Polymer Bulletin, Vol.37, No.1, 29-33, 1996
Isotactic Polymerization of Propylene with Zirconocene Catalysts in the Presence of a Lewis Base
Polymerization of propylene was carried out at 0 degrees C in the presence of methyl methacrylate(MMA) or ethyl benzoate(EB) using rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrMe(2) or rac-Me(2)Si(Ind)(2)ZrMe(2)/Ph(3)CB(C6F5)(4) as catalyst, which resulted in highly isotactic poly(propylene) with [mmmm] > 98%, T-m = 160-161 degrees C and very few 1,3- or 2,1 regioirregular units. With the use of an achiral zirconocene Cp(2)ZrMe(2), a polymer with T-m = 139 degrees C was resulted as well. Base on these experimental fact that the zirconocene can form a C-1-symmetrical complex with a Lewis base.