Patent ID: 7019091

Claim:
A process for preparation of crystalline higher α-olefin copolymer, comprising copolymerizing at least two higher α-olefins having 10 or more carbon atoms or at least one higher α-olefin having 10 or more carbon atoms with at least one other olefin, in the presence of a polymerization catalyst containing (A) a transition metal compound represented by the general formula (I) shown below, and (B) a compound capable forming an ionic complex by reacting with the transition metal compound of the component (A) or its derivative (B-1) and at least one component selected from aluminoxanes (B-2); wherein M represents a metallic element of Groups 3 to 10 of the Periodic Table or the lanthanoid series; each of E 1 and E 2 represents a ligand selected from a substituted cyclopentadienyl group, an indenyl group, a substituted indenyl group, a heterocyclopentadienyl group, a substituted heterocyclopentadienyl group, an amido group, a phosphido group, a hydrocarbon group or a silicon-containing group, they form a crosslinked structure via A 1 and A 2 , and they may be the same or different from each other; X represents a σ-bonding ligand, and a plurality of X, if any, may be the same or different from each other, and may be crosslinked with other X, E 1 , E 2 or Y; Y represents a Lewis base, and a plurality of Y, if any, may be the same or different from each other, and may be crosslinked with other Y, E 1 , E 2 or X; each of A 1 and A 2 is a divalent crosslinking group via which the two ligands are bonded to each other and represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a halogen-containing hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a silicon-containing group, a germanium-containing group, a tin-containing group, —O—, —CO—, —S—, —SO 2 —, —Se—, —NR 1 —, —PR 1 —, —P(O)R 1 —, —BR 1 — or —AlR 1 — wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a halogen-containing hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and they may be the same or different from each other; q is an integer of from 1 to 5 and represents; and r represents an integer of from 0 to 3 wherein said copolymer satisfies the following (1) to (3); (1): the content of higher α-olefin units is 50 mol % or greater, (2): the melting point (Tm) which is measured, by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), from the melting endothermic curve obtained by maintaining the copolymer at 190° C. for 5 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere, cooling it to −10° C. at a rate of 5° C./min, maintaining it at −10° C. for 5 minutes, and then elevating its temperature to 190° C. at 10° C./min and which is in the range of 20 to 100° C., and (3): in the intensity distribution of wide-angle X-ray scattering, a single peak X1 resulting from crystallization of side chains is observed at 15 deg<2θ<30 deg.