A Comprehensive Review on Controlled Synthesis of Long‐Chain Branched Polyolefins: Part 3, Characterization of Long‐Chain Branched Polymers

Synthesis and characterization of long‐chain branched polyolefins has been an important research topic for both academic and industrial researchers for many decades. This is particularly true since the discovery and successful commercialization of the constrained geometry catalyst systems in 1990s. The type of single site catalysts allows control in the synthesis and the precision in the characterization. Long‐chain branched polyolefins exhibit improved melt processability, such as higher melt strength and better shear thinning, compared to their linear counterparts having the same molecular weight and distribution. In the previous papers, the catalyst systems and reaction conditions for the controlled synthesis of long‐chain branched polyolefins have been reviewed. This paper aims at summarizing the literatures pertinent to the precise characterization of long‐chain branched polyolefins. The major methods of long‐chain branching characterization include: nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, rheometry, dynamical mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, neutron scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Recent progresses of these characterization methods, as well as their advantages and limitations, have been discussed in details. image