Catalytic polymerization of 1-decene using a silicon-bridged metallocene system

ABSTRACT

The polymerization of 1-decene catalyzed by rac-Me₂Si(1-indenyl)₂ZrCl₂/AlⁱBu₃/[C₆H₅NH(CH₃)₂][B(C₆F₅)₄] system with hydrogen has been carried out in the paper. The influence of reaction conditions on catalytic activity and polymer properties was investigated. High activity (17.2 × 10⁶ g molZr⁻¹ h⁻¹) was observed under the optimized reaction conditions. The introduction of hydrogen enhances the catalytic activity of the metallocene system. The ¹H NMR spectra revealed the polymerization mechanism with the presence of hydrogen. The ¹³C NMR spectra of poly(1-decene) indicated that the polymer has a very tactic side chain structure, showing potential application of the system in the commercial production of lubricant base oil.

KEYWORDS:

• 1-decene
• hydrogen
• lubricant base oil
• polymerization
• silicon-bridged metallocene