Novel Synthesis of Polyethylene–Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Copolymers with a Metallocene Catalyst

Abstract

Poly(ethylene)-poly(dimethylsiloxane) copolymers were synthesized in solution from ethylene monomer and w -vinyl poly(dimethylsiloxane) macromonomer (PDMS) at 363 and 383 K using EtInd2ZrCl2/MAO as catalyst. The copolymers obtained were characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H- and 13C-NMR), size-exclusion chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The rheological properties of the molten polymers were determined under dynamic shear flow tests at small amplitude oscillations, whereas the physical arrangement of the phase domains was analyzed using SEM-EDAXS. The analysis of catalyst activity and the resulting polymers support the idea of PDMS blocks and/or chains grafted to PE. Changes in the rheological behavior along with changes in FTIR and NMR spectra are in agreement with this proposal.