Patent ID: 6881797

Claim:
A process for hydrogenation of a conjugated diene polymer, the conjugated diene polymer being a homopolymer or copolymer of a conjugated diene, the process comprising bringing the conjugated diene polymer in an inert organic solvent into contact with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst composition to selectively hydrogenate the unsaturated double bonds in the conjugated diene units of the conjugated diene polymer, wherein the hydrogenation catalyst composition includes the following hydrogenation catalysts: (I) a titanium compound represented by formula (I): wherein R 1 and R 2 can be the same or different and are hydrogen, halogen, C 1 -C 8 alkyl or alkoxy, C 6 -C 12 cycloalkyl, phenyl, phenoxy, C 7 -C 10 arylalkoxy and arylalkyl, carboxy, —CH 2 P(phenyl) 2 , —CH 2 Si(C 1 -C 5 alkyl) 3 or —P (phenyl) 2 , and Cp* indicates cyclopendienyl, indenyl, fluorenyl, or derivatives thereof; (II) a compound represented by formula (II): wherein L is a Group IVB element, R is C 1 -C 12 alkyl or C 1 -C 12 cycloalkyl, X can be the same or different and is C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 1 -C 12 alkoxy, C 1 -C 12 cycloalkoxy, halogen, or carbonyl; and (III) a trialkylaluminum compound represented by formula (III): AlR 3 (III) wherein R can be the same or different and is C 1 -C 12 alkyl or C 6 -C 12 aryl, wherein the molar ratio of the hydrogenation catalyst (II) to the hydrogenation catalyst (I) is 0.1 to 50, the molar ratio of the hydrogenation catalyst (III) to the hydrogenation catalyst (I) is 0.1 to 50, the hydrogenation catalyst (I) is present in an amount of 0.0001 to 50 mmole based on 100 g of the conjugated diene polymer, and the hydrogenation reaction is conducted at a temperature of 0° C. to 200° C. at a hydrogen pressure of 0.1 kg/cm 2 to 100 kg/cm 2 .