Progress in the catalyst for ethylene/α-olefin copolymerization at high temperature

Ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers are one of the most widely-used polyolefin materials. With the continuous improvement of polyolefin catalysts, high-performance polyolefin materials were synthesized by adjusting the chain microstructure, changing the comonomer type and comonomer insertion amount, among which the ethylene/alpha-olefin random copolymer elastomer (POE) and olefin block copolymer elastomer (OBC) are the most famous and well accepted by the market. The excellent properties of POE and OBC first depend on their polymer chain microstructure. The chain microstructure of polyolefins is fundamentally determined by the catalysts, polymerization conditions, comonomer feed policies, and reaction engineering. High-performance ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer elastomers are currently prepared by high-temperature solution polymerization process, which needs to be carried out at a temperature above the melting point of the polymer and is beneficial to speed up the polymerization reaction rate and control the polyolefin chain microstructure. However, the high-temperature solution polymerization process launched more stringent requirements for the olefin coordination polymerization catalyst. Systematic reports on catalysts for high-temperature solution copolymerization of ethylene and alpha-olefins are lacking. In this review, we screened some catalysts suitable for the controllable copolymerization and high-temperature solution copolymerization of ethylene/alpha-olefin based on the catalyst's heat resistance, copolymerization activity, comonomer insertion ability, molecular weight, and distribution of the copolymer, including traditional Z-N catalysts, metallocene catalysts, and post-metallocene catalysts. And the future development of catalysts for high-temperature solution copolymerization of olefins, catalysts for precise control of polyolefin chain microstructures, and catalysts for olefin copolymerization with polar monomers at high temperature are envisaged.