Synthesis of bromine‐functionalized polyolefins by scandium‐catalyzed copolymerization of 10‐bromo‐1‐decene with ethylene, propylene, and dienes

By use of a THF‐containing trimethylsilylmethyl scandium catalyst system (C₅Me₄SiMe₃)Sc(CH₂SiMe₃)₂(THF)/[Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄], the multi‐component copolymerization of 10‐bromo‐1‐decene (BrDC) with ethylene, propylene, and dienes has been achieved to afford a new family of bromine‐functionalized polyolefins with controllable composition and high molecular weight. The copolymerization of BrDC with ethylene afforded the well‐defined BrDC–ethylene copolymers with high BrDC incorporation (up to 12 mol%) and high molecular weight (M_w > 100 kg mol⁻¹). The terpolymerization of propylene, ethylene with BrDC afforded random ethylene–propylene–BrDC terpolymers with controllable bromine content (2 ~ 11 mol%), high molecular weight (M_w > 100 kg mol⁻¹) and low glass transition temperature (T_g = −51 °C ~ −67 °C). Moreover, the tetrapolymerization of ethylene, propylene, BrDC, and ethylidene norbornene or conjugated dienes such as isoprene and myrcene has been achieved for the first time to afford selectively the bromine‐functionalized ethylene–propylene–diene rubbers containing various types of double bonds.