Transition metal complexes, catalysts composition containing the same, and process for preparing ethylene homopolymers or copolymers of ethylene and alpha-olefins using the same
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a transition metal complex useful as a transition metal catalyst in the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin, a catalyst composition comprising the same and a process of preparing an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin using the same. More particularly, it relates to a transition metal complex having a cyclopentadiene derivative and at least one phenyl oxide ligand substituted at the 2-position of phenyl with, for example, a silyl group having a C 1 -C 30 hydrocarbon group or a C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group, around a group IV transition metal, with no crosslinkage between the ligands, a catalyst composition comprising the transition metal complex and a cocatalyst selected from the group consisting of an aluminoxane and a boron compound, and a process for preparing an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin using the same.
1. A transition metal catalyst composition for the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin comprising:
a transition metal complex represented by the following Chemical Formula 1; and
an alkylaluminoxane or organoaluminum cocatalyst, a boron compound cocatalyst or a mixture thereof:
wherein
M is a group IV transition metal;
Cp is capable of forming a η 5 -bonding with M, and is a cyclopentadienyl ring unsubstituted or substituted by C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 30 aryl, C 2 -C 20 alkenyl or C 6 -C 30 aryl C 1 -C 20 alkyl, or a fused ring unsubstituted or substituted by C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 30 aryl, C 2 -C 20 alkenyl or C 6 -C 30 aryl C 1 -C 20 alkyl having a cyclopentadienyl ring;
R 1 is C 1 -C 20 alkyl or C 6 -C 30 aryl or C 1 -C 10 alkyl;
R 2 is hydrogen, halogen, linear or branched C 1 -C 20 alkyl optionally substituted by one or more halogen, linear or branched C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted silyl optionally substituted by one or more halogen, C 6 -C 30 aryl optionally substituted by one or more halogen, C 6 -C 30 aryl C 1 -C 10 alkyl optionally substituted by one or more halogen, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy optionally substituted by one or more halogen, C 3 -C 20 alkyl-substituted or C 6 -C 20 aryl substituted siloxy, C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted or C 6 -C 30 aryl-substituted amino, C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted or C 6 -C 30 aryl-substituted phosphine, C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted mercapto, or nitro;
n is an integer 1 or 2; and
X is independently halogen, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 6 -C 30 aryl C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 3 -C 20 alkylsiloxy, C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted or C 6 -C 30 aryl-substituted amino, C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted or C 6 -C 30 aryl-substituted phosphine, or C 1 -C 20 alkyl-substituted mercapto.
2. The transition metal catalyst composition for the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin according to claim 1 , wherein the alkylaluminoxane or organoaluminum cocatalyst is selected from the group consisting of methylaluminoxane, modified methylaluminoxane, tetraisobutylaluminoxane, trialkylaluminum, trimethylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum and a mixture thereof.
3. The transition metal catalyst composition for the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion of the transition metal to the cocatalyst is 1:50 to 1:5,000, based on the molar ratio of transition metal (M):aluminum.
4. The transition metal catalyst composition for the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin according to claim 1 , wherein the boron compound cocatalyst is selected from the group consisting of N,N-dimethylanilinium tetrakispentafluorophenyl borate and triphenylmethylinium tetrakispentafluorophenyl borate.
5. The transition metal catalyst composition for the preparation of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion of the transition metal to the cocatalyst is 1:0.5-5:25-500 based on the molar ratio of transition metal (M):boron:aluminum.
6. A process for preparing an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin using the transition metal catalyst composition according to claim 1 , wherein a comonomer polymerized with the ethylene is at least one selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-undecene, 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene and 1-eicosene, and the ethylene content in the copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin is at least 60 weight %.
7. The process for preparing an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin according to claim 6 , wherein a polymerization is carried out in a polymerization system at a pressure of 6-150 atm and at a polymerization temperature of 80-250° C.