Macromolecules, Vol.45, No.14, 5718-5727, 2012
Combining Polyethylene CCG and Stereoregular Isoprene Polymerization: First Synthesis of Poly(ethylene)-b-(trans-isoprene) by Neodymium Catalyzed Sequenced Copolymerization
Bis(polyethylenyl)magnesium prepared by Nd/Mg mediated polyethylene chain growth catalysis has been successfully used as cocatalyst in combination with Nd-(BH4)(3)(THF)(3) to afford unprecedented sequenced (polyethylene)-b-(trans-polyisoprene) copolymers. Size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and NMR, as well as gas chromatography and MALDI-TOF spectrometry of oligomers, are utilized to establish the grafting of the stereoregular polydiene sequence to the polyethylene fragment.