Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.39, No.16, 2805-2812, 2001
Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene with BzCpTiCl(3) and methylaluminoxane as cocatalysts
Benzyl cyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride (BzCpTiCl(3)) was synthesized from benzyl bromide, cyclopentadienyl lithium, and titanium tetrachloride and used in combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. Kinetic measurements of the polymerization were carried out at different temperatures. The polymerization with BzCpTiCl(3)/MAO differs from the polymerization with cyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride in its behavior toward the Al/Ti ratio. In addition, high activities are observed at high Al/Ti ratios. By analyzing the polymerization runs and the physical properties of the polymers with differential scanning calorimetry, C-13 NMR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements, and gel permeation chromatography, we found that the phenyl ring coordinates to the titanium atom during polymerization. Other known substitutions of the cyclopentadienyl ring (V. Scholz, Dissertation, University of Hamburg, 1998) in principle influence the polymerization activity. The physical properties of the polymers produced by the catalysts already known are nearly identical. BzCpTiCl(3) is the first catalyst that leads to polystyrene obviously different from the polystyrene produced by other highly active catalysts.
Keywords:syndiotactic polystyrene;methylaluminoxane;half-sandwich;half-titanocene;polymerization;Ziegler-Natta