Abstract
In this review, we discuss the use of titanium complexes bearing either bridged diphenolate or calix[n]arene (n = 4, 6, 8) ligation, in the formation of plastics from α-olefins or via the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters. The syntheses, molecular structures and catalytic behaviour of these systems are discussed, as well as where possible, the properties of the resultant polymers.
Highlights
Global demand for plastics remains high in both newly expanding as well as established economies, which stems from the favourable characteristics, including cost, associated with many petrochemical derived polymers
Both the polymerization of polyolefins and the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters has benefited from catalyst development and the ability of coordination chemistry to manipulate the ligands at the metal center of the catalyst to both optimize catalytic activity and to tune polymer properties
We have described the use of titanium complexes bearing bridged-diphenolate
Summary
Global demand for plastics remains high in both newly expanding as well as established economies, which stems from the favourable characteristics, including cost, associated with many petrochemical derived polymers. As well as changes in recent social behaviour, one possible route towards tackling the environmental issues is to limit the application of polyolefin based single-use plastics, and develop more biodegradable alternatives. Such alternative polymers should retain the favourable characteristics of known plastics, whilst not taking centuries to degrade (or readily fragmenting into microplastics). One type of chelate ligand that have seen application in a variety of catalytic processes are the diphenolates This led to exploration of macrocyclic phenols known as calix[n]arenes (Figure 1, right) given that these macrocycles can be visualized as larger cyclic versions of the aforementioned diphenolates (Figure 1, Type II) [1,2,3].
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