Physical property and chemical composition distribution of ethylene–hexene copolymer produced by metallocene/Ziegler–Natta hybrid catalyst

Silica–magnesium bisupport (SMB) was prepared by a sol–gel method for use as a support for metallocene and metallocene/Ziegler–Natta hybrid catalysts. SMB was treated with methylaluminoxane (MAO) prior to catalyst immobilization. The supported heterogeneous catalysts were applied to the ethylene copolymerization with 1-hexene. The h-copolymer (ethylene–hexene copolymer produced by metallocene/Ziegler–Natta hybrid catalyst) showed two melting points and broad molecular weight distribution. The differences in physical properties between h-copolymer and m-copolymer (ethylene–hexene copolymer produced by metallocene catalyst) could be explained by the differences in chemical composition and side chain distributions of the produced copolymers.

Graphical abstractMetallocene and metallocene/Ziegler–Natta hybrid catalysts immobilized on MAO (methylaluminoxane)-treated SMB (silica–magnesium bisupport) were applied to the ethylene copolymerization with 1-hexene. It was found that h-copolymer produced by hybrid catalyst showed the narrower lamella size distribution than m-copolymer produced by metallocene catalyst. Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide