This invention relates to high melting polyolefin copolymers suitable as
thermoplastic elastomers and catalysts and methods for their synthesis.
These elastomeric olefin copolymers are characterized by a mole fraction
of crystallizable component X.sub.c from about 30 to about 99%; low glass
transition temperatures, below -20.degree. C., and typically below
-50.degree. C.; melting points above about 90.degree. C.; high molecular
weights; a molecular weight distribution M.sub.W /M.sub.n =10; and a
narrow composition distribution between chains of =15%. The novel
copolymers of the invention range from reactor blends to multiblock
copolymers that can be sequentially fractionated into fractions of
differing crystallinities, which fractions nevertheless show compositions
of comonomers which differ by less than 15% from the parent polymer
(reactor product). The invention also relates to a process for producing
such copolymers by utilizing an unbridged, substituted or unsubstituted
cyclopentadienyl metallocene catalyst that is capable of interconverting
between states with different copolymerization characteristics, which
interconversion is controlled by selecting the substituents of the
cyclopentadienyl ligands so that the rate of interconversion of the two
states is within several orders of magnitude of the rate of formation of a
single polymer chain. Where r.sub.i >r.sub.f the polymer can be
characterized as multiblock; where r.sub.i
Diese Erfindung bezieht auf den hohen schmelzenden Polyolefincopolymeren, die als thermoplastische Elastomere und Katalysatoren verwendbar sind und den Methoden für ihre Synthese. Diese elastomeren Olefincopolymere werden durch einen Molebruch des crystallizable Bestandteils X.sub.c von ungefähr 30 bis ungefähr 99% gekennzeichnet; niedrige Glasübergangstemperaturen, unter -20.degree. C. und gewöhnlich unten -50.degree. C.; Schmelzpunkte über ungefähr 90.degree. C.; Hochmolekulargewichte; eine Molekulargewichtverteilung M.sub.W /M.sub.n r.sub.f das Polymer-Plastik kann gekennzeichnet werden, wie multiblock; wo r.sub.i