Rare Earth Metal-Initiated Polymerizations of Polar and Nonpolar Monomers

Abstract

Organolanthanide(III) initiated polymerization of methyl methacryate gave both syndiotactic and isotactic living polymers of high molecular weight. Organolanthanide(III) initiated polymerization of alkyl acrylates also gave high molecular weight poly(alkyl acrylate)s with very narrow molecular weight distribuion in high yield. Molecular weights of the resulting polymers increased linearly with the conversion. Random and block copolymerizations of alkyl acrylates with methyl methacrylate were realized successfully. For the sake of development of the olefin polymerization catalyst, bulky substituents were introduced into Me₂Si bridged Cp rings and they were used as ligands for the lanthanide complexes. Tri- and divalent lanthanide complexes with such ligands showed high activity for olefin polymerization and gave high molecular weight polyolefins.