Homogeneous metallocene/MAO‐catalyzed polymerizations of polar norbornene derivatives: copolymerizations using ethene, and terpolymerizations using ethene and norbornene

Terpolymerizations of norbornene derivatives containing different functional substituents were carried out with ethene and norbornene using the homogeneous catalyst system iPr[CpInd]ZrCl2/MAO. The norbornene derivative 5-norbornene-2-methanol and 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid were prereacted with triisobutylalmuninium to prevent the deactivation of the catalyst. 13 CNMR studies revealed the composition of the polymer. The incorporation rate was 5-12 mol-% at a content of 50 mol-% of the norbornene derivative in the monomer feed-stock. IR-GPC coupled experiments confirmed the homogeneous composition of the polymer. In addition, we investigated the ethene copolymerization and the ethene/norbornene terpolymerization using the trialkylsilyl protected norbornene derivated such at 5-norbornene-2-methyeleneoxytriethylsilane and 5-norbornene-2-methyeleneoxy-tert-butyldimethylsilane. These norbornene derivatives reveal an incorporation rates of 5-6 mol-% in the polymer at a content of 20 mol-% in the monomer feed-stock.