POLYMERIZATION OF 4-PHENYL-1-BUTYNE CATALYZED BY METATHESIS AND ZIEGLER-NATTA CATALYSTS

The polymerization of 4-phenyl-1-butyne was carried out using metathesis and Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Especially, the Fe(acac)3-AlEt3 catalyst with toluene as a solvent produced an extremely high molecular weight polymer of M(w) almost-equal-to 10(6). Solubility of the polymers at room temperature in organic solvents such as benzene, toluene, dichloromethane, chloroform, and THF was excellent despite their high molecular weights. It has been indicated that the polymer prepared by the Fe(acac)3-AlEt3 catalyst is of cis form with a high stereoregularity.