Crystal Structure, Morphology, and Phase Transitions in Syndiotactic Polypropylene

Abstract

The discovery of a new catalyst for the low temperature and low pressure polymerization of ethylene by Ziegler at the Mulheim Institute in Germany in the mid-1950s opened the door to a whole new world in the synthesis of polyolefins [1]. Shortly thereafter, Natta and his group at the Milan Insti-tute in Italy announced that propylene and higher a-olefins could also be polymerized by the use of coordination catalysts, for example Tic], -Al(eth), F [2, 3]. The discovery of stereospecific polymerization allowed steric control on the growth of polymer chains for the first time. A major consequence of this polymerization is a significant effect of stereoregularity on physical, in particular, and mechanical properties. Another major con-tribution by Natta and his group was the development of methods for characterizing polymer configurations and conformations.