Charles Goodyear Medal Winner - Meso Crystalline Propylene-Ethylene Copolymers: Elastomers with Plastics Processing

Random propylene ethylene copolymers with predominant meso-propylene derived crystallinity with narrow composition and tactility distributions are polyolefin elastomers.  They have characteristic properties of complete and rapid recovery from tensile deformation while still being easily processed as thermoplastics.  These polymers are made with a unique single site catalyst and offer a combination of properties and processing which are rare in polyolefins. They can be easily fabricated nonwoven webs, cast elastic films, multilayer structures, hot melt adhesives which are characteristic of thermoplastics yet retain the desirable elastomer properties of resilience, softness and recovery.  As elastomers they can be compounded and vulcanized to rubbers with noteworthy strength. In common with other polyolefins they can form intimate physical blends with a variety of polyolefin oligomers and polymers which vastly extend the physical properties and thus utility of these polymers while still retaining most of the elastomeric properties. These unique dual attributes for a structurally precise propylene ethylene copolymer have led to the rapid commercial development of this elastomer as a replacement for thermoplastics to create elastic structures and fabrications. This large need for this unique polymer is being met by precise polymerization using advanced processes and catalysts.