The removal of harmful residues from polyolefins produced using group-10 metal-catalyzed polymerizations is relevant for advancing the commercial viability of ethylene-derived rubbers. In this pursuit, we have investigated a crosslinked alpha-diimine Ni (II) ethylene polymerization catalyst. While the ortho substituents and backbone remain identical to the traditional Brookhart system (i.e., isopropyl and acenaphthene), the resulting crosslinked system exhibits substantial increases in its activity and decreased branching, producing semi-crystalline polyethylenes with <i>T</i><sub>m</sub>s up to 120 °C at ambient temperatures and low pressures (&lt;8 atm). By controlling the reaction conditions, thermoplastic elastomeric polyethylenes with microcrystalline regions can be produced with good mechanical properties and hysteresis. The heterogeneous nature of the catalyst makes the removal of residues convenient and further enables gas-phase polymerization in addition to slurry phase reactions.

Crosslinked alpha-Diimine nickel (II) catalysts for ethylene polymerization: Enhanced activities, crystallinity, and metal removal

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