Dichlorovanadium(IV) diamine-bis(phenolate) complexes for ethylene (co)polymerization and 1-olefin isospecific polymerization

Abstract

Two vanadium complexes bearing amine-bis(phenolate) ligands with the amino side-arm donor, [V{Me2NCH2CH2N(CH2-2-O-3,5-tBu2-C6H2)2}Cl2] (1) and [V{Me2NCH2CH2N(CH2-2-O-3,5-tBu2-C6H2)(CH2-2-O-C6H4)}Cl2] (2), were synthesised and characterized by FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy. Upon activation with Al(iBu)3/Ph3CB(C6F5)4, these complexes became active catalysts for 1-octene polymerization giving highly stereoregular polymers (mmmm ∼ 90%) having regioirregularly arranged units. The catalytic activity of the catalysts in ethylene homo- and copolymerization, and their ability to incorporate a comonomer were highly dependent on both the activator type and the complex structure. 1/EtAlCl2 exhibited very high activity (up to 3.3 · 107 g/(molV h)) in ethylene polymerization and produced copolymers with the highest comonomer content (up to 9.1 mol%), moderate molecular weight and narrow chemical composition distribution (CCD). Both vanadium complexes, when combined with trityl borate activator, led to ethylene copolymers with lower 1-octene content and broad CCD. In addition, the copolymers were characterized by very high molecular weight (∼1 · 106 g/mol) and narrow dispersity (Mw/Mn = 1.4–2.0).