Examining the Spin State and Redox Chemistry of Ni(Diimine) Catalysts during the Synthesis of π‐Conjugated Polymers

Abstract

AbstractKumada catalyst transfer polymerization (KCTP) is currently an unparalleled catalytic method for preparing π‐conjugated materials with well‐defined end‐groups, targeted molecular weights, and narrow dispersity. Polymerization control is both catalyst and monomer dependent. Polymerizations using bidentate Ni(phosphine) catalysts and 3‐alkylthiophene (or related) monomers lead to the highest degrees of polymerization control; however the scope of monomers that Ni(phosphines) can polymerize is quite limited. Here, two possible mechanistic limitations of Ni(diimine) catalysts are evaluated: 1) the role of spin states, and 2) the redox non‐innocence of diimine ligands. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are utilized to evaluate singlet and triplet spin states of Ni(diimine) species throughout the KCTP catalytic cycle. It is found that in the energetically favored triplet state, Ni(diimine) catalyst dissociation from polymer chains is competitive with intramolecular oxidative addition, which reduces polymerization control. The redox activity of Ni(diimine) catalysts during polymerization is investigated and it is determined that a Ni(diimine)X2 precatalyst is converted into Ni(diimine)2 under reductive conditions analogous to KCTP, but surprisingly this species is also active during polymerization which leads to an interesting off‐cycle pathway that has not been previously considered. These insights differentiate the mechanisms of Ni(diimine) and Ni(phosphine) polymerizations, highlighting catalyst spin and redox activity as additional factors in KCTP.