Stereospecific polymerization with metallocenes: Macromolecular design via catalysis

Forty years after Natta's discoveries of stereospecific olefin polymerization with Ziegler catalysts, new catalysts are causing a renaissance in stereospecific olefin polymerization. Metallocene Ziegler-Natta catalysts are unprecedented in their ability to polymerize α-olefins to a variety of polymer microstructures.¹ Isotactic, syndiotactic, atactic and stereoblock poly(α-olefins) have been produced using catalysts derived from group 4 metallocene catalyst precursors.