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Genesis of MgCl 2 ‐based Ziegler‐Natta Catalysts as Probed with Operando Spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Piovano Alessandro,
Pletcher Paul,
Velthoen Marjolein E. Z.,
Zai Silvia,
Chung SangHo,
Bossers Koen,
Jongkind Maarten K.,
Fiore Gianluca,
Groppo Elena,
Weckhuysen Bert M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.201800592
Subject(s) - natta , catalysis , polymerization , polyethylene , ziegler–natta catalyst , olefin fiber , ethylene , chemistry , characterization (materials science) , spectroscopy , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , materials science , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , polymer , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Abstract Z iegler‐Natta catalysts for olefin polymerization are intrinsically complex multi‐component systems. The genesis of the active sites involves several simultaneous and sequential steps, making the individual steps and interconnections difficult to be unraveled in an unambiguous manner. In this work, we combine X‐ray diffraction and spectroscopy to probe each step of the birth and life of a MgCl 2 ‐based Ziegler‐Natta catalyst, namely the formation of high surface area MgCl 2 by dealcoholation of an alcoholate precursor, the TiCl 4 grafting, and the subsequent activation by triethylaluminum as co‐catalyst. The so‐prepared catalyst was tested towards ethylene polymerization, leading to the production of mainly crystalline high‐density polyethylene. The use of operando characterization techniques allowed probing the transient details that are difficult to be dissected in the aftermath, but can radically affect the overall catalytic process.