AM2Net Advanced Macromolecular Materials By Transition Metal Catalysis; Group 2: "Post Metallocene Catalysis"; Functional and segmented copolymers via post-metallocene catalysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Rolf Mülhaupt
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
• Term: from 2002 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5372489

Novel families of polyolefins and cycloolefin copolymers will be prepared by catalytic copolymerization of olefins, styrene and polar olefins with cyclohexadiene combined with catalytic postpolymerization functionalization. Special emphasis is being placed upon the development of "self-reinforced" polyolefins containing arylene or oligoarylene in the backbone or the side chain. Arylenes are obtained by oxidation of corresponding cyclohexene units of cyclohexadiene copolymers. Various metallocene and other single-site catalysts, including new catalyst systems obtained from the project partners, will be examined in high-throughput experiments with respect to their abilities of cyclohexadiene copolymerization. Mapping of ligand and catalyst systems and on-line monitoring of copolymerization reactions by means of ReactIR will be performed in order to achieve control of olefin/cyclohexadiene copolymerization. Spectroscopic structure analyses will be performed in order to identify basic structure/property correlations and to establisth rapid on-line analysis of the resulting copolymers. The olefin/cyclohexadiene copolymers containing cyclohexene units in the backbone will be modified by means of hydrogenation, oxidation, hydroformylation to produce a variety of new functional polyolefins. Polymer analoguous oxidation will be optimized to prepare novel polyolefins containing rigid arylene and oligoarylene units. Thermal, mechanical, morphological and rheological properties will be investigated with special emphasis being placed upon the role of at self-assembly of oligoarylene segments during melt processing and molecular reinforcement. Functionalized rigid copolymers will be used as blend components of engineering thermoplastics.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants