Microstructure of polypropylene

For over thirty years after the discovery of stereoselective olefin polymer ization in 1954, the word 'polypropylene' has meant, both scientifically an d commercially, little else than the predominantly isotactic polymer achiev able with the classical heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts. The picture, however, has changed dramatically in the last 15 years, due to the develop ment of a variety of new transition metal catalysts with tunable structures and selectivities. Nowadays, 'polypropylene' means a whole world of innova tive polymers with novel and well-controlled microstructures, and - as a re sult - tailored properties and applications. With the powerful aid of high- field C-13 NMR data, this review aims at introducing the reader to this fas cinating and challenging frontier of macromolecular stereochemistry. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights: reserved.