The Impact of Enhanced Capabilities of Metallocene Polymerization Catalysts on the Future of Olefin Elastomers

摘要

Metallocene catalyst technologies have had a significant impact on the advances made in polyolefins. Manufacturing technology aimed at taking advantage of the broader polymerization capabilities delivered by these catalysts is implemented, and is advancing rapidly. Technology advances have been primarily focused in the area of polyolefins destined for thermoplastic applications, because of the very broad scale and use of these polymers. The enhanced capabilities for some of these new catalysts to polymerize monomers higher than ethylene and propylene, make their impact even more significant for the polyolefin elastomers industry. Since these polymers often require much higher levels of difficult to polymerize comonomers, metallocenes are a natural fit. They enable revolutionary changes in manufacturing technology, and new polymer design capabilities. This paper will discuss both the catalyst and manufacturing technology impact on the future direction of product and application development for this industry. The pace of change in polyolefin manufacturing technology has been rapid over the past several years, and it is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Leveraging these advances, where value creating opportunities exist, will result in improved existing products for the industry, together with new products that have performance attributes in combinations not seen heretofore. DuPont Dow is uniquely positioned to lead this technology revolution for the elastomers industry.