Neutral, Single-Component Nickel (II) Polyolefin Catalysts That Tolerate Heteroatoms

TLDR

Polyolefins account for more than half of global polymer production, yet current cationic catalysts cannot tolerate heteroatoms and require ultra‑clean feedstocks and activating cocatalysts. The authors developed neutral late‑transition‑metal catalysts that tolerate heteroatoms and impure feedstocks, are highly active, produce high‑molecular‑weight polyethylene, polymerize functionalized olefins, and operate without a cocatalyst.

Abstract

More than half of the 170 million metric tons of polymers produced each year are polyolefins. Current technology uses highly active cationic catalysts, which suffer from an inability to tolerate heteroatoms such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. These systems require scrupulously clean starting materials and activating cocatalysts. A family of catalysts has been developed whose members are tolerant of both heteroatoms and less pure starting materials. These heteroatom-tolerant neutral late transition metal complexes are in fact highly active systems that produce high-molecular-weight polyethylene, polymerize functionalized olefins, and require no cocatalyst.