Copolymerization of Ethylene With Polar Monomers by Group 4 Catalysts

The research of copolymerization of ethylene with polar monomers catalyzed by group 4 metal complexes has gain substantial achievement, and the functional polyolefins, produced through the various structures of the catalysts and polar monomers, have already shown their unique applications in multiple fields. There are kinds of effective strategies to improve copolymerization activity and polar monomers incorporation: the structures of group 4 catalysts have been expanded from metallocenes to half-metallocenes and non-metallocenes; the new cocatalysts and catalytic systems have been developed; polar monomers are pretreated by masking agents; the functional groups of polar monomers have been largely enriched. In this review, the copolymerization of ethylene with polar monomers catalyzed by group 4 metal complexes are concluded and compared, and we are looking forward to summarizing the relationship between structure and reactivity of catalysts and providing advice for the design of catalysts. Moreover, the properties and potential applications of polar functionalized polyolefins are introduced.