α-olefin polymer and process for production thereof

Abstract

Provided is an α-olefin polymer having an excellent balance between a molecular weight and a melting point, which is a polymer of one or more kinds of α-olefins having 20 to 40 carbon atoms, and which meets the following requirements (1) to (4): (1) the α-olefin polymer has a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) determined from its weight average molecular weight (Mw) and number average molecular weight (Mn) in terms of polystyrene measured by a GPC method of 2 or less, and has an Mw of 5,000 or less; (2) measurement of a melting point (Tm) of the α-olefin polymer with DSC shows one melting peak, a melting heat absorption (AH) calculated from an area of the melting peak is 20 J/g or more, and the melting peak has a half value width of 10° C. or less; (3) when the Mw falls within a range of 1,000 to 5,000 and an average number of carbon atoms (Cn) of the α-olefins falls within a range of 20 to 40, the Mw, the Cn, and the Tm measured with the DSC satisfy the relationship, 0.0025×Mw+(Cn×3.3812−29.5)≦Tm≦0.0025×Mw+((Cn+1)×3.3812−29.5); and (4) a stereoregularity index [M] derived from a chain of the α-olefins each having 20 to 40 carbon atoms is 20% by mol or more.