Controlling the Microstructure of Isotactic Polypropene byC2-Symmetric Zirconocene Polymerization Catalysts: Influence of Alkyl Substituents on Regio- and Stereocontrol

Predicting the propene stereoselectivity on transition metal catalysts: A daunting task for density functional theory

Thanks to recent developments in hardware and software, quantum chemical methods are increasingly used for interpreting the complex mechanisms underlying polymerization reaction by homogeneous catalysis. Unfortunately, the dimensions of even the smallest realistic models are too large to permit the use of state-of-the-art composite wave function methods. Under these circumstances, density functional theory still offers the best compromise between cost and accuracy. However, comprehensive benchmarks of different functionals are not yet available for this important research field. The main aim of the present paper is to fill this gap by performing an unbiased comparison of several density functionals and continuum solvent models for the stereo-control in the propylene polymerization on prototypical catalysts inducing different reaction mechanisms. While it was not possible to define a unique computational protocol providing the best results in all the situations, the B3PW91 functional in conjunction with D3 empirical dispersions and the solvent model density solvent model performs remarkably well for three out of the four investigated catalysts. Under such circumstances, it is recommended to compare the results delivered by different models when approaching additional classes of catalysts.

Triptycene as a scaffold in metallocene catalyzed olefin polymerization

A set of metallocene olefin polymerization catalysts bearing triptycene moieties in either position 4-5 (complexes Ty1-Ty5) or in position 5-6 (complexes Ty6-Ty8) of the basic dimethylsilyl-bridged bis(indenyl) system has been tested in propene polymerization and in ethene/1-hexene copolymerization. Comparison of the results with QSPR (quantitative structure-property relationship) predictions not parametrized for these exotic ligand variations demonstrates that trends can still be identified by extrapolation. Interestingly, Ty7, upon suitable activation, provides a highly isotactic polypropylene with an exceptional amount of 2,1 regio-errors (8%). The previously developed QSPR type models successfully predicted the low regioselectivity of this catalyst, despite the fact that the catalyst structure differs significantly from the benchmark set.

{Cyclopentadienyl/Fluorenyl}-Group 4 ansa-Metallocene Catalysts for Production of Tailor-Made Polyolefins

The development of new metallocene-based polymerization catalysts and innovative processes derived thereof still constitutes a challenge for the manufacturing of polyolefinic materials with tailored properties (e. g. particular microstructure or topology, ultra-high molecular weight, high melting transition, and their combinations) for contemporary commercial applications. This personal account summarizes our continuing endeavors to advance the family of industry-relevant stereoselective propylene polymerization catalysts based on C₁ -symmetric group 4 ansa-metallocenes incorporating multi-substituted fluorenyl-cyclopentadienyl {Cp/Flu} ligands. Within the framework of this project, valuable structural and catalytic data, harvested both for neutral metallocenes and for metallocenium ion-pairs, have been used for rational design of more efficient catalytic systems, reluctant towards side reactions, and for providing new stereoregular value-added polymer materials.

Extent of structural change during the reaction and its relationship to isoselectivity in polypropylene polymerization with ansa-zirconocene/borate catalyst: A computational study

The mechanism of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) polymerization with an (R,R)-ansa-zirconocene/borate catalyst system was analyzed using quantum chemistry (QC) calculations by focusing on the extent of structural change during monomer insertion. The activation energy for migratory insertion, E_a , was compared for four possible reaction paths with regard to monomer coordination, that is, 1,2-re, 1,2-si, 2,1-si, and 2,1-re, until the seventh monomer insertion step, explicitly including a borate anion cocatalyst. This indicated that the 1,2-re path was most favorable, except for the first step, which favored 1,2-si. As far as the first step, the product of 1,2-si is a conformational isomer to that of the 1,2-re path, and the exceptional favorability of 1,2-si does not affect the isoselectivity. These results support previous studies, except that our results address the unexplored seventh insertion step with a borate anion cocatalyst by QC calculations. The isoselectivity correlated with the extent of structural change in the whole system during the reaction. It was proved from our detail analysis that the advantage of 1,2-re with a small E_a is attributed to its smaller structural changes due to low steric repulsion in the system compared with other paths. Conversely, larger repulsion in the systems involved in other paths results in larger structural changes to minimize the structural strain. However, the relaxation appears insufficient due to structural restriction of the enforced four-membered ring transition state structure. A borate anion cocatalyst broke the C₂ symmetry of the electronic structures of zirconocene, resulting in an odd-even E_a frequency for the monomer insertion. Molecular orbital analysis demonstrated that the d-π orbital overlaps can explain the approach direction of the olefin coordination and the bent structure of zirconocene, providing a different viewpoint from previous studies. The potential for catalyst control was discussed based on our results. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Theoretical Outlook on the Stereoselectivity Origins of Isoselective Zirconocene Propylene Polymerization Catalysts

The first three insertion steps of propylene for isoselective metallocenes from the one-carbon-bridged cyclopentadienyl-fluorenyl {Cp/Flu} and silicon-bridged ansa-bis(indenyl) {SBI} families were computed by using a theoretical method implementing the B3PW91 functional in combination with solvent corrections incorporated with the Solvation Model based on Density (SMD) continuum model. For C₁ -symmetric {Cp/Flu}-type metallocenes, two mechanisms of stereocontrol were validated theoretically: more facile and more stereoselective chain "stationary" insertion (or site epimerization backskip) and less stereoselective alternating mechanisms. For the C₂ -symmetric {SBI}-type system, the computation results were in complete agreement with the sole operating chain migratory insertion mechanism. The thermochemical data obtained through the study were used to predict microstructures of polypropylenes by using three-parameter and one-parameter statistical models for the two metallocene systems, respectively. The calculated meso/rac pentad distributions were found to be in good agreement with those determined experimentally for isotactic polypropylene samples obtained at different polymerization temperatures.