Polymerization of vinyl chloride with Cp*Ti(OPh)3/MAO catalyst in toluene

Polymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) with a Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst in toluene was investigated. The polymerization rate was lower than that in CH₂Cl₂, and the mm triad concentration of the PVC obtained in toluene was somewhat higher than that of the PVC obtained in CH₂Cl₂. As the polymerization in toluene proceeded at a considerable rate, a kinetic study of this polymerization was undertaken. The polymer yield increased with reaction time, and the molecular weight of the polymer increased with increasing polymer yield. The M_w/M_n ratio of the polymer decreased with increasing polymerization temperature. The initiator efficiency of the catalyst was low at the initial stage of the polymerization in toluene, but it reached nearly 100% when the polymerization was carried out for more than 30 h. The control of both themolecular weight of PVC and its main‐chain structure was found to be possible in the polymerization of VC with the Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst in toluene. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers