PROCESS FOR PREPARING BLOCK COPOLYMERS CONTAINING ALPHA-METHYL STYRENE

An improved process for preparing elastomeric block copolymers of the formula A-B-A, wherein A is a poly-alpha-methyl-styrene polymer block, and B is an elastomeric polymer block from a conjugated diene. Alpha-methyl-styrene is polymerized by means of a mono-functional anionic initiator and an activator with an initial monomer concentration in excess of 100 g of alpha-methyl styrene per liter of reaction mixture, at a temperature of between 0 DEG and 40 DEG C, the amount of said activator being present such that the molar ratio of activator/initiator ranges from about 0.1 and 35 for a polymerization time of no more than 120 minutes. Thereafter, a small amount of conjugated diene and/or styrene is added to the reaction mixture. Subsequently, a conjugated diene is added to the mixture and polymerized. A bi-block copolymer consisting of a poly-alpha-methyl-styrene block and a poly (conjugated diene) block is formed. Formation of the A-B-A block copolymer occurs through addition of a linking agent to this block copolymer of alpha-methyl-styrene and conjugated diene.