Issue 106, 2015

Synthesis and characterisation of permethylindenyl zirconium complexes and their use in ethylene polymerisation

Abstract

We report the synthesis of two zirconocenes, dimethylsilylbis(hexamethylindenyl) zirconium dichloride, rac-(SBI*)ZrCl2, and nbutyldimethylsilyl(hexamethylindenyl) zirconium trichloride, [(Ind*SiMe2nBu)Zr(μ-Cl)Cl2]2. The complexes were characterised by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, and the bonding was evaluated using density functional theory. rac-(SBI*)ZrCl2 demonstrated a very high activity for solution phase polymerisation of ethylene (ca. 22 500 kgPE−1 molZr−1 h−1 bar−1). Both rac-(SBI*)ZrCl2 and rac-(EBI*)ZrCl2 (EBI* = ethylenebis(hexamethylindenyl)) have been supported on MAO modified silica and AMOST layered double hydroxides (AMO-LDHs), and evaluated as catalysts in the slurry-phase polymerisation of ethylene. The highest catalytic polymerisation activities for rac-(SBI*)ZrCl2 and rac-(EBI*)ZrCl2 on the layered double hydroxides were 9657 and 4325 kgPE−1 molZr−1 h−1 bar−1 respectively, for MAO modified Mg2Al–SO4 LDH. However, rac-(EBI*)ZrCl2 was a three times more active catalyst than rac-(SBI*)ZrCl2 when supported on silica.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis and characterisation of permethylindenyl zirconium complexes and their use in ethylene polymerisation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Oct 2015
Accepted
07 Oct 2015
First published
08 Oct 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 87456-87464

Author version available

Synthesis and characterisation of permethylindenyl zirconium complexes and their use in ethylene polymerisation

J. Buffet, T. A. Q. Arnold, Z. R. Turner, P. Angpanitcharoen and D. O'Hare, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 87456 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA20465H

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