Direct Synthesis of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Functionalized Isotactic Polypropylene

Open AccessCCS ChemistryRESEARCH ARTICLES10 Jan 2023DirectSynthesis of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Functionalized Isotactic Polypropylene Guanglin Zhou, Hongliang Mu, Xin Ma, Xiaohui Kang and Zhongbao Jian Guanglin Zhou Google Scholar More articles by this author , Hongliang Mu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xin Ma Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xiaohui Kang Google Scholar More articles by this author and Zhongbao Jian Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.023.202202621 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Ultrahigh molecular weight functionalized isotactic polypropylene (f-UHMW-iPP) through the direct copolymerization of propylene with polar monomers is highly desired but has not been accessed thus far, as it involves challenging regio- and stereo-chemistry along with usually reduced molecular weight. Herein, in contrast to the unsuccessful catalyst strategy, a polar monomer assisted strategy is used to access the above material. The introduction of O- or S-functionalized long-chain polar olefins into the hafnium-catalyzed copolymerization of propylene (and also bulkier α-olefins) significantly increases the copolymer molecular weight with a maximum observed increase of +488%. f-UHMW-iPP and isotactic poly(α-olefin)s (Mw> 2,000 kDa, [mmmm]: 99%) are thus prepared at ambient conditions. The incorporation of 1 mol% of polar monomer improves the surface property and significantly increases the long-sought toughness (860%) of brittle iPP, without reducing the tensile strength (42 MPa) due to the key achievement on ultrahigh molecular weight. A discussion of the mechanism involved in the beneficial effects of incorporating the polar monomer is presented by an in-depth density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Download figure Download PowerPoint Previous articleNext article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Issue AssignmentNot Yet AssignedSupporting Information Copyright & Permissions© 2023 Chinese Chemical Society Downloaded 0 times PDF downloadLoading ...