Terpolymerization of Ethylene with Hexene and Styrene Derivatives by Half-Sandwich Scandium Catalyst

The terpolymerization of ethylene with hexene and styrene derivatives was achieved with a rare earth metal catalyst (C₅Me₄SiMe₃)Sc(CH₂C₆H₄NMe₂-o)₂ to prepare functional polyethylene. The catalyst system exhibited high activity in the terpolymerization of ethylene with hexene and amine-substituted styrene, affording terpolymers a moderate molecular weight and a unimodal molecular weight distribution. In addition, the comonomer content of the terpolymers can be controlled by changing the feeding ratio of monomers. The aliphatic region of the ¹³C NMR spectra reveals that the structural units of the comonomers are separately incorporated into the polyethylene backbone. Terpolymers containing styrene derivatives exhibit enhanced tensile strength and significantly improve hydrophilic properties.