This invention relates generally to low ethylene insertions into I-olefin polymers and processes for production of such polymers using unbridged fluxional metallocenes, primarily substituted aryl indenyl metallocenes, and more particularly to use of unbridged, fluxional, cyclopentadienyl or indenyl metallocene catalyst systems in methods of production of high melting point I-olefin homo- and co-polymers, particularly elastomeric crystalline and amorphous block homo- and co-polymers of I-olefins. The activity of fluxional unbridged metallocene polymerization catalysts containing at least one 2-arylindene ligand is increased 10.times. or more by the addition of small (typically 0.1-10 wt. %) amounts of ethylene to the polymerization system, which increase is termed the Polymerization Rate-Enhancement effect (PRE), which is measured in terms of an Ethylene Enhancement Factor (EEF) as a dimensionless ratio in the range of from about 1.1 to about 10 or above. The amount of ethylene included in the reaction system can be selected and controlled to be so small as to result in essentially minimal (<2 mole %) incorporation of ethylene units into the resulting elastomeric polymer and the molecular weight may be increased. Amounts of ethylene to generate the PRE effect may be greater than 0.1 wt. % and preferably range up to about 2 wt. %. However, if a polymer with more ethylene is desired, additional ethylene may be incorporated into the polymerization feed, including up to 10 to about 50 mole % based on olefin units. A second important aspect of this invention is the ability to use a PRE activity-enhancing amount of ethylene in an olefin polymerization without substantially affecting the physical properties of the elastomer. In a third important aspect of this invention, I-olefin elastomers are produced through incorporation of ethylene using unbridged fluxional catalyst systems which may not otherwise produce acceptable elastomeric homopolymers. This effect is termed the EPE effect, for Elastomeric Property-Enhancing effect. The EPE amount of ethylene required to produce such elastomers typically overlaps the PRE activity-enhancing amount. Incorporation of up to about 5 mole % or more of ethylene typically will produce an elastomeric polymer using such catalyst systems. Typical useful amounts of incorporated ethylene include about 1 to 3 mole %. Preferred polymers of this invention retain sufficient crystallinity to provide a high melting point (by DSC) of about 80.degree. C., preferably above 100.degree. C., including in the range of from about 120.degree. C. to about 140.degree. C. and above. Novel flexible .alpha.-olefin homo and copolymers having elongation in excess of 600% and substantially no retained force are disclosed.

Esta invención se relaciona generalmente con las inserciones bajas del etileno en los polímeros del Yo-i-olefin y los procesos para la producción de tal usar de los polímeros unbridged los metallocenes del fluxional, sobre todo metallocenes aryl substituidos del indenyl, y más particularmente al uso de los sistemas del catalizador del metallocene unbridged, del fluxional, del cyclopentadienyl o del indenyl en métodos de producción del homo- elastomeric alto del homo- y de los copolímeros, particularmente cristalinos y amorfos del Yo-i-olefin del punto de fusión del bloque y de los copolímeros de Yo-i-olefins. La actividad del fluxional unbridged los catalizadores de la polimerización del metallocene que contenían por lo menos un ligand 2-arylindene es 10.times creciente. o más por la adición (típicamente 0.1-10 peso %) de cantidades pequeñas de etileno al sistema de la polimerización, que el aumento se llama el efecto del Tarifa-Realce de la polimerización (PRE), que se mide en términos de un factor del realce del etileno (EEF) como cociente sin dimensiones en la gama de de cerca de 1.1 a cerca de 10 o arriba. La cantidad de etileno incluida en el sistema de reacción se puede seleccionar y controlar para ser tan pequeña en cuanto a resultado en esencialmente mínimo (