Blown Film Characterization of Metallocene Resins Made in the Phillips Slurry Loop Process

Abstract

Metallocene catalyst polyolefins are widely regarded as a new generation of resins entering the marketplace. A number of metallocene catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (m-LLDPE) resins, ranging in density from 0.905-0.942 g/cc and in melt index (MI) from 0.7-3 MI, were made using the Phillips slurry loop process; these resins referred to as PPCo-M, were evaluated for blown film applications. The effects of density, molecular weight, processing aid, slip/antiblock agents and film thickness on the processability, film property performance (impact and tear strengths) and clarity of blown films were examined in detail in this work. Metallocene resins produced in the Phillips slurry loop process offer a very good balance of processability and performance characteristics, which can be further optimized for various applications by appropriate choice of resin and processing conditions.