Grafting of syndiotactic polystyrene by branched oligoethene using [Ni(?-methallyl)(Br)]2/AlCl3 catalyst

The grafting of syndiotactic polystyrene with branched oligoethene was achieved with [Ni(π-methallyl)(Br)]2/AlCl3 as a catalyst. The molar ratio of AlCl3 to Ni(II) is important, and an efficient reaction occurs only with a large excess of AlCl3. The grafted polymers were characterized by NMR, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. The predominant grafts were sec-butyl groups. No melting point was observed for highly grafted polymers, and X-ray diffraction studies indicated that these materials were completely amorphous.