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Iminopyridine Ni(II) Catalysts Affording Oily Hyperbranched Oligoethylenes and/or Crystalline Polyethylenes Depending on the Reaction Conditions: Possible Role of In Situ Catalyst Structure Modifications
Version 1
: Received: 23 March 2021 / Approved: 24 March 2021 / Online: 24 March 2021 (16:19:52 CET)
How to cite:
D'Auria, I.; Saki, Z.; Pellecchia, C. Iminopyridine Ni(II) Catalysts Affording Oily Hyperbranched Oligoethylenes and/or Crystalline Polyethylenes Depending on the Reaction Conditions: Possible Role of In Situ Catalyst Structure Modifications. Preprints2021, 2021030600 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202103.0600.v1).
D'Auria, I.; Saki, Z.; Pellecchia, C. Iminopyridine Ni(II) Catalysts Affording Oily Hyperbranched Oligoethylenes and/or Crystalline Polyethylenes Depending on the Reaction Conditions: Possible Role of In Situ Catalyst Structure Modifications. Preprints 2021, 2021030600 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202103.0600.v1).
Cite as:
D'Auria, I.; Saki, Z.; Pellecchia, C. Iminopyridine Ni(II) Catalysts Affording Oily Hyperbranched Oligoethylenes and/or Crystalline Polyethylenes Depending on the Reaction Conditions: Possible Role of In Situ Catalyst Structure Modifications. Preprints2021, 2021030600 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202103.0600.v1).
D'Auria, I.; Saki, Z.; Pellecchia, C. Iminopyridine Ni(II) Catalysts Affording Oily Hyperbranched Oligoethylenes and/or Crystalline Polyethylenes Depending on the Reaction Conditions: Possible Role of In Situ Catalyst Structure Modifications. Preprints 2021, 2021030600 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202103.0600.v1).
Abstract
Nickel-based ethylene polymerization catalysts have unique features, being able to produce macromolecules with a variable content of branches, resulting in polymers ranging from semicrystalline plastics to elastomers to hyperbranched amorphous waxes and oils. In addition to Brookhart's α-diimine catalysts, iminopyridine Ni(II) complexes are among the most investigated systems. We report that Ni(II) complexes bearing aryliminopyridine ligands with bulky substituents both at the imino moiety and in the 6-position of pyridine afford either hyperbranched low molecular weight polyethylene oils or prevailingly linear crystalline polyethylenes or both depending on the ligand structure and the reaction conditions. The formation of multiple active species in situ is suggested by analysis of the post-polymerization catalyst residues, showing the partial reduction of the imino function. Some related arylaminopyridine Ni(II) complexes were also synthesized and tested, showing a peculiar behavior, i.e. the number of branches of the produced polyethylenes increases while ethylene pressure increases.
Subject Areas
olefin polymerization; nickel; catalysts
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.