Homo- and copolymerization of styrene using combined diphenylzinc-additive initiator systems

Combined systems including diphenylzinc, Ph2Zn, a metallocene, and methylaluminoxane, MAO, have been employed to initiate styrene polymerization and the copolymerization of styrene with p‐alkylsubstituted styrenes and α‐olefins. Both polymerization and copolymerization processes depend on the nature of the metallocene included in the initiator system, the presence of Ph2Zn, the temperature, and the solvent used. S/1‐alkene copolymers were obtained when the initiator systems included a zirconocene, but not when a titanocene participated.