business offered by these new polymers has already led to opportunities in the specialty mar kets, but penetration at the large-volume commodity level is required if the produc ers expect to regain their significant R&D costs. The market and technology devel opment decisions of companies in the next several months will fundamentally define whether these products truly revo lutionize the polyolefin market or just pass into the smaller specialty arena. The term metallocene has often been used to describe these new polyolefin cat Paige Marie Morse alysts. In the early development, this term C&EN Houston was appropriate because most of the cata lysts were based on metal compounds that here is a buzz among the producers included π-bound cyclopentadienyl (Cp) of polyolefins, an unexpected excite ring structures. Many more types of cata ment that is sweeping through this lyst structures are now being explored more than 100 billion-lb-a-year commodity and used, so the descriptor metallocene market. At the center of the fluny is a is being replaced by the breakthrough in technology—metallocene |S broader term "single-site cator single-site catalysts—that gives produc •§. alyst"—-because the polyers the power to design precise polymers, le merization is thought to oc a feat that has briefly distracted them from cur at a single site on the the cost-cutting and price battles typical of |ω metal catalyst. a commodity market. Exxon's Exxpol and The leader of a company created to ex Shoe soles and tubing Phillips' proprietary cata ploit this new technology says the indus ate end uses for new lysts—both of which are try response is at "a fever pitch." Gregory elastomer products based on substituted zirL. McPike, president and chief executive afforded by Dow's Inslte conocene dichloride—are officer of Univation Technologies, a onecatalysts. examples of commercial me year-old joint venture between Exxon tallocene catalysts. In con Chemical and Union Carbide, says, "It is "The industry now trast, Dow's Insite catalysts amazing that an industry this old has that has the ability to take a are single-site catalysts; they much vitality in it." design approach to poly have a metal center bound With new catalysts and processes, mer structure for greater by a single Cp ring that has producers can now exercise greater con speed and accuracy of a bridging group to a hettrol over polymerization, consistently development," said Kurt creating more uniform polymers to meet W. Swogger, vice president for polyolefins eroatom that is also bound to the metal. the performance properties required by R&D at Dow Chemical, at the recent MetMuch of the new nonmetallocene cata their customers. In truth, news about Con '98 conference in Houston, spon lyst developments for olefin polymeriza these catalysts has been heard from the sored by the consulting firm Catalyst tion are due, in part, to "the patent stran technical ranks for many years. But Group, Spring House, Pa. Dow describes glehold held by Exxon and Dow" in menow—with several production units op its use of this technology as "molecular tallocenes, says John J. Murphy, program erating and technology licenses avail architecture." director at the Catalyst Group. In an effort able—the business colleagues of these The crucial next step for this technolo to establish their own intellectual proper early researchers have increased the vol gy is to access the mainstream polyolefins ty, many companies have turned to alter ume. This laboratory curiosity has finally market and compete with existing materi native catalyst compounds to create simi become a commercial reality. als on a cost basis. The high performance lar tailored polymer structures. Most major polyolefin pro ducers acknowl Commodity polymers based on single-site catalysts are on the market edge that they spend significant Producers resources keep Japan Polymer Malm U.S. Europe ing track of com Film Dow, Exxon, BASF/Elenac, Borealis, Mitsui Chemicals, Japan Linear low-density petitors' activity polyethylene Polyolefin, Sumitomo, Ube Phillips, Mobil BP Chemicals in this field, and Film High-density Asahi Dow Fina polyethylene there have been Mitsui Chemicals Exxon, Fina Targor Fibers, Polypropylene several patent dis nonwovens putes. Many com Source: Phillip Townsend Associates panies arc licens ing, or planning
NEW CATALYSTS RENEW POLYOLEFINS Tailored polymer structures expand market for commodity materials
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JULY 6, 1998 C&EN 11
business New alliances to address developing technology lectual property issues as a reason for their formation. Numerous patents have been filed in the single-site catalyst area and several disputes have arisen—many industry participants call the technolo gy area a "patent minefield." Through an alliance or joint venture, companies can combine their intellectual property estates to create a stronger force. "The combination of Exxon and Union Carbide has made the patent estate a lot broader and more difficult to penetrate," says Gregory L. McPike, president and chief executive officer of Univation Tech nologies, the polyethylene joint venture between Exxon and Union Carbide. Also, in the announcement of the venture, the companies pointed out that "the joint venture resolves current and likely future legal disputes between Exx on and Union Carbide over ownership of the technology." The need to respond quickly in this fast-moving technology area is also an important consideration. Often these cat alyst technologies provide routes to prod-
When C&EN reviewed the developments in polyolefin catalysts three years ago, the company names mentioned were easily recognized by most who work in the chemical industry. Such familiarity is gone. Many companies have created new ventures—with new names—to work in the rapidly expandingfieldof single-site, often called metallocene, catalysis. Also, many companies have alliances or licens ing agreements with competitors to strengthen their position in this area. "There remain very few polyolefin players without a partner, position, or potential in the supply of metallocenecatalyzed materials," says John J. Mur phy, program director at Spring House, Pa-based consultingfirmCatalyst Group. Exxon Chemical and Dow Chemical continue to dominate this technology, and both have been actively forming al liances with several other companies. Hoechst also has a strong patent base in the single-site catalysis area that it has leveraged with alliances. Several of the new ventures cite intel
Univation Technologies
Mitsubishi
Borealis Ube
with union carbide DexPlastomers Eienac
