Groups 3 and 4 single-site catalysts for styrene-ethylene and styrene-alpha-olefin copolymerization

Styrene-ethylene and styrene-alpha-olefin copolymers are relatively new materials that were developed since the early 1990s thanks to homogeneous single-site catalysts. A wide range of copolymers, differing in their compositions, microstructures and properties have been prepared by using several types of early transition (groups 3 and 4) metal catalysts, which are critically reviewed in this contribution. Structure-activity-control relationships are also discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.