Polymer-supported zirconocene catalyst for ethylene polymerization

The use of crosslinked poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine) having functional groups as the support for zirconocene catalysts in ethylene polymerization was studied. Several factors affecting the activity of the catalysts were examined. Conditions like time, temperature, Al/N (molar ratio), Al/Zr (molar ratio), and the mode of feeding were found having no significant influence on the activity of the catalysts, while the state of the supports had a great effect on the catalytic behavior. The activity of the catalysts sharply increased with either the degree of crosslinking or the content of 4-vinylpyridine in the support. Via aluminum compounds, AlR3 or methylaluminoxane (MAO), zirconocene was attached on the surface of the support. IR spectra showed an intensified and shifted absorption bands of C-N in the pyridine ring, and a new absorption band appeared at about 730 cm(-1) indicating a stable bond Al-N formed in the polymer-supported catalysts. The formation of cationic active centers was hypothesized and the performance of the polymer-supported zirconocene was discussed as well. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 37-46, 1999.

Partial oxidation of methane to syngas over Pt-Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst

The catalytic partial oxidation of methane to syngas over Ni/Al2O3, Pt/Al2O3 and a series of Pt - Ni/Al2O3 catalysts was investigated. It was found that Pt - Ni/Al2O3 catalysts exhibit higher activity and stability than Ni/Al2O3 and Pt/Al2O3. TPR and TPD methods were used to characterize Pt - Ni bimetallic interactions in the catalysts. A series of Pt - Ni/Al2O3 catalysts and unsupported Pt - Ni samples were studied by XRD and XPS. It was found the formation of Pt - Ni alloy in the Pt - Ni/Al2O3 catalysts and the enrichment of platinum on the surface of the catalysts. It is concluded that the higher activity and stability of Pt - Ni/Al2O3 catalysts were caused by Pt - Ni bimetallic interactions.

Synthesis of isotactic polystyrene with a rare-earth catalyst

Polymerization of styrene with the neodymium phosphonate Nd(P-507)/H2O/Al(i-Bu)(3) catalytic system has been examined. The polymer obtained was separated into a soluble and an insoluble fraction by 2-butanone extraction. C-13-NMR spectra indicate that the insoluble fraction is isotactic polystyrene and the soluble one is syndiotactic-rich atactic polystyrene. The polymerization features are described and discussed. The optimum conditions for the polymerization are as follows: [Nd] = (3.5-5.0) x 10(-2) mol/L; [styrene] = 5 mol/L; [Al]/[Nd] = 6-8 mol/mol; [H2O]/[Al] = 0.05-0.08 mol/mol; polymerization temperature around 70 degrees C. The percent yield of isotactic polystyrene (TY) is markedly affected by catalyst aging temperature. With increase of the aging temperature from 40 to 70 degrees C, TY increases from 9% to 48%. Using AlEt3 and Al(i-Bu)(2)H instead of Al(i-Bu)(3) decreases the yield of isotactic polystyrene. Different neodymium compounds give the following activity order: Nd(P-507)(3) > Nd(P-204)(3) > Nd(OPri)(3) > NdCl3 + C2HF5OH > Nd(naph)(3). With Nd(naph)(3) as catalyst, only atactic polystyrene is obtained. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Layered La-Ba-Cu mixed oxides with perovskite structure as catalyst for NO reduction by CO

The mixed oxides, including LaBa2Cu3O7, LaBaCu2O5, La4BaCu5O12 with perovskite structure, were prepared. The catalysts were characterized by means of chemical analysis, XRD, H-2-TPR. It was found that their structures were layered ABO(3) perovskite structure and they were the active catalysts for the NO reduction by CO. The existence of Cu3+ is an important factor to give the catalysts a high activity for the NO reduction by CO.

Partial oxidation of methane to synthesize gas over Ni/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst promoted by noble metals

The production of synthesis gas by partial oxidation bf methane in oxygen has been examined over Ni/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst promoted by noble metals(Rh, Ru, Pt and Pd), especially with Pt. The reactivity is considered in conjunction with the result of H-2-TPR, CO-TPD, SEM and XRD. It is found that small amount of Pt results in a great improvement of activity for the Ni/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst. The activity order is : Rh-Ni>Pt-Ni approximate to Ru-Ni>Pd-Ni, meantime the Pt improves the stability of Ni/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst except for Pd which is easy to he deactivated by carbon deposition. The results of TPD, SEM and XRD indicate that there is an interaction between Ni and Pt metals in the catalyst. The interaction increases the dispersions of Pt and Nit the presence of Pt suppresses the growth and the migration of Ni grains over the surface of the catalyst.

A novel rare earth coordination catalyst for polymerization of biodegradable aliphatic lactones and lactides

A novel rare earth coordination system composed of lanthanide trifluoroacetates Ln(CF3COO)(3) (Ln = Y, Yb, Nd, Tm, Ho, La, Pr) and triisobutylaluminium Al(i-Bu)(3) was used as catalyst for the polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone (CL), D,L-lactide (DLLA) and their copolymerization. The influence of temperature, time and catalyst concentration on polymerization yields and molecular weights of the polyesters have been studied. It was shown that the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters catalysed by Ln(CF3COO)(3)/Al(i-Bu)(3) has some living character and the molecular weight of the polyester could be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of monomer to catalyst. The DLLA/CL copolymer was synthesized by sequential addition of monomers and the structure of the copolyester was characterized by GPC, NMR and DSC. (C) 1998 SCI.

A novel catalyst for clean production of diphenols - Ferric trisacetylacetonate MCM-41

Ferric trisacetylacetonate has been deposited within the zeolite MCM-41 and the product characterized by XRD and IR. In water at pH 7 it catalyzes the oxidation of phenol by H2O2, giving 58% conversion in 1 h at 50 degrees C: products are catechol (66%), hydroquinone (27%) and benzoquinone (7%). Other oxidants and solvents are much less effective. UV-VIS spectra suggest a radical substitution mechanism, and a pollution-free process for phenol hydroxylation is now possible.

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate with a new Nd(O-i-Pr)(3)-Al(i-Bu)(3) catalyst system

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized with the rare earth coordination catalyst-system of Nd(O - i-Pr)(3) in toluene. The influences of various ligands in neodymium complexes, molar ratio of Al/Nd, catalyst concentration, catalyst aging time, solvents, the third component CCl4, temperature and time on the polymerization of MMA were studied. The results showed that the polymerization conversion reached more than 80% at a catalyst concentration of 9.2 x 10(-3) mol/L. The appropriate molar ratio of CCl4/Nd was 4. Hydrocarbon was preferred for the polymerzation to obtain a high conversion and a high <(M)over bar w> of PMMA. The H-1 NMR spectra of PMMA indicated that the lower the temperature, the higher the syndiotactic content of PMMA was obtained.

Stereospecific polymerization of styrene using a homogeneous lanthanide catalyst

Stereospecific polymerization of styrene was catalyzed by homogeneous neodymium phosphonate [Nd(P-507)(3)]-H2O-Al(i-Bu)(3) catalytic system. The polymer was separated into isotactic polystyrene and atactic polystyrene by extracting the latter with boiling 2-butanone. The conversion of styrene and the yield of isotactic polystyrene (IY) were influenced by the [H2O]/[Al(i-Bu)(3)] mole ratio and the solvent polarity. The reaction is first order with respect to monomer at 70 degrees C.

Characterization of propylene/ethylene copolymers sequentially polymerized with delta-TiCl3/Et2AlCl catalyst system

Morphological studies of a series of propylene/ethylene sequential polymers have been carried out by permanganic etching and transmission electron microscopy, as an aid to characterization, in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry. The materials were synthesized using a titanium-based catalyst, with propylene and either ethylene or ethylene/propylene mixture introduced successively, with the aim of examining whether a proportion of block copolymer is obtained. These materials show a complicated phase structure which does not simply reflect polymerization time but varies greatly, especially in regard to the order of introduction of the monomers, and their morphology differs in a number of ways from that of typical commercial materials. Comparison of the materials, as synthesized and after extraction with heptane, suggests that there is a certain amount of material which can compatibilize polypropylene- and ethylene-rich phases, but it was not possible to decide whether it does in fact have block structure.

Roles of oxygen vacancy and lower valence metallic ion in direct decomposition of NO over La-2-x(Sr,Th)(x)CuO4+/-lambda

Two systems of La2-xSrxCuO4+/-lambda and La2-xThxCuO4+/-lambda, mixed oxides with K2NiF4 structure were synthesized. The compositions and structures of the catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, XPS, chemical analysis and so on. The catalytic behavior for the direct decomposition of NO has been investigated. The results show that the catalytic activity is closely related to the oxygen vacancy and lower valence metallic ion in the direct decomposition of NO. The presence of oxygen vacancy is necessary for mixed oxide to have steady activity in NO decomposition.

ESCA study of dichlorozirconocene/methylaluminoxane olefin polymerization catalyst system

An investigation has been undertaken by use of ESCA in the characterization of the central metal(Zr) of dichlorozirconocene/methylaluminoxane homogeneous olefin polymerization catalyst. The change of electron density shown by a shift in ESCA signals (181.8 - 182.7eV) indicates that the catalytic species are ''cation-like''. Within the range of detecting sensitivity of ESCA spectrometer, only a part of the new catalytic derivative was formed. The influence of complexion time and Al : Zr ratio on the formation of the catalytic zirconocene cation has also been investigated.

Studies on the adsorption property of NO on the Ni-based mixed oxide catalysts with Perovskite-like (ABO(3) and A(2)BO(4)) structure

The mixed oxides LaNiO3, La0.1Sr0.9NiO3, La2NiO4 and LaSrNiO4 with perovskite (ABO(3)) and related(A(2)BO(4)) structures were prepared and the adsorption property for NO and the catalytic activity for NO decomposition over these oxidse were also tested. The catalysts were characterized by means of BET surface measurement, chemical analysis, NO-TPD etc.. It was shown that the adsorption amount of NO is correlated with the concentration of oxygen vacancy formed and the adsorption type and strength of NO are related to the valence of metallic ion. Generally there are three kinds of adsorption species, NO-, NO+ and NO on the mixed oxides, among them the negative adsorpion species (NO-) are active for NO decomposition. The weaker the adsorption of oxygen on the catalyst is, the faster the mobility of oxygen is and the easier the redox process takes place in reproducing the active sites in which the oxygen species (O-, O2-) would participate.

LaSrNiO4-lambda with K2NiF4 structure - A highly active catalyst for direct decomposition of nitrogen monoxide

A series of perovskite-like mixed oxides La(2-x)Sr(x)MO(4+lambda) (M=Cu, Co,Ni; x=0,1) was prepared and characterized using X-ray powder diffraction. The catalytic properties of these catalysts in NO decomposition were tested. The results showed that LaSrNiO4-lambda with K2NiF4 structure is very active and stable for the decomposition of NO.

Kinetics of the polymerization of isoprene with isopropoxyneodymium dichloride/triethylaluminium binary lanthanide catalyst system

The kinetics of the polymerization of isoprene with the heterogeneous rare earth catalyst system isopropoxyneodymium dichloride/triethylaluminium (Nd(OPri)Cl-2-AlEt(3)) was examined in a specially designed dilatometer. The rate of polymerization is expressed as R(p) approximate to -d[M]/dt = k'(p)[Nd](1.40)[M]. The main kinetical parameters such as the concentration of active propagating chain, the efficiency of lanthanide catalyst used (ELCU), the absolute rate constant of propagation as well as the average life time of growing chains, were determined at 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C, 45 degrees C and 50 degrees C.