Mechanistic study on hydrogen effects in propylene polymerization with MgCl2-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts: New evidences from active center counting and reaction kinetics

Propylene polymerizations catalyzed by MgCl2/Di/TiCl4-AlEt3/siloxane in the absence and presence of hydrogen were studied by determining the time-dependent changes of catalytic activity, number of active centers and active center distribution. Three types of active centers with high, medium and very low stereoselectivity were differentiated by fractionating the polymer into three parts. Chain propagation rate constant of each type of active centers was estimated by linear fitting/extrapolating the time-dependent change of apparent propagation rate constant. The centers with high (Ci*), medium (Cm*) and low (Ca*) stereoselectivity responded to addition of hydrogen differently. Adding hydrogen caused marked increase of Ci*, but its propagation rate constant (kpi) was evidently reduced. In contrast, numbers of Cm* and Ca* were only slightly affected, but their propagation rate constants were evidently enhanced by hydrogen. The different hydrogen responses of Ci* with those of Cm* and Ca* were explained by two kinds of hydrogen activation mechanisms.