This invention relates generally to low
ethylene insertions into alpha -olefin polymers and processes for production of such polymers using unbridged fluxional metallocenes, primarily substituted
aryl indenyl metallocenes, and more particularly to use of unbridged, fluxional, cyclopentadienyl or indenyl
metallocene catalyst systems in
methods of production of high
melting point alpha -olefin homo- and co-polymers, particularly elastomeric crystalline and amorphous block homo- and co-polymers of alpha -olefins. The activity of fluxional unbridged
metallocene polymerization catalysts containing at least one 2-arylindene ligand is increased 10x or more by the addition of small (typically 0.1-10 wt. %) amounts of
ethylene to the
polymerization system, which increase is termed the
Polymerization Rate-Enhancement effect (PRE), which is measured in terms of an
Ethylene Enhancement Factor (EEF) as a dimensionless ratio in the range of from about 1.1 to about 10 or above. A second important aspect of this invention is the ability to use a PRE activity-enhancing amount of
ethylene in an
olefin polymerization without substantially affecting the physical properties of the
elastomer. In a third important aspect of this invention, alpha -olefin elastomers are produced through incorporation of ethylene using unbridged fluxional catalyst systems which may not otherwise produce acceptable elastomeric homopolymers. Preferred polymers of this invention retain sufficient
crystallinity to provide a high
melting point (by DSC) of about 80 DEG C., preferably above 100 DEG C., including in the range of from about 120 DEG C. to about 140 DEG C. and above. Novel flexible alpha -olefin homo and copolymers having elongation in excess of 600% and substantially no retained force are disclosed.