Alternating olefin/carbon monoxide polymers: A new family of thermoplastics

Significant technological advances by Shell over the past decade have led to the development of a new family of thermoplastics. These new materials are perfectly alternating olefin/carbon monoxide polymers which provide a superior combined balance of performance properties not found in other commercial materials. Shell will market these new polymers under the trade mark CARILON(R) Polymers. CARILON(R) polymers are semicrystalline thermoplastics derived from simple and abundant raw materials of carbon monoxide and ethylene (or other alpha-olefins.) These new materials have resulted, in part, from a high activity catalyst invention which enables the polymer to be produced with perfectly alternating units of CO and olefin. The excellent physical, chemical, and barrier properties of these aliphatic polyketone polymers places them in the broad class of materials known as ''engineering thermoplastics'' which are widely used in industrial, automotive, appliance, and electrical applications.