Multimodal polymer compositions prepared using multinuclear metallocene catalysts

Claim 1

A polymer composition having a multimodal molecular weight composition, prepared by the process comprising contacting, under polymerization conditions, (a) an addition polymerizable monomer containing at least one degree of unsaturation, with (b) a metallocene catalyst having two or more distinct and chemically different active sites, and (c) a catalyst activator, wherein the metallocene catalyst has the structure B(Z) q of structural formula (I) ##STR32## wherein: B is a covalent bridging group comprising carbyl, silyl, disilyl, germanyl, ammonium, phosphonium, ##STR33## or a C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl radical optionally containing a Group IVB element, a Group VB element, or both a Group IVB element and a Group VB element, and is capable of binding up to n max substituents through single covalent bonds, where n max is at least 4; R and R 1 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl substituted with one or more halogen atoms, and C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl-substituted Group IVB elements, x is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, and y is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, with the proviso that the sum of x and y cannot exceed 4, or, when R and R 1 are ortho to each other and x and y are each 1 or greater, R and R 1 can together form a five- or six-membered cyclic structure optionally substituted with one to four substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl substituted with one or more halogen atoms, and C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl-substituted Group IVB elements; Q is J(R 2 ) z-2 wherein J is an element with a coordination number of three from Group VB or an element with a coordination number of two from Group VIB, R 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl substituted with one or more halogen atoms, and C 1 -C 24 alkoxy, and z is the coordination number of J, and further wherein Q substituents on different Z groups may be linked through a C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbylene bridge; M is a Group IIIA element, a Group IVA element, a Group VA element, a lanthanide, or an actinide; X is selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, alkoxy, amido, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl radicals substituted with one or more electron-withdrawing groups, and C 1 -C 24 hydrocarbyl-substituted Group IVB elements, or, when two or more X substituents are present, they may together form an alkylidene olefin, acetylene, or a five- or six-membered cyclic hydrocarbyl group; Y is a neutral Lewis base; m is 1, 2, 3 or 4, and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, with the proviso that if M is a Group IIIA element, m is 1 and n is 0, and with the further proviso that if M is a Group IVA element, the sum of m and n does not exceed 2; if n max is 4 or 5, then q is 2, and if n max is greater than 5, then q is an integer in the range of 2 to q max , wherein q max is equal to 1/2n max when n max is an even number, and 1/2(n max -1) when n max is an odd number; and at least two of the Z substituents bound to B are different.