Ziegler catalytic systems in cationic polymerization

Abstract

The ternary catalytic system AlBui3-TiCl4-CCl4 initiates the cationic polymerization of isobutylene in toluene at room temperature, whereas the binary combinations of these components do not induce isobutylene polymerization. At low CCl4 concentrations, the polymerization rates decrease sharply with time, and the quantitative yield of the polymer is achieved at an excess of CCl4 with respect to the titanium and aluminum components. The molecular weights of the polymers range within 1300–4000, and the index of polydispersity, as a rule, does not exceed 2.7. The influence of the conditions of component mixing (order of addition, duration of exposure prior to addition of the third component) on the yield and molecular weight of the polymerization product was found.