COPOLYMERIZATIONS OF OXYGEN-FUNCTIONALIZED OLEFINS WITH PROPYLENE USING METALLOCENE METHYLALUMINOXANE CATALYST/

Nine oxygen-functionalized olefins were copolymerized with propylene b y using a homogeneous Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 catalyst activated with methylal uminoxane (MAO). In addition to alcohols, comonomers containing acid o r ester functionalities could also be copolymerized. The structure of the comonomer had a marked effect on its polymerizability and on the d eactivation of the catalyst. The longer the spacer group the better th e incorporation of the comonomer. The highest comonomer content of pol ymer (2.7 wt%) was achieved with 10-undecen-1-ol and the highest conve rsion (12.1%) with 10-undecenoic acid. Steric protection of the functi onal group diminished the deactivating influence of the comonomer. The comonomers containing keto or weakly shielded ester groups poisoned t he catalyst most. Incorporation of functional comonomer was accompanie d by a decrease in the melting temperature of the polymer. The molar m asses of the copolymers were slightly lower than the molar mass of the propylene homopolymer and the molar mass distributions of all copolym ers were narrow. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.