Effect of Cocatalyst in Ethylene/Styrene Copolymerization by Aryloxo-Modified Half-Titanocene-Cocatalyst Systems for Exclusive Synthesis of Copolymers at High Styrene Concentrations

• Published in: Macromolecular reaction engineering 2012-08, Vol.6 (8), p.351-356
• Main Authors: Nomura, Kotohiro, Suzuki, Naohiro, Kim, Dong-Hyun, Kim, Hyun Joon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Copolymerization; ethylene; Exact sciences and technology; half-titanocenes; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; styrene; titanium
• ISSN: 1862-832X; 1862-8338
• DOI: 10.1002/mren.201200024

Factors affecting the product distributions in ethylene/styrene copolymerizations catalyzed by Cp*TiCl2(O‐2,6‐iPr2C6H3) are explored in the presence of various cocatalysts at high styrene/ethylene feed ratios (at 40 and 55 °C). Ethylene/styrene copolymers were the sole product when the reactions were conducted in the presence of [PhN(H)Me2][B(C6F5)4] and AliBu3/Al(octyl)3 even at 55 and 70 °C, whereas syndiotactic polystyrene was by‐produced when the polymerizations were performed at >40 °C in the presence of MAO; the ratios of the copolymer/SPS were affected by the reaction temperature as well as Al cocatalyst employed. The effect of a cocatalyst on the product distributions in ethylene/styrene copolymerizations by Cp*TiCl2(O‐2,6‐iPr2C6H3) under high styrene/ethylene feed ratio is explored: The use of [PhN(H)Me2][B(C6F5)4] and AliBu3/Al(octyl)3 cocatalysts affords the copolymers as the sole product even at 55 and 70 °C.