Functionalized .alpha.-olefin/para-alkylstyrene terpolymers

A functionalized terpolymer of two different .alpha.-olefins having form 2to 12 carbon atoms and para-alkylstyrene, said functionalized terpolymer having a substantially homogeneous compositional distribution represented by the formula:

• ##STR11## in which R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R' and R", independently, are hydrogen or C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 linear or branched alkyl group, with the proviso that R.sub.1 is not the same as R.sub.2 ;
• X is a functional group;
• P is a polymer having a molecular weight of at least 500, which can be derived from both step and chain polymerization reactions;
• Y is a chemical linkage between polymer P and para-alkylstyrene side chain, which is also a residue derived from a graft reaction;
• and the combination of a+b+c+d+e represents the empirical formula of a substantially random functional polymer;
• where both a and b are greater than 0, where the sum of a+b ranges from about 50 to 100,000;
• where each of c, d and e range from 0 to 10,000;
• where both d and e can not be 0, and where the sum of c+d+e is at least 1;
• and wherein said functionalized terpolymer has been derived from an initial terpolymer having a substantially homogeneous compositional distribution and having been prepared in the presence of a transition metal coordination catalyst, said initial terpolymer being represented by the formula ##STR12## where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R' and R" are defined above;
• where the combined .alpha.-olefin mole % (m+n) is between about 5 and 99.9;
• where the sum of m+n+x (mole % of p-alkylstyrene, is 100;
• and where the initial terpolymer has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of at least 1,000 and a ration of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight of less than 8.