($n^5$-Indenyl)trichlorotitanium-catalyzed Copolymerization of Styrene and Styrenic Macromonomer Carrying a Functional Group

Styrenic macromonomers with/without a silyloxy-functional group were synthesizedvia chain-end functionalization using 4-vinylbenzyl chloride as a terminating agent insec-butyllithium-initiated polymerization of styrene. The yields were 92 mol% for the silyloxy group and 88 mol% for the styrenic unit. Crystalline polystyrene-g-amorphous polystyrenes were synthesized by (η$^{5}$ -indenyl)-trichlorotitanium ((Ind)TiCl$_3$)-catalyzed copolymerizations of the macromonomers with styrene in the presence of methyl-aluminoxane (MAO) in toluene at 4$0^{\circ}C$. The macromonomer having $\alpha$, $\alpha$'-bis (4-[tert-butyldimethylsilyl-oxy]phenyl) group was also utilized for the preparation of a precursor of hydroxyl-functionalized syndio-tactic polystyrene. The obtained polymers were characterized by a combination of$^1$H, $^{13}$ C NMR spectroscopic, size exclusion chromatographic, and differential scanning calorimetric analysis. The (Ind)TiCl$_3$-catalyzed copolymerization of styrene with the macromonomer carrying the silyloxy functional group was found to be an efficient method to modify syndiotactic polystyrene without a great loss of physica] property by controlling the feud ratio of the macromonomer.