Highly branched polyethylene graft copolymers prepared by means of migratory insertion polymerization combined with TEMPO-mediated controlled radicalpolymerization

New families of highly branched polyethylenes containing alkyl short chains branches as well as polar and non-polar long-chain branches were prepared by combining migratory insertion copolymerization with controlled radical g raft copolymerization. Key intermediate was a novel alkoxyamine-functionali zed 1-alkene which was copolymerized with ethylene using a palladium cataly st. The resulting highly branched polyethylene with alkoxyamine-functionali zed short chain branches was used as macroinitiator to initiate controlled radical graft copolymerization of styrene and styrene/acrylonitrile. Novel polyethylene graft copolymers with molecular masses of Mw > 100 000 g/mol a nd narrow polydispersities were obtained. Transmission electron microscopic studies (TEM) and the presence of two glass transition temperatures at -67 and +100 degrees C indicated microphase separation.