Polymerization with TMA-protected polar vinyl comonomers. II. Catalyzed bynickel complexes containing alpha-diimine-type ligands

alpha-Diimine Ni complexes (7, 8) were used as catalyst precursors with MAO in co- and terpolymerization of ethylene/propylene/alpha-olefins with OH a nd COOH functional groups. Trimethylaluminium was used to protect the funct ional group of polar monomers. The presence of 5-hexen-1-ol seems to have n o effect on the polymerization rate at all for the N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropyl phenyl) derivative 8 but caused activity decreases of about fivefold in cop olymerization and around two times in terpolymerization for the N,N-dimesit yl derivative 7. The effect levels off at higher polar comonomer concentrat ion. This system, (7)/MAO, also incorporates well both 10-undecen-1-ol and 10-undecen-1-oic acid. The activities obtained with these alpha-diimine Ni complexes in co- and terpolymerization are three to twenty times higher tha n those obtained with group 4 Cp based complexes especially at concentratio ns of polar monomer in the feed higher than 80 mM. (C) 1999 John Wiley & So ns, Inc.