Macromolecules, Vol.27, No.12, 3136-3138, 1994
Polymerization of a Styrene and Ethylene Mixture with a Trichloro(2,6-di-tert-Butylphenoxy)Titanium Methylaluminoxane Catalyst System
A homogenous titanium halide catalyst containing one bulky phenoxy ligand was synthesized by the reaction of a lithium salt of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol and TiCl4. The complex was tested, with methylaluminoxane as cocatalyst, in the copolymerization of ethylene and styrene. The reaction product was not a copolymer but a mixture of polyethylene and atactic polystyrene. The formation of two fractions may indicate the presence of several active species in the catalyst or a different polymerization mechanism for the two monomers.