Exploring cocatalyst type effect on the Ziegler–Natta catalyzed ethylene polymerizations: experimental and DFT studies

Influence of the Ethanol Content of Adduct on the Comonomer Incorporation of Related Ziegler-Natta Catalysts in Propylene (Co)polymerizations

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of the ethanol content of adducts on the catalytic behavior of related Ziegler-Natta (ZN) catalysts in propylene homo- and copolymerizations (with 1-hexene comonomer) in terms of activity, isotacticity, H2 response, and comonomer incorporation. For this purpose, three MgCl2.nEtOH adducts with n values of 0.7, 1.2, and 2.8 were synthesized and used in the synthesis of related ZN catalysts. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized using XRD, BET, SEM, EDX, N2 adsorption-desorption, and DFT techniques. Additionally, the microstructure of the synthesized (co)polymers was distinguished via DSC, SSA, and TREF techniques. Their activity was found to enhance with the adduct's ethanol content in both homo- and copolymerization experiments, and the increase was more pronounced in homopolymerization reactions in the absence of H2. Furthermore, the catalyst with the highest ethanol content provided a copolymer with a lower isotacticity index, a shorter meso sequence length, and a more uniform distribution of comonomer within the chains. These results were attributed to the higher total surface area and Ti content of the corresponding catalyst, as well as its lower average pore diameter, a larger proportion of large pores compared to the other two catalysts, and its spherical open bud morphology. It affirms the importance of catalyst/support ethanol-content control during the preparation process. Then, molecular simulation was employed to shed light on the iso-specificity of the polypropylene produced via synthesized catalysts.

Recent Advancements in Mechanistic Studies of Palladium- and Nickel-Catalyzed Ethylene Copolymerization with Polar Monomers

The introduction of polar functional groups into polyolefin chain structures creates opportunities to enhance specific properties, such as adhesion, dyeability, printability, compatibility, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity, which widen the range of potential applications for these modified materials. Transition metal catalysts, especially late transition metals, have proven to be highly effective in copolymerization processes due to their reduced Lewis acidity and electrophilicity. However, when compared to the significant progress and summary of synthetic methods, there is a distinct lack of a comprehensive summary of mechanistic studies pertaining to the catalytic systems involved in ethylene copolymerization catalyzed by palladium and nickel catalysts. In this review, we have provided a comprehensive summary of the latest developments in mechanistic studies of ethylene copolymerization with polar monomers catalyzed by late-transition-metal complexes. Experimental and computational methods were employed to conduct a detailed investigation of these organic and organometallic systems. It is mainly focused on ligand substitution, changes in binding modes, ethylene/polar monomer insertion, chelate opening, and β-H elimination. Factors that control the catalytic activity, molecular weight, comonomer incorporation ratios, and branch content are analyzed, these include steric repulsions between ligands and monomers, electronic effects arising from both ligands and monomers, and so on.

Transition Metal-(μ-Cl)-Aluminum Bonding in α-Olefin and Diene Chemistry

Olefin and diene transformations, catalyzed by organoaluminum-activated metal complexes, are widely used in synthetic organic chemistry and form the basis of major petrochemical processes. However, the role of M−(μ-Cl)−Al bonding, being proven for certain >C=C< functionalization reactions, remains unclear and debated for essentially more important industrial processes such as oligomerization and polymerization of α-olefins and conjugated dienes. Numerous publications indirectly point at the significance of M−(μ-Cl)−Al bonding in Ziegler−Natta and related transformations, but only a few studies contain experimental or at least theoretical evidence of the involvement of M−(μ-Cl)−Al species into catalytic cycles. In the present review, we have compiled data on the formation of M−(μ-Cl)−Al complexes (M = Ti, Zr, V, Cr, Ni), their molecular structure, and reactivity towards olefins and dienes. The possible role of similar complexes in the functionalization, oligomerization and polymerization of α-olefins and dienes is discussed in the present review through the prism of the further development of Ziegler−Natta processes and beyond.

Ancillary ligand effects on α-olefin polymerization catalyzed by zirconium metallocene: a computational study

The polymerization of α-olefins catalyzed by zirconium metallocene catalyst was systematically studied through experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Having achieved an agreement between theory and experiment, it was found that the effect of the catalyst ligand on the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> C insertion reaction was significantly greater than that on the β-H elimination reaction. Therefore, the molecular weight of polymers can be increased by improving the activity of the CC insertion. In addition, in comparison with propylene, the chain length of α-olefins can directly affect the stereotacticity of polymerization products, owing to steric hindrance between the polymer chain and monomer.

The polymerization of α-olefins catalyzed by zirconium metallocene catalyst was systematically studied through experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.