Ethylene polymerization with metallocene and trimethylaluminumtreated silica

Abstract

Abstract To prepare supported catalyst for ethylene polymerization, silica was treated with trialkylaluminum (AIR 3 ) followed by supporting Cp 2 ZrCl 2 . Partially hydrated silica (H‐SiO 2 ) was chosen for reaction with AIR 3 to prepare catalyst precursor. The H‐SiO 2 / AIR 3 / Metallocene catalyst system could effectively catalyse ethylene polymerization even with common alkylaluminums as cocatalyst. The catalytic activity of supported catalyst depended on H 2 O content of silica. H 2 O/(CH 3 ) 3 Al ratio, metallocene and cocatalyst. The analysis data of silica surface by BET and CP MAS 13 C NMR revealed that the catalyst precursor prepared from the reaction between H‐SiO 2 and (CH 3 ) 3 Al was methylaluminoxane (PMAO) supported on silica with high surface area and reduced pore size.