POLYMERIZATION OF METHYL METHACRYLATE WITH IRON-YTTERBIUM DINUCLEAR METALLOCENE CATALYST

Abstract

A novel iron ytterbium dinuclear catalyst,FcB(MeCp)Yb (MeCp) Cl (Fc: ferrocenyl, B: diethylene ether),was synthesized for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). Synergistic effects between the ferrocenyl group and the lanthanocene part were investigated regarding their catalytic behaviors. UV, IR, GPC and NMR were used to characterize the structures of the catalyst and polymer. Kinetic study showed that polymerization is first order in monomer concentration and fractional order (0.78) in the catalyst. The bimetallic complex is a good catalyst for the polymerization of MMA, giving high molecular weight PMMA with 78% syndiotacticity.