Recent Advances in Propylene-Based Elastomers Polymerized by Homogeneous Catalysts

Propylene-based elastomers (PBEs) have received widespread attention and research in recent years due to their structural diversity and excellent properties, and are also an important area for leading chemical companies to compete for layout, but efficient synthesis of PBEs remains challenging. In this paper, we review the development of PBEs and categorize them into three types, grounded in their unique chain structures, including homopolymer propylene-based elastomers (hPBEs), random copolymer propylene-based elastomers (rPBEs), and block copolymer propylene-based elastomers (bPBEs). The successful synthesis of these diverse PBEs is largely credited to the relentless innovative advancements in homogeneous catalysts (metallocene catalysts, constrained geometry catalysts, and non-metallocene catalysts). Consequently, we summarize the catalytic performance of various homogeneous catalysts employed in PBE synthesis and delve into their effect on molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and chain structures of the resulting PBEs. In the end, based on the current academic research and industrialization status of PBEs, an outlook on potential future research directions for PBEs is provided.