Functionalized polyolefins prepared by the combination of borane monomers and transition metal catalysts

This paper summarizes the new developments in the functionalization of polyolefins by borane monomers and transition metal catalysts. It is becoming clear that the borane groups are stable to transition metal catalysts and borane groups in polyolefins are valuable intermediates which not only can be quantitatively converted to a wide range of functional groups but also can be used as initiator for free radical graft-from copolymerizations. Some interesting functionalized polymers, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropene (PP) with -OH, -NH₂ and halide groups, and graft copolymers of polypropene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PP-g-PMMA), polypropene-graft-polycapolactone (PP-g-PCL) and PE-g-PMMA, have been synthesized with controllable compositions and molecular microstructures. Most of them would be otherwise very difficult to prepare by the other existing methods.