Synthesis of syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS) containing a terminal polar group and diblock copolymers containing s-PS and polar polymers

A method for the preparation of new functionalized s-polystyrene (S-PS) polymers - s-PS containing a terminal polar group and a s-PS diblock copolymer containing a s-PS and a polar polymer block - is presented. The in situ chain transfer reaction to borane during titanocene-catalyzed styrene polymerization provides a convenient and effective route for preparing borane-terminated s-PS, which is a very valuable intermediate for preparing functionalized s-PS with a polar end group or diblock copolymer containing a polyolefin and functional polymer segments.