Cable and polymer composition comprising a multimodal ethylene copolymer

1. A cable comprising a conductor surrounded by one or more layers, wherein one of the layers is a jacketing layer and at least the jacketing layer comprises a polymer composition comprising a multimodal copolymer of ethylene with one or more comonomer(s), wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer comprises

(A) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a higher density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of from 918 to 937 kg/m 3 , and

(B) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a lower density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of from less than 925 kg/m 3 ,

and wherein the multimodal copolymer of ethylene has a density of 900 to 925 kg/m 3 and a flexural modulus of 350 MPa or less.

2. The cable according to claim 1 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer has the density of from 900 to 920 kg/m 3 .

3. The cable according to claim 1 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer has an Flexural modulus of 300 MPa or less.

4. The cable according to claim 1 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer comprises:

(A) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a higher density copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha-olefin(s) having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, and

(B) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a lower density copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha-olefins having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms.

5. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the lower density copolymer of ethylene (B) has a density of from 870 to 925 kg/m 3 .

6. The cable according to claim 1 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer comprises

the amount of higher density ethylene copolymer (A) is of 10 to 90 wt %; and

the amount of lower density ethylene copolymer (B) is of 10 to 90 wt %; based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B).

7. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the higher density copolymer (A) is a copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha-olefin(s) having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms and the lower density copolymer (B) is a copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha-olefin(s) having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms.

8. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the higher density copolymer of ethylene (A) and the lower density copolymer of ethylene (B) are prepared by polymerizing ethylene in the presence of a single site catalyst and an activator for said catalyst.

9. The cable according to claim 1 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer of the polymer composition has at least one of the following properties:

(i) A MWD (Mn/Mw) of from 1.5 to 20,

(ii) Melt index MFR 2 of from 0.1 to 5.0 g/10 min

(iii) The density difference between the component (A) and (B) of the polymer composition is at least 10 kg/m 3 , or

(iv) The density of the multimodal copolymer of ethylene is from 905 to 918 kg/m 3 , the flexural modulus is less than 300 MPa, and the multimodal copolymer of ethylene comprises the lower density ethylene copolymer (B) having a density of from 870 to 925 kg/m 3 .

10. A process for producing a cable comprising: applying one or more layers on a conductor, where one of the layers is a jacketing layer and wherein at least the jacketing layer comprises a polymer composition comprising a multimodal copolymer of ethylene with one or more comonomer(s), wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer comprises

(A) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a higher density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of from 918 to 937 kg/m 3 , and

(B) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a lower density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of from less than 925 kg/m 3 ,

and wherein the multimodal copolymer of ethylene has a density of 900 to 925 kg/m 3 and a flexural modulus of 350 MPa or less.

11. A polymer composition comprising a multimodal copolymer of ethylene with one or more comonomers, prepared in the presence of a single site catalyst and an activator for said catalyst, and wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer comprises:

(A) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a higher density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of from 918 to 937 kg/m 3 , and MFR 2 of 1.0 g/10 min or less, and

(B) from 10 to 90% by weight, based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B), of a lower density copolymer of ethylene which has a density of less 925 kg/m 3 , and wherein

the multimodal copolymer of ethylene has a density of 900 to 925 kg/m 3 and a flexural modulus of 350 MPa or less and MFR 2 of 0.1 to 5 g/10 min.

12. The polymer composition according to claim 11 , wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer has the flexural modulus of 300 MPa or less, and MFR 2 of from 0.1 to 3.0 g/10 min, and the density of from 900 to 920 kg/m 3 .

13. The polymer composition according to claim 11 wherein the multimodal ethylene copolymer of the polymer composition has at least one of the following properties:

(i) the lower density copolymer of ethylene (B) has a density of from 870 to 925 kg/m 3 ,

(ii) the amount of higher density ethylene copolymer of ethylene (A) is of 30 to 70 wt % and the amount of lower density copolymer of ethylene (B) is of 70 to 30 wt %; based on the combined amount of components (A) and (B),

(iii) a MWD (Mn/Mw) of from 1.5 to 20,

(iv) Melt index MFR 2 of from 0.1 to 3.0 g/10 min, or

(v) the density of the polyethylene copolymer of from 905 to 918 kg/m 3 , the flexural modulus less than 300 MPa and the polyethylene copolymer comprises the lower density ethylene copolymer (B) having a density of from 870 to 925 kg/m 3 .