Titanium-catalyst system comprising substituted cyclopentadienyl, guanidine and diene ligands

1. A catalyst system for the polymerization of olefins, the catalyst system comprising:

(a) a metal complex of formula CyLMD, wherein

M is titanium,

D is a conjugated diene,

L is a guanidinate ligand of the formula

wherein each A is independently selected from nitrogen or phosphorous, and R, R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, silyl, and germyl residues, optionally substituted with one or more halogen, amido, phosphide, alkoxy, or aryloxy radicals, and

Cy is a mono- or polysubstituted cyclopentadienyl-type ligand having one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydrocarbyl, silyl, and germyl residues, optionally substituted with one or more halogen, amido, phosphide, alkoxy, or aryloxy residues, and

(b) an activating cocatalyst.

2. The catalyst system according to claim 1 , wherein the diem is a C 4-40 diene optionally substituted with one or more groups independently selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyl, silyl, and halogenated carbyl.

3. The catalyst system according to claim 1 , wherein the activating cocatalyst is selected from the group consisting of borate, borane, and alkylaluminoxane.

4. The catalyst system according to claim 1 , wherein the activating cocatalyst is:

a borane represented by the general formula B(R 13 ) 3 , wherein B is a boron atom in the trivalent valence state, and each R 13 is individually selected from the group consisting of halogen atom, hydrocarbyl, halogenated hydrocarbyl, substituted silyl, alkoxy, and di-substituted amino residue; or

a borate containing compound of the formula [R 9 ] + [B(R 10 ) 4 ] wherein B is a boron atom, R 9 is a cyclic C aromatic cation or a triphenyl methyl cation, and each R 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of:

phenyl radicals which are unsubstituted or substituted with from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of a fluorine atom, a C 1-4 alkyl, and an alkoxy radical which is unsubstituted or substituted by fluorine atoms, and

a silyl radical of the formula —Si—(R 12 ) 3 , wherein each R 12 is independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom and a C 1-4 alkyl radical.

5. The catalyst system according to claim 1 , wherein the activating cocatalyst is:

a borane represented by the general formula B(R 13 ) 3 , wherein B is a boron atom in the trivalent valence state, and each R 13 is individually selected from the group consisting of halogen atom, hydrocarbyl, halogenated hydrocarbyl, substituted silyl, alkoxy, and di-substituted amino residue; or

a borate containing compound of the formula [R 9 ] + [B(R 10 ) 4 ] wherein B is a boron atom, R 9 is a cyclic C 5-7 aromatic cation or a triphenyl methyl cation, and each R 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of:

phenyl radicals which are unsubstituted or substituted with from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of a fluorine atom, a C 1-4 alkyl or alkoxy radical which is unsubstituted or substituted by fluorine atoms, and

a silyl radical of the formula —Si—(R 12 ) 3 , wherein each R 12 is independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom and a C 1-4 alkyl radical, and

the activating cocatalyst comprises at least one aluminium alkyl or alkyl aluminoxane or a mixture thereof.

6. A process for the preparation of a polymer comprising at least one aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbyl C 2-20 olefin, the process comprising contacting the at least one aliphatic or aromatic olefin with the catalyst system according to any of the claims 1 to 5 .

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the polymer is EPDM.

8. The catalyst system according to claim 2 , wherein the activating cocatalyst is selected from the group consisting of borate, borane, and alkylaluminoxane.

9. The catalyst system according to claim 1 , wherein the conjugated diene D is selected from the group consisting of butadiene, isoprene, 1,3-pentadiene, 1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene, 2,3-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene, 3-methyl-1,3-pentadiene; 1,4-dibenzyl-1,3-butadiene, 2,4-hexadiene, 2,4,5,7-tetramethyl-3,5-octadiene, 2,2,7,7-tetramethyl-3,5-octadiene, 1,4-ditolyl-1,3-butadiene, 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,3-butadiene, and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene.

10. The catalyst system according to claim 9 , wherein the activating cocatalyst is:

a borane represented by the general formula B(R 13 ) 3 , wherein B is a boron atom in the trivalent valence state, and each R 13 is individually selected from the group consisting of halogen atom, hydrocarbyl, halogenated hydrocarbyl, substituted silyl, alkoxy, and di-substituted amino residue; or

a borate containing compound of the formula [R 9 ] + [B(R 10 ) 4 ] wherein B is a boron atom, R 9 is a cyclic C 5-7 aromatic cation or a triphenyl methyl cation, and each R 10 is independently selected from the group consisting of;

phenyl radicals which are unsubstituted or substituted with from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of a fluorine atom, a C 1-4 alkyl or alkoxy radical which is unsubstituted or substituted by fluorine atoms, and

a sill radical of the formula —Si—(R 12 ) 3 , wherein each R 12 is independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom and a C 1-4 alkyl radical, and

the activating cocatalyst comprises at least one aluminium alkyl or alkyl aluminoxane or a mixture thereof.

11. The catalyst system according to claim 10 , wherein:

Cy is 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethyl-cyclopentadienyl;

each A is nitrogen; and

R, R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and hydrocarbyl residue.

12. The catalyst system according to claim 11 , further including at least one of:

scavengers selected from the group consisting of triethylaluminum, trioctylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, (Et 2 Al) 2 O, (Oct 2 Al) 2 O, (i-Bu 2 Al) 2 O, and oligomers thereof;

stabilizers; and

carrier materials selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, metal chlorides, clays, polymers, and talc.