Review and Investigation of Living Coordination Polymerization of Butadiene Monomer Using Neodymium-based Ziegler-Natta Catalysts

Polymerization of 1,3-butadiene monomer is performed using Ziegler-Natta catalysts based on different metal atoms such as Titanium (Ti), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni) and Neodymium (Nd) by coordination mechanism. Neodymium-based catalysts have received much attention due to the high cis-polybutadiene rubber production. This paper studies the kinetics of butadiene monomer polymerization with ternary Ziegler-Natta catalysts consist of Neodymium salts as a catalyst, various alkylaluminums as a cocatalyst and alkylaluminum halides as a donor. Besides, the effect of the catalyst components on the polymerization reaction rate, molar mass and molar mass distribution of produced polymer will be investigated. It was found that halide donors affect the rate of polymerization reaction. Although the main effect of alkylaluminum (its types and amount) is on the molar mass, but the polymerization rate is also influenced by this compound. The linear behavior observed in the diagrams of molar mass versus monomer conversion indicates the living nature of polymerization. Polymerization of butadiene monomer in the presence of a variety of Nd-based catalytic systems can be a coordinative chain transfer polymerization (CCTP). The triblock polymers synthesized from butadiene with other monomers confirm the living nature of this catalytic system.