Unraveling the Catalytic Synergy between Ti 3+ and Al 3+ Sites on a Chlorinated Al 2 O 3 : A Tandem Approach to Branched Polyethylene
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: An original step-by-step approach to synthesize and characterize a bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst consisting of isolated Ti(3+) centers and strong Lewis acid Al(3+) sites on the surface of a chlorinated alumina has been devised. A wide range of physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques were employed to demonstrate that the two sites, in close proximity, act in a concerted fashion to synergistically boost the conversion of ethylene into branched polyethylene, using ethylene as the only feed and without any activator. The coordinatively unsaturated Al(3+) ions promote ethylene oligomerization through a carbocationic mechanism and activate the Ti(3+) sites for the traditional ethylene coordination polymerization.
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2496976464