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Ethylene Polymerizations Using Parallel Pressure Reactors and a Kinetic Analysis of Chain Transfer Polymerization
Published on: November 27, 2015
Coordinative Chain Transfer Polymerization of Sustainable Terpene Monomers Using a Neodymium-Based Catalyst System
Teresa Córdova1, Francisco Javier Enríquez-Medrano1, Eduardo Martínez Cartagena1
1Research Center for Applied Chemistry, Enrique Reyna Hermosillo, No.140, Col. San Joseé de los Cerritos, Saltillo 25294, Mexico.
Abstract:
The present investigation involves the coordinative chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) of biobased terpenes in order to obtain sustainable polymers from myrcene (My) and farnesene (Fa), using the ternary Ziegler-Natta catalyst system comprising [NdV3]/[Al(i-Bu)2H]/[Me2SiCl2] and Al(i-Bu)2H, which acts as cocatalyst and chain transfer agent (CTA). The polymers were produced with a yield above 85% according to the monomeric consumption at the end of the reaction, and the kinetic examination revealed that the catalyst system proceeded with a reversible chain transfer mechanism in the presence of 15-30 equiv. of CTA. The resulting polyterpenes showed narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn = 1.4-2.5) and a high percent of 1,4-cis microstructure in the presence of 1 equiv. of Me2SiCl2, having control of the molecular weight distribution in Ziegler-Natta catalytic systems that maintain a high generation of 1,4-cis microstructure.
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