Highly resilient polyethylene elastomers prepared using α-diimine nickel catalyst with highly conjugated backbone

An α-diimine nickel catalyst (Cat-1) with highly conjugated acenaphthylene backbone was synthesized and used in ethylene polymerization. Compared with typical Brookhart catalyst B-Cat, Cat-1 could produce polyethylene with both higher molecular weight (up to 5.1 × 10 5 g mol −1 ) and branching density (up to 135 branches per 1000 carbons) in good polymerization activity. The polyethylene prepared using Cat-1 with higher molecular weight and branching density possessed exceptional mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break could reach 12.08 MPa and 1148%) and outstanding elastomeric recovery as compared with the polymer prepared using B-Cat. Cat-1 was synthesized using a simple reaction route and the polymerization conditions were suitable for the industrial polymerization process. The novel nickel catalyst Cat-1 is promising for producing highly resilient polyethylene elastomers industrially.