Metallocene-catalyzed oligomerizations of 1-butene and α-olefins: Toward synthetic lubricants

• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2014.08.002
• Publication Date: 2014-08-11T15:01:40Z
• Authors: Huaiqi Shao; Hui Li; Jichao Lin; Tao Jiang; Xiaoyan Guo; Jian Li
• Keywords: Oligomer; Methylaluminoxane; 1-Butene; Propene; Post-metallocene catalyst; Butene; Hexene; Molar mass distribution

Abstract In this study we found that the oligomerizations of 1-butene with various higher α-olefins (1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene) in the presence of the catalyst (Me 4 Cp) 2 ZrCl 2 and the co-catalyst methylaluminoxane yielded low-molecular-weight oily oligomers. 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy revealed that the major olefinic bonds of these oligomers were terminal vinylidene and internal trisubstituted vinylidene units. The chain termination of oligomerization of 1-butene alone favored chain transfer to the co-catalyst, which process was favored after adding α-olefin and affected only slightly by the lateral size of the α-olefin. The addition of the α-olefin to 1-butene decreased the oligomerization activity, oligomer molecular weight and kinematic viscosity, but increased oligomer viscosity index. Moreover, the oligomerization activity, oligomer molecular weight and kinematic viscosity were presented as a function of the concentration of α-olefin, the oligomerization temperature and the Al/Zr ratio.