Granted Patent B2

US 12,391,774 · App. 17/763,278 · Granted Aug 19, 2025

Inventors: Jingbo Wang (Linz, AT); Markus Gahleitner (Linz, AT); Klaus Bernreitner (Linz, AT); Luigi Maria Cristoforo Resconi (Linz, AT); Simon Schwarzenberger (Linz, AT)

Assignee: BOREALIS AG

C08F4/6498C07F17/00C08F4/02C08F4/65927C08F10/06C08F210/06C08L23/142C08F2420/07C08F2420/10C08F2800/20C08L2205/025

Abstract

Claims (63)

1. A heterophasic polypropylene copolymer having an MFR 2 of 0.05 to 20 g/10 min (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) and a melting point (Tm) of 156 to 164° C. (measured by DSC according to ISO 11357) wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises at least the following components:

(A) 55.0 to 95.0 wt % of a crystalline fraction (CF) having a comonomer content of 0 to 3.0 wt %; and

(B) 5.0 to 45.0 wt % of a soluble fraction (SF) having a comonomer content of 12 to 45 wt %;

wherein the intrinsic viscosity (IV) (in decalin at 135° C.) of the soluble fraction (SF) is 2.5 to 11 dl/g, and

wherein the amount of crystalline fraction (CF) and the amount of soluble fraction (SF) are determined in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at 40° C.

2. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has an MFR 2 of 0.1 to 20 g/10 min (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) and a melting point (Tm) of 157 to 164° C. (measured by DSC according to ISO 11357), and wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises:

(A) 55.0 to 80.0 wt % of the crystalline fraction (CF); and

(B) 20.0 to 45.0 wt % of the soluble fraction (SF) having a comonomer content of 12 to 40 wt %;

wherein the intrinsic viscosity (IV) (in decalin at 135° C.) of the crystalline fraction (CF) is 1.5 to 5.0 dl/g; and

wherein the intrinsic viscosity (IV) (in decalin at 135° C.) of the soluble fraction (SF) is 4.5 to 11 dl/g.

3. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has an MFR 2 of 0.05 to 2.5 g/10 min (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) and a melting point (Tm) of 156 to 163° C. (measured by DSC according to ISO 11357), and wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises:

(A) 75.0 to 95.0 wt % of the crystalline fraction (CF) having a comonomer content of 0 to 2.0 wt %; and

(B) 5.0 to 25.0 wt % of the soluble fraction (SF); and

wherein the intrinsic viscosity (IV) (in decalin at 135° C.) of the soluble fraction (SF) is 2.5 to 10 dl/g.

4. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has a melting point (Tm) of 156 to 162° C. (measured by DSC according to ISO 11357); and/or

wherein the intrinsic viscosity (IV) of the soluble fraction (SF) (in decalin at 135° C.) is 4.5 to 11 dl/g.

5. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the soluble fraction (SF) has a comonomer content of 12 to 40 wt %.

6. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flex modulus is at least 800 MPa (ISO178).

7. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the MFR 2 (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) of the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer is 0.2 to 1.5 g/10 min.

8. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has having a notched charpy impact strength (−20° C.) of at least 4.0 KJ/m 2 (ISO 179 1eA).

9. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has an IV in decalin at 135° C. of 2.0 to 5.0 dl/g.

10. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein component (A) has an MFR 2 (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) of 0.1 to 4.0 g/10 min.

11. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises 80.0 to 95.0 wt % of component (A) and 5.0 to 20.0 wt % of component (B).

12. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises 65.0 to 85.0 wt % of component (A) and 35.0 to 15.0 wt % of component (B).

13. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has a 2, 1-regio error content determined by NMR-spectroscopy of 0.01 to 0.6 mol %.

14. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has an MFR 2 (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) of 0.2 to 1.5 g/10 min and a melting point (Tm) of 156 to 162° C., and wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises:

(A) 80.0 to 95.0 wt % of a polypropylene homopolymer or propylene ethylene copolymer crystalline fraction having a C2 content of 0 to 2 wt %; and

(B) 5.0 to 20.0 wt % of an ethylene-propylene copolymer soluble fraction;

wherein the C2 (SF) is in the range of 18 to 40 wt % and the IV (SF) measured in decalin at 135° C. of said heterophasic polypropylene copolymer is 2.5 to 10 dl/g.

15. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer has an MFR 2 (ISO 1133 at 230° C. with a loading of 2.16 kg) of 0.2 to 15 g/10 min and a melting point (Tm) of 157 to 162° C., and wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprises:

(A) 65.0 to 85.0 wt % of a polypropylene homopolymer or propylene ethylene copolymer crystalline fraction having a C2 content of 0 to 2 wt %;

(B) 35.0 to 15.0 wt % of an ethylene-propylene copolymer soluble fraction;

wherein the C2 (SF) is in the range of 18 to 40 wt % and the IV (SF) measured in decalin at 135° C. of said heterophasic polypropylene copolymer is 4.5 to 11 dl/g.

16. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the crystalline fraction comprises less than 1.5 wt % C2.

17. The heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer is obtained using a single site catalyst.

18. A process for the preparation of a heterophasic polypropylene copolymer comprising:

(I) polymerising propylene and optionally ethylene and/or 1-butene in the presence of the catalyst so as to form:

a1) a crystalline fraction (CF) comprising a propylene homopolymer or propylene copolymer with ethylene and/or with 1-butene having 0 to 3 wt % comonomer as said matrix component; and

(II) subsequently polymerising additional propylene and ethylene and optionally 1-butene, in the presence of the matrix component of step (I) so as to form:

a2) a propylene ethylene copolymer or propylene-ethylene-1-butene copolymer soluble fraction (SF) having a comonomer content of 12 to 45 wt %;

wherein the crystalline fraction (CF) constitutes 55.0 to 95.0 wt % and the soluble fraction (SF) constitutes 5.0 to 45.0 wt % of the heterophasic propylene ethylene copolymer or heterophasic propylene ethylene 1-butene copolymer,

wherein the amount of crystalline fraction (CF) and the amount soluble fraction (SF) are determined in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at 40° C.; and

wherein the soluble fraction (SF) of the heterophasic propylene-ethylene copolymer or heterophasic propylene-ethylene-1-butene copolymer has an intrinsic viscosity IV (SF) in decalin at 135° C. of 2.5 to 11 dl/g;

and said catalyst comprises (i) a metallocene complex, and (ii) a cocatalyst comprising a compound of a group 13 metal,

wherein the metallocene complex is of formula (I):

wherein

each X is a sigma-ligand;

in the group R 2 Si— at least one R is methyl or ethyl, and the other R is selected from methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl or isobutyl, pentyl, hexyl, cyclohexyl, and phenyl;

each R 1 independently is a CH 2 —R 7 group, with R 7 being H or linear or branched C 1-6 -alkyl group, C 3-8 cycloalkyl group, or C 6-10 aryl group;

each R 2 is independently a —CH═, —CY═, —CH 2 —, —CHY— or —CY 2 — group, wherein Y is a C 1-6 hydrocarbyl group and where n is 2-6;

each R 3 and R 4 independently is hydrogen, a linear or branched C 1-6 -alkyl group, a C 7-20 arylalkyl, C 7-20 alkylaryl group, C 6-20 aryl group, or an —OY group, wherein Y is a is a C 1-6 hydrocarbyl group;

R 5 is a linear or branched C 1-6 -alkyl group, C 7-20 arylalkyl, C 7-20 alkylaryl group or C 6-20 -aryl group; and

R 6 is a C (R 8 ) 3 group, with each R 8 independently being a linear or branched C 1-6 alkyl group;

(A) wherein at least one R 3 per phenyl group and at least one R 4 is not hydrogen, and wherein at least one R 3 per phenyl group and at least one R 4 is hydrogen; or

(B) wherein one R 3 is an —OY group, wherein Y is a is a C 1-6 hydrocarbyl group, in 4 position of each phenyl group and the two other R 3 groups are tert-butyl groups; and/or

(C) wherein one R 4 is an —OY group, wherein Y is a C 1-6 hydrocarbyl group, in 4-position of the phenyl ring and the two other R 4 groups are tert-butyl groups.

19. The process as claimed in claim 18 , wherein:

a1) the crystalline fraction (CF) comprises a propylene homopolymer or propylene copolymer with ethylene and/or with 1-butene having 0 to 2 wt % comonomer as said matrix component; and

wherein the crystalline fraction (CF) constitutes 75.0 to 95.0 wt % and the soluble fraction (SF) constitutes 5.0 to 25.0 wt % of the heterophasic propylene ethylene copolymer or heterophasic propylene ethylene 1-butene copolymer.

20. An article comprising the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 .

21. A polymer blend comprising the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 and a second different polyolefin.

22. A method of use of the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer as claimed in claim 1 , the method comprising using the heterophasic polypropylene copolymer in the manufacture of an article.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (78)