Adv Polym Sci (2013) 257: 81–98
DOI: 10.1007/12_2013_224
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Published online: 12 June 2013
The Use of Donors to Increase the Isotacticity
of Polypropylene
Toshiaki Taniike and Minoru Terano
Abstract Since the discovery of electron donors for MgCl 2 -supported Ziegler–Natta
catalysts, donors have become key components for improving the stereospecificity
and activity of these catalysts. Starting from benzoate for third-generation catalysts,
the discovery of new donor structures has always updated the performance of
Ziegler–Natta catalysts. Numerous efforts have been devoted since the early 1970s,
in both industry and academy, not only for discovering new donors but also for
understanding their roles in Zielger–Natta olefin polymerization. This chapter
reviews the history of these efforts, especially after the twenty-first century. The
first half of the chapter describes the history of catalyst developments, with special
focus on industrialized donors, and then introduces recent trends in the development
of new donors. The second half reviews historical progress in the mechanistic
understanding of how donors improve the performance of Ziegler–Natta catalysts.
Keywords Donor Á Heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst Á Propylene polymerization
Contents
1 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2 Mechanistic Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 86
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
T. Taniike (*) and M. Terano
School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1
Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
e-mail: taniike@jaist.ac.jp; terano@jaist.ac.jp
DOI: 10.1007/12_2013_224
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Published online: 12 June 2013
The Use of Donors to Increase the Isotacticity
of Polypropylene
Toshiaki Taniike and Minoru Terano
Abstract Since the discovery of electron donors for MgCl 2 -supported Ziegler–Natta
catalysts, donors have become key components for improving the stereospecificity
and activity of these catalysts. Starting from benzoate for third-generation catalysts,
the discovery of new donor structures has always updated the performance of
Ziegler–Natta catalysts. Numerous efforts have been devoted since the early 1970s,
in both industry and academy, not only for discovering new donors but also for
understanding their roles in Zielger–Natta olefin polymerization. This chapter
reviews the history of these efforts, especially after the twenty-first century. The
first half of the chapter describes the history of catalyst developments, with special
focus on industrialized donors, and then introduces recent trends in the development
of new donors. The second half reviews historical progress in the mechanistic
understanding of how donors improve the performance of Ziegler–Natta catalysts.
Keywords Donor Á Heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst Á Propylene polymerization
Contents
1 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2 Mechanistic Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 86
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
T. Taniike (*) and M. Terano
School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1
Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
e-mail: taniike@jaist.ac.jp; terano@jaist.ac.jp