Polyolefin thermoplastic elastomers from 1-octene copolymerization with 1-decene and cyclopentene

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are attractive materials because they combine the processing advantages and recycling potential of thermoplastics with the flexibility, low modulus, and soft touch of elastomers. In this article, the synthesis, characterization and mechanical properties of polyolefin TPEs are reported. A facile procedure is employed, through the chain-walking polymerization, to fabricate random copolymers of 1-octene with 1-decene and cyclopentene. The effect of the type and the feedstock comonomers concentration on the microstructure, the total branching and the branch-type distribution is studied. A comprehensive investigation on the mechanical behavior by uniaxial stretching until failure, step-cycle and creep tensile tests is carried out. All the copolymers behave as elastomers, with different mechanical properties strongly depending on the composition, structure and crystallinity.