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In situ synthesis of polybutene‐1/polypropylene spherical alloys within a reactor with an MgCl 2 ‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst
Author(s) -
He Aihua,
Zheng Weiping,
Shi Yangwei,
Liu Guoqing,
Yao Wei,
Huang Baochen
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/pi.4250
Subject(s) - polymerization , materials science , tacticity , ziegler–natta catalyst , polypropylene , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , natta , propene , solution polymerization , emulsion polymerization , precipitation polymerization , polymer , catalysis , radical polymerization , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
A series of isotactic polybutene‐1/polypropylene (PB/PP) alloys with spherical morphology were prepared by MgCl 2 ‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst with sequential two‐stage polymerization technology. The first formed PP particles were used as micro‐reactors to initiate the bulk precipitation polymerization of butene‐1 further. The porous PP particles as a hard framework may prevent the adhesion of PB particles during the bulk precipitation polymerization process. At the same time, the bulk precipitation polymerization process allows for maximization of the butene‐1 polymerization rate and simplifies the butene‐1 polymerization process considerably. Finally, spherical PB alloys with a super‐high molecular weight PB component and adjustable PP component were synthesized in situ within the reactor. The structures and properties of the PB/PP alloys were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform IR, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction. The results showed that the MgCl 2 ‐supported Ziegler‐Natta catalyst showed relatively high stereospecificity and efficiency for both propylene and butene‐1 polymerization. The incorporation of propylene on the PB matrix affects the properties of the final products markedly. The PB/PP alloys are expected to have a broader range of applications as a new family of high performance materials. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry