Effect of hydrogen on ethylene polymerization using in-situ supported metallocene catalysts

Abstract

The effect of hydrogen on ethylene polymerization using two different in-situ supported metallocene catalysts (Et[Ind]2ZrCl2 and Cp2ZrCl2) was investigated. In the presence of hydrogen, both catalysts showed enhancement of the polymerization rate. Surprisingly, the molecular weight distribution (MWD) changed from unimodal to bimodal with addition of hydrogen.