N,N-Bis(2,4-Dibenzhydryl-6-cycloalkylphenyl)butane-2,3-diimine–Nickel Complexes as Tunable and Effective Catalysts for High-Molecular-Weight PE Elastomers †

Four examples of N,N-bis(aryl)butane-2,3-diimine–nickel(II) bromide complexes, [ArN=C(Me)-C(Me)=NAr]NiBr(2) (where Ar = 2-(C(5)H(9))-4,6-(CHPh(2))(2)C(6)H(2) (Ni1), Ar = 2-(C(6)H(11))-4,6-(CHPh(2))(2)C(6)H(2) (Ni2), 2-(C(8)H(15))-4,6-(CHPh(2))(2)C(6)H(2) (Ni3) and 2-(C(12)H(23))-4,6-(CHPh(2))(2)C(6)H(2) (Ni4)), disparate in the ring size of the ortho-cycloalkyl substituents, were prepared using a straightforward one-pot synthetic method. The molecular structures of Ni2 and Ni4 highlight the variation in the steric hindrance of the ortho-cyclohexyl and -cyclododecyl rings exerted on the nickel center, respectively. By employing EtAlCl(2), Et(2)AlCl or MAO as activators, Ni1–Ni4 displayed moderate to high activity as catalysts for ethylene polymerization, with levels falling in the order Ni2 (cyclohexyl) > Ni1 (cyclopentyl) > Ni4 (cyclododecyl) > Ni3 (cyclooctyl). Notably, cyclohexyl-containing Ni2/MAO reached a peak level of 13.2 × 10(6) g(PE) of (mol of Ni)(−1) h(−1) at 40 °C, yielding high-molecular-weight (ca. 1 million g mol(−1)) and highly branched polyethylene elastomers with generally narrow dispersity. The analysis of polyethylenes with (13)C NMR spectroscopy revealed branching density between 73 and 104 per 1000 carbon atoms, with the run temperature and the nature of the aluminum activator being influential; selectivity for short-chain methyl branches (81.8% (EtAlCl(2)); 81.1% (Et(2)AlCl); 82.9% (MAO)) was a notable feature. The mechanical properties of these polyethylene samples measured at either 30 °C or 60 °C were also evaluated and confirmed that crystallinity (X(c)) and molecular weight (M(w)) were the main factors affecting tensile strength and strain at break (ε(b) = 353–861%). In addition, the stress–strain recovery tests indicated that these polyethylenes possessed good elastic recovery (47.4–71.2%), properties that align with thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs).