The present invention relates to new copolymers of ethylene with propylene and/or higher α-olefins, optionally containing minor amounts of units deriving from a diene or polyene, showing valuable elasto-plastic properties also in a non-cured state.

EP and EPDM rubber, which respectively are elastomeric co¬ polymers of ethylene with propylene and with minor proportions of a diene or polyene, are well known products in the art.

Such copolymers are generally prepared by polymerization of mixtures of ethylene and propylene and optionally of a diene or polyene with Ziegler-Natta catalysts obtained from vanadium compounds, such as vanadium acetylacetonate and alkyl-Al halides.

The resulting copolymers require a vulcanization treatment (with peroxides or sulphur) in order to be able to acquire an elastomeric behaviour of interest.

Thermoplastic polyolefin rubbers (TPO) are known which are capable of retaining the processability characteristics of thermoplastic polymers and simultaneously displaying an elastomeric behaviour. These rubbers are obtained by means of high-temperature dynamic vulcanization, in the presence of crosslinking agents, of blends of crystalline polyolefins, in particular isotactic polypropylene, with EP or EPDM rubbers.

Copolymers endowed with a certain level of elasto-plastic properties are known; they are obtained by polymerization of propylene mixtures with minor proportions of ethylene, using catalyst based on titanium compounds supported on magnesium

chloride (US Patent 4,298,721). These copolymers are character¬ ized by a large content of crystallinity of polypropylenic type, and optionally of polyethylenic type; the elastomeric properties of these copolymers are unsatisfactory (200V tension set values are too high) .

Preparing elastomeric copolymers of ethylene with propylene and/or with α-olefins and optionally with minor proportion of a diene or polyene by means of the polymerization of mixtures of monomers with homogeneous catalysts obtained from Ti, Zr or Hf metallocenes and alumoxane compounds, is known.

European Patent Application EP-A-347128 describes a process for the preparation of elastomeric copolymers of ethylene with α- olefins in which the catalyst used is the product obtained from the reaction of dicyclopentadienyl-Zr, -Ti or Hf compounds, such as ethylene-bis(indenyl) -zirconium dichloride or ethylene- bis(tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconium dichloride or dimethylsilanyl- ene-bis(tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconiumdichloride, wit polymethyl- alumoxane. Catalysts promoting the isospecific polymerization of α-olefins and non-stereospecific catalysts are indifferently used. The polymerization is carried out in liquid monomer at temperatures comprised between o and 80 °C, preferably between 20 and 60 °C.

European Patent Application EP-A-347129 describes a process for the preparation of elastomeric copolymers of ethylene with a- olefins containing minor proportions of a non-conjugated diene,

analogous to the one disclosed in European Patent Application EP- A-347128.

None of the copolymers disclosed in both the above cited EP applications or in the examples shows satisfactory elasto-plastic properties in the non-vulcanized state. 200% tension set values are higher than 30% and the tensile strength is lower than 4-5 MPa.

European Patent Application EP-A-374,695 describes propylene copolymers with ethylene, in which propylene is present in amounts higher than about 57% by mol, containing isotactic polypropylenic sequences obtained by the polymerization of said olefins with catalysts prepared from bridged metallpcenes, such as ethylene-bis(tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconium dichloride and polymethylalumoxane. The polymerization is carried put at low temperature, approximately 0 °C in the examples. The copolymers do not display any elasto-plastic properties of interest.

Up to now, no copolymers of ethylene with propylene and/or α.-olefins, optionally containing units deriving from dienes or polyenes, are known which display in their uncured state elastoplastic properties of interest (200% tension set values, 1 min, 25 °C, lower than 30%; tensile strength higher than 3-4 MPa) .

It has now been unexpectedly found that copolymer having the above indicated elasto-plastic properties can be synthesised.

The copolymers have an ethylene content comprised between 45 and 85 % by mol, preferably between 50 and 75 % by mol, a content

of propylene and/or α-olefins CH ₂ =CHR, in which R is a C ₂ -C ₁₀ alkyl radical, comprised between 15 and 55 % by mol, preferably between 25 and 55 % by mol, and a content of diene or polyene comprised between 0 and 10 % by mol.

The copolymers are characterized by:

- solubility in pentane at 25 °C higher than 90%;

- substantial absence of crystallinity (fusion enthalpy lower than 20 J/g) ;

- content of propylene units, or units deriving from said α.- olefin, as triads comprised between 4 and 50% of propylene or of said α-olefin; at least 70% of said triads display an isotactic structure;

- a random distribution of ethylene units and propylene units and/or units deriving from said α-olefins in the portion of chain having copolymeric structure (values of the product of the co onomer reactivity ratios comprised between 0.4 and 1) .

The high elasto-plastic properties of said copolymers are evidenced by the low values of tension set at 200%, 1 min, 25 °C (the values are generally comprised between 10 and 20%) and by the high tensile strength, higher than 4 MPA and generally comprised between 5 and 7 MPa.

When under stretch (stretch ratio = 4:1) , the copolymers display, in their X-ray diffraction fibre spectra, signals which may be attributed to a partial orientation or crystallization of the macromolecular chain.

The copolymers have an inherent viscosity higher than 1.5 dl/g and generally comprised between 2.5 and 3.5 dl/g.

The solubility in pentane is preferably higher than 95%.

The content of diene or polyene units is generally comprised between 0 and 10 % by mol, preferably between 0.5 and 5 % by mol.

The copolymers can be transformed into shaped articles by means of the normal processes of manufacturing of thermoplastic materials (compression moulding, extrusion, injection moulding, etc.) and the resulting articles display elastic properties comparable to those of vulcanized rubbers.

If so desired, the copolymers can be vulcanized by using the same formulations and methodologies as known for EP and EPDM rubbers; rubbers endowed with valuable elastomeric properties are obtained.

The copolymers of the present invention are prepared by polymerization of mixtures of ethylene with propylene and/or with a α-olefin CH ₂ =CHR, in which R is an alkyl radical having 2-10 carbon atoms, optionally in the presence of a diene or a polyene, with chiral catalysts obtained from metallocene zirconium derivatives, ethylene-bis(tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconium dichloride or dimethylsilanylene-bis(tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconium dichloride and tetraisobutylalumoxane.

Further α-olefins which may be used beside propylene are, for instance, 1-butene, l-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-dodecene. The dienes or polyenes which can be used are preferably selected from linear non-conjugated diolefins,

such as 1,4-hexadiene, or internal-bridged cyclic diolefins, such as 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene.

The copolymerization is carried out in the liquid phase constituted by propylene and/or by said α-olefin, operating at a temperature of approximately 40-50 °C. Characterizations

The thermal behaviour of the polymer was analyzed on a polymer sample as polymerized, by means of differential scanning calorimetry, according to the following procedure: first scanning stroke from Tχ=-20 °C to T ₂ =180 °C, with a heating rate of 20 °C/minute; solidification at the cooling rate of 20 °C/minute and a second scanning stroke with the same modalities as of the first one. The reported data of fusion enthalpy refer to the first scanning stroke.

The content of bound ethylene was determined by means of infrared analysis.

The content of propylenic triads or of triads of units derived from the other α-olefin was determined by means of ¹³ C- NMR, with reference to the methine _ββ , as already reported in "G.J. Ray, P.E. Johnson, J.R. Knox, Macromolecules, 1-0., 4, 773(1977)". The reported numeric values refer to the content of propylene or of the other α-olefin.

The content of isotactic triads was determined by means of ¹³ C-NMR, by applying the following formula:

ISθ%= ( [T _rø ]„,,) / (A[T _rø ]- _n - _a +A[T _w ] _m +l- VT _ββ ] „) ,

wherein A is the area subtended under the peaks relevant to tertiary carbon atoms (T^) ; mm,mr and rr respectively are the isotactic, heterotactic and syndiotactic triads.

The product oh the reactivity ratios rj-r ₂ (r. is the reactivity ratio of ethylene, r ₂ of the other olefin ) was calculated by means of the following formula: rj-r ₂ = l + f-(x+l) - (f+1) ^• (x+l) ¹² , in which f = (ethylene mols/propylene mols) _copolymer ; x = ration between the percentage of propylene in two or more consecutive units and percentage of isolated propylene.

The values of tension set and tensile strength were measured according to ASTM D412.

The solubility in pentane was determined as follows: 2 g of polymer was placed in 250 ml of n-pentane; the latter was heated to boiling temperature, whilst stirring, for 20 minutes and was left to cool down to 25 °C whilst stirring. After 30 minutes the resulting mixtures was filtered through a pleated filter; after vacuum drying the portion of insoluble polymer was determined.

The following examples are supplied for illustrative purposes and shall not be construed as being limitative of the invention. EXAMPLES Preparation of the catalytic system

Ethylene-bis (tetrahydroindenyl) -zirconium dichloride (EBTHIZrCl ₂ ) was prepared by following the method described in H.H.Britzinger et al., J.Organomet.Chem. , 288, p.63, (1985).

Tetraisobutylalumoxane (TIBAO) was prepared according to the Example 2 reported in EP-A-384171.

To a weighed amount of EBTHIZrCl ₂ , toluene was added at a volume rate of 2 ml per each mg of metallocene. To such a solution, a toluenic solution of TIBAO was added in such an amount as to obtain the values of Al/Zr ratio and of the molar Al concentration as reported in Table 1. The reaction mixture was kept stirred at the temperature and for the time period reported in Table 1. General Polymerization Procedure

A 4 litre steel autoclave equipped with a stirrer, pressure gauge, thermometer, catalyst loading system, monomer feeding lines and thermostatting jacket, was used. 2 litres of propylene, hydrogen until a concentration thereof of 0.1% by mol was reached in the gas phase in the end mixture and ethylene up to the desired pressure at 50 °C, were charged to the autoclave, previously purged with propylene; the toluenic solution contain¬ ing the catalytic system, prepared according to the above reported modalities, was injected.

The polymerization was carried out at 50 °C, with the total pressure kept constant by feeding ethylene. The polymerization conditions are reported in Table l. At the end of the

polymerization, the polymer was recovered by removing any unreacted monomers and is dried under vacuum. EXAMPLE 1-7

By following the above reported general methodology, some polymerization tests were carried out, under such operating conditions as reported in table 1.

In Table 2 , the characterization of the resulting polymer is reported.

TABLE 1

o i

( cont. )

^> Terpolymerization carried out with ethyliden-norbornene: 0,87% by weight in the polymerization mixture; 21 , 1 g is gradually fed during the course of the polymerization.

TABLE 1 (cont.)

TABLE 2

I

(cont.)

TABLE 2 (cont.)

I i

1