Tailoring polymers through interplay of ligands within precatalysts: 8-(Nitro/benzhydryl-arylimino)-7,7-dimethyl-5,6-dihydroquinolylnickel halides in ethylene polymerization

A series of 8-(nitro/benzhydryl-substituted arylimino)-7,7-dimethyl-5,6-dihydroquinolines and the corresponding nickel halide complexes were synthesized and characterized. Molecular structures of representative nickel complexes were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, showing the dinuclear dimers with distorted square-pyramidal geometry around the nickel center. The binding energies determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate the effective coordination between the sp2-nitrogen and nickel atoms as well as the influence of both the halogen ligands and the substituents within dihydroquinolines on the strength of the NiN bond. Ethylene polymerization with the nicke…