Spherical MgCl2 Supported Iron Catalyst for Ethylene Polymerization: Effect of the Preparation Procedure on Catalyst Activity and the Morphology of Polyethylene Particles

A new procedure was developed to support [(ArN=C(Me)) 2 C 5 H 3 N]FeCl 2 (Ar=2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) on spherical MgCl 2 for ethylene polymerization. The resultant catalysts showed ten times higher activity of the corresponding catalyst in homogeneous catalysis. The morphologies of polyethylene particles strongly depended on supported catalyst preparation procedure and polymerization conditions. In addition, the GPC measurements showed bimodal polyethylene for the homogeneous polymerization while mono-modal polyethylene of those supported catalysts.