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Polymerisation
Summary
This chapter examines the polymerisation chemistry of major industrial plastics including polyethylene and polypropylene via Ziegler and metallocene catalysis, covering branching mechanisms that determine different PE type properties. It also addresses pyrolysis and other strategies for recovering raw materials from end-of-life polymers.
This chapter presents a distinction between Ziegler- and metallocene-catalysis, which are both used to produce the bulk plastics polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene. It presents the current syntheses of important plastics. The type and the rate of branching in PE are crucial for the properties of the different PE types. The chapter explains other important polymers, such as further polyalkenes, polydienes, polyketones and polyalkynes. Pyrolysis is only one way to recover useful raw materials from polymers. The mechanism of ethyne polymerisation with Ziegler catalysts is comparable to that of alkene polymerization. The chapter discusses some new catalyst variants and current polymer concepts. Metallocene catalysts are also active in styrene or cycloalkene polymerisation. Catalytic polymerisations using water as a solvent lead to polymer lattices, which can be used in the production of environment-friendly coatings and paints.
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