| abstract |
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of ethylene homopolymer or ethylene interpolymer, comprising contacting ethylene and optionally one or more C 2 -C 20 olefins with a catalyst composition under polymerization conditions, wherein said catalyst composition is:n a) a metal coordination complex comprising a metal atom of groups 3-10 or the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table of the Elements and a delocalized π-bonded moiety substituted with a constrain inducing moiety, said complex having a constrained geometry about the metal atom such that the angle at the metal atom between the centroid of the delocalized, substituted π-bonded moiety and the center of at least one remaining substituent is less than such angle in a similar complex containing a similar π-bonded moiety lacking in such constrain-inducing substituent, and provided further that for such complexes comprising more than one delocalized, substituted π-bonded moiety, only one thereof for each metal atom of the complex is a cyclic, delocalized, substituted π-bonded moiety, and b) an activating cocatalyst, ncharacterized in that the process is a continuous process comprising continuously contacting said ethylene and optionally one or more C 2 -C 20 olefins with said catalyst composition. In addition, the invention relates to ethylene homo-, co- or interpolymer obtainable by this process, and the use of said catalyst composition as a continuous ethylene homo-, co- or interpolymerization catalyst. |