have received intensive attention because of their unique catalytic properties including single active center
high activity
and outstanding tolerance toward polar groups that allow for direct copolymerization of ethylene and polar monomers. However
this kind of catalysts often show poor thermal stability and being unsuitable for many industrial synthetic processes that usually operate at high temperatures. Previously
the reported strategy to enhance the stability of
α
-diimine nickel and palladium catalysts mainly focused on the modifications of the N-aryl substituents. We provided an alternative approach by increasing the steric bulk of the
α
-diimine ligand backbone for effectively enhancing the thermal stability of catalysts and the controllability of polymerization. These advances in the bulky backbones strategy for
α
-diimine nickel and palladium catalysts toward olefin polymerization are summarized herein
including ethylene polymerization
α
-olefin polymerization
copolymerization of ethylene and polar monomers
polymerization of styrene-based monomers and styrene/CO alternating copolymerization.