as ethylene and propylene in the presence of certain coordination compounds of nickel or palladium. The resulting polymers are useful as molding resins, elastomers, in adhesives and for films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Lin Wang, Samuel David Arthur, Elizabeth Forrester McCord, Yueli Wang, Peter Arnold Morken, Lynda Kaye Johnson
  • Patent number: 6482930
    Abstract: The invention is related to a novel compound represented by NdHA4 wherein A is a carboxylate, and to a diene polymerization catalyst using the novel compound. NdHA4 has monomeric structure and does not contain water, bases and salts. NdHA4 is mixed with a halogen compound and an organic metal compound to prepare a catalyst system. The catalyst system in the polymerization of 1,3-butadiene (BD) or isoprene produces high cis polydiene with a high activity (100 g BD/4.0×10−5 mole Nd) and without gel formation. The polydiene thus obtained is useful for tires and golf balls and as a polystyrene modifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gwang Hoon Kwag, Seung Hwon Lee, Young Chan Jang, A Ju Kim
  • Patent number: 6479600
    Abstract: Functional polyolefin material containing a terminal styrene or styrene derivative unit and having the following molecular structure: in which polyolefin is a homopolymer or copolymer prepared by metallocene-mediated coordination polymerization of linear, branched or cyclic C3-C18 alpha-olefins and/or diolefins, in which the molecular weight of polyolefin segment is above 500 g/mole, preferably in the range between 10,000 to 1,000,000 g/mole, in which the number of methylene spacer units (n) is between 0 and 6, and preferably between 0 and 3, and in which X is a group selected from H, Cl, Br, I, OH, NH2, COOR, O—BR2, O—SiR3, N(SiR3)2, BR2, SiR3 (where R is a C1 to C10 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic alkyl group), CH═CH2, COOH, COOLi, and succinic anhydride, is disclosed. Also disclosed is a process for preparing the functional polyolefin material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: The Penn State Research Foundation
    Inventors: Tze-Chiang Chung, Jin Yong Dong
  • Patent number: 6476163
    Abstract: Catalysts for the polymerization of olefins are disclosed, comprising the product obtainable by contacting: (A) a bridged and/or substituted cyclopentadienyl compound of Ti, Zr or Hf; (B) one or more organometallic aluminium compounds of formula (II): AlR43−zHz wherein the substituents R4, same or different from each other, are linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated C1-C20 alkyl or alkylaryl radicals, optionally containing Si or Ge atoms, wherein at least one of the substituents R4 is different from a straight alkyl group; z is 0 or 1; and (C) water, the molar ratio between the organometallic aluminium compound and water being comprised between 1:1 and 100:1; said catalyst being obtainable by a process comprising the following steps: (i) contacting component (A) with part of component (B) in the absence of component (C); (ii) contacting part of component (B) with component (C) in the absence of component (A) and successively (iii) contacting the products obtained in steps (i) and (ii).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Basell Technology Company BV
    Inventors: Jan F. Van Baar, Maurizio Galimberti, Klaas L. Von Hebel, Andrew D. Horton, Gerard M. M. Van Kessel, Peter A. Schut, Tiziano Dall'occo
  • Patent number: 6476165
    Abstract: An olefin polymerization process is described. The process comprises polymerizing an olefin in the presence of a support, a single-site catalyst, an optional activator, and a fatty amine. The support is chemically treated with an organoboron compound. The single-site catalyst contains a polymerization-stable, heteroatomic ligand. The fatty amine is added directly to the reactor. The combination of pre-treating the support with an organoboron compound and the addition of fatty amine to the process unexpectedly increases catalyst activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals, LP
    Inventor: Shaotian Wang
  • Patent number: 6469114
    Abstract: Disclosed are compounds of the following core structure, and their use as polymerization catalysts: wherein M1 is a group lVb transition metal, R5 is a substituted aryl group, and Ra forms a heteroatom-containing ring fused to the cyclopentadienyl ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Basell Polyolefins GmbH
    Inventors: Jörg Schottek, Roland Kratzer, Andreas Winter, Volker Fraaije, Michael-Joachim Brekner, Markus Oberhoff
  • Patent number: 6462154
    Abstract: There are disclosed a catalyst for the polymerization of an olefin which comprises (A) a transition metal complex compound represented by the general formula (I) wherein the respective symbols are as defined in the specification, (B) a Lewis acid and/or an ionic compound capable of reacting with the transition metal complex compound of the component (A) or its derivative to form an ionic complex, and (C) an organic aluminum compound, and a process for preparing an olefin polymer in the presence of this catalyst. The catalyst of the present invention is inexpensive and has a high activity, and according to the present invention, the deterioration of the activity can be inhibited and the molecular weight of the obtained polymer can be easily adjusted, so that the olefin polymer can efficiently be prepared which has an optional molecular weight and can possess a molecular weight distribution in which low-molecular weight and high-molecular weight portions decrease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Syoji Naganuma, Masami Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6462149
    Abstract: Bimodal resin products are produced in a single reactor by using two bicomponent catalyst compositions, each having a high molecular weight and a low molecular weight component, in different ratios. The HMW/LMW split of the final resin product is controlled accurately by controlling the ratio of the feed of the two bicomponent catalyst compositions. Bimodal or polymodal effects are also achieved for properties or characteristics other than molecular weight. More complex results can be achieved with more than two components. The invention is applicable to a wide variety of polymer products, particularly polyolefins and polyethylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Michael W. Tilston, Vinayak Maheshwari, Mark Bradley Davis
  • Patent number: 6458904
    Abstract: A catalyst composition suitable for the (co)polymerization of alk-1-enes is obtainable by mixing a metallocene complex with a C3-C20-alk-1-ene in an inert solvent, reacting the resulting mixture in a controlled manner with a compound capable of forming metallocenium ions and diluting the resulting mixture with an inert nonpolar, essentially aliphatic solvent, and also, if desired, applying the catalyst composition to a particulate support material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: BASELL Polyolefine GmbH
    Inventors: Andrei Gonioukh, Andreas Deckers, Eckard Schauss, Roger Klimesch, Wilhelm Weber
  • Patent number: 6458911
    Abstract: A class of relatively high molecular weight, high density ethylene polymers (HMW-HDPE) is disclosed capable of being formed into thin films of high strength, such polymers having a density of at least about 0.925 g/cc, a flow index (I21) no higher than about 15 g/10 min., a melt flow ratio (MFR) of at least about 65, and a dynamic elasticity at 0.1 rad./sec. of no higher than about 0.7 at a corresponding complex viscosity at 0.1 rad./sec. no higher than about 14×105 poises. The ethylene polymer is a bimodal of relatively high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) ethylene polymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: S. Christine Ong, Sandra D. Schregenberger, Pradeep P. Shirodkar
  • Patent number: 6455642
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a process for producing homogeneous polyethylene materials and processes for making high density, medium density and low density films therefrom. The process involves producing a polyethylene composition in a multistage reaction sequence of successive polymerization stages in the presence of an ethylene-polymerizing catalyst system. According to the invention, the process is carried out using an unsupported catalyst having magnesium and titanium as active constituents, in at least one loop polymerization stage and at least one gas phase polymerization stage and, operated with different amounts of hydrogen and comonomers to produce a high molecular weight portion in one of the polymerization stages and a low molecular weight portion in another so as to provide a polyethylene composition with the low molecular weight part having a MFR2 of 250 g/10 min or more. With this process it is possible to obtain homogeneous bimodal polyethylene material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Borealis Technology Oy
    Inventors: Ole Jan Myhre, Auli Nummila-Pakarinen, Jarmo Lindroos, Päivi Waldvogel, Thomas Garoff
  • Patent number: 6451940
    Abstract: Selected nickel complexes of the anions of certain 2-aminotropones are olefin polymerization catalysts. Novel 2-aminotropones and their nickel complexes are also disclosed together with methods of making these 2-aminotropones. Suitable complexes have the following structure: wherein: R2 is hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, provided that R2 is attached to said nitrogen atom in (I) by an atom that has at least 2 other atoms that are not hydrogen attached to it; and R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7 are each independently hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl or a functional group, provided that any two of R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7 vicinal to one another may form a ring; L1 is a monodentate monoanionic ligand and L2 is a monodentate neutral ligand or an empty coordination site, or L1 and L2 taken together are a monoanionic bidentate ligand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Frederick Hicks, Maurice S. Brookhart
  • Patent number: 6451725
    Abstract: Method for preparing a catalyst component for homo or copolymerization of olefins, said catalyst component comprising at least one metallocene compound on porous inorganic carrier, wherein said metallocene compound is mixed as pure compound in the absence of solvents with said carrier at a temperature which is at least 50° C. but below the vaporization temperature of the metallocene compound in reactor conditions for a sufficient time to obtain said catalyst component having said metallocene evenly distributed onto carrier particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Borealis Technology Oy
    Inventors: Hilkka Knuuttila, Harri Hokkanen, Eija Salo
  • Patent number: 6451938
    Abstract: The invention relates to a polymerization catalyst system comprising a catalytic complex formed by activating a transition metal compound which comprises a metal selected from group 3 through 10 of the periodic table, preferably from group 4, 5, or 6 of the periodic table, and a group 13, 15, or 16 heterocyclic fused cyclopentadienide ligand. In one embodiment the inventive transition metal compound is represented by the [L]mM[A]n(S)o wherein M is a transition metal selected from groups 3 through 10 of the periodic table, and at least one of L is group 13, 15, or 16 heterocyclic fused cyclopentadienide ligand. Also disclosed is a polymerization process utilizing the catalyst systems of the invention. Ethylene polymerizations or copolymerizations with dimethyl (&eegr;5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)(1-azaindenyl) zirconium and bis(5-methyl-cyclopenta[b]thiophene) zirconium dichloride, activated by tris(pentafluorophenyl) boron and methylalumoxane, respectively, are illustrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Exxon Mobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Allen Fisher, Rolf Bodo Temme
  • Patent number: 6451939
    Abstract: Catalyst systems for the polymerization or copolymerization of 1-olefins which contain nitrogen-containing transition metal compounds comprising the skeletal unit depicted in formula (B), wherein M is Fe[II] Fe[III], Co[I], Co[II], Co[III], Mn[I], Mn[II], Mn[III], Mn[IV], Ru[II], Ru[III] or Ru[IV]; X is an atom or group covalently or ionically bonded to the transition metal M; T is the oxidation state of the transition metal M and b is the valency of the atom or group X; and R1-R7 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, heterohydrocarbyl or substituted heterohydrocarbyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: BP Chemicals Limited
    Inventors: George Johan Peter Britovsek, Birgit Angelika Dorer, Vernon Charles Gibson, Brian Stephen Kimberley, Gregory Adam Solan
  • Patent number: 6448348
    Abstract: A catalytic polymerization process for preparing polymer products is provided. The polymerization process is either homopolymerization of olefins or copolymerization of olefins with alpha-olefins. The polymerization process is conducted in the presence of a solid catalyst precursor and a cocatalyst. The catalyst precursor includes a transition metal, a magnesium compound, an aluminum compound and a polyvinylchloride (PVC) support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Saudi Basic Industries Corporation
    Inventors: Akhlaq Moman, Atieh Abu-Raqabah, Orass Hamed, Raju Raghavan
  • Patent number: 6444604
    Abstract: Supported catalysts for the polymerization of olefins comprise the following components: (A) a porous organic support functionalised with groups having active hydrogen atoms; (B) an organo-metallic compound of aluminium containing heteroatoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur; and (C) a compound of a transition metal selected from those of groups IVb, Vb or VIb of the Periodic Table of the Elements, containing ligands of the cyclopentadienyl type. These supported catalysts, obtainable in the form of spherical particles, can be used in the polymerization reaction of olefins either in liquid or in gas phase, thus producing polymers endowed with a controlled morphology and with a high bulk density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Basell Technology Company BV
    Inventors: Enrico Albizzati, Tiziano Dall'Occo, Luigi Resconi, Fabrizio Piemontesi
  • Patent number: 6441116
    Abstract: A film formed of an ethylenic copolymer having Mw/Mn of 1.5 to 4, Mw of 3,000 to 1,000,000, and a resin density of 0.85 to 0.95 g/cm3. In the copolymer compositional distribution curve, the relationship between the half width at the half maximum [W/2] of the Gaussian distribution curve, and the average, n, of short-chain branches in the copolymer satisfies the equation, 0.704+0.147n≦W/2≦−0.055+0.577n. The tear strength (TS, kgf/cm) of the copolymer satisfies equations, TS≧131.5−155×log[{(B+C+D)/A}+0.1], and 0.1≦(B+C+D)/A≦1 where A is the area surrounding the Gaussian distribution curve and the base line of the compositional distribution curve; B is the area surrounding the compositional distribution curve, the curve obtained through Gaussian distribution approximation, and the base line, B being at an elution temperature higher than 32° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruo Shikuma, Shuji Machida, Motoharu Ishikawa, Shinichi Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 6437060
    Abstract: A process for the polymerisation of olefins in the gas phase is carried out in the presence of a supported transition metal catalyst. The process involves a prepolymerisation step which may be performed in-situ and in particular the prepolymer may be prepared in the dry phase. The catalyst may for example comprise a constrained geometry transition metal complex supported on silica and used in the presence of an activator. The prepolymerisation step enables the activity of the catalyst to be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: BP Chemicals Limited
    Inventors: Peter James Maddox, Peter Sefton Williams