Recent Developments of Organotransition-metal Catalysts for Polymerization
1. The Synthesis of Olefin Elastomers
Shojiro KAITA
Yasuo WAKATSUKI
OM Chem-Tech. Co., Ltd./RIKEN, Cooperation Center Saitama, Japan
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2004),77(9),312-316 General Review in Japanese

Abstract
Design and fine-tuning of olefin-polymerization systems with organometallic catalysts have attracted recent interest. These catalysts, unlike the classical Ziegler-Natta systems, generate "single" active sites that enable more precise control of molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and in particular, stereo-regularity of the resulting polymer. Such systems, initially devoted to polymerization of ethylene and propylene targeting engineering plastics, are recently being applied to the synthesis of novel elastomers. This article is a brief introduction of such topics, including synthesis of EPM-equivalent polymers by homo-polymerization of propylene, and isotactic-atactic or isotactic-hemiisotactic stereo-block polymerization of propylene. Strategies aiming at these new elastomers based on tailor-made organometallic catalysts are also described.

Keywords:
Organometallic Catalyst, Metallocene Catalyst, Single-Site Catalyst, Olefin Polymerization, Stereoblock PP, Thermoplastic Elastomer

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