Since the late 1980s there have been tremendous advances in the design and use of organometallic complexes as precatalysts for olefin polymerization. More recently, an intense search has been started for alternative catalysts. New approaches have been taken to ligand design. This research has yielded extraordinary results, such as catalysts with activities as high as or higher than those of conventional metallocenes, stereospecific and living polymerizations, and remarkable new polymer structures such as highly-branched ethylene homopolymers. This volume presents some of the recent disclosures in this exciting and rapidly expanding field, featuring papers by some of the leading investigators.

From the Preface: “...An increasing recognition exists that these roles [of the cyclopentadienyl groups] can more than adequately be filled by many other stable ancillary ligands. This and the already crowded, murky patent picture in metallocene catalysts have impelled investigators both in academia and industry to seek new single-site catalysts that share the advantages of metallocene systems, but that do not contain cyclopentadienyl groups. We term this new family of catalysts next-generation single-site olefin polymerization catalysts...”

Target Audience: Academic and industrial researchers, as well as upper-level students, focusing on advanced polymerization methods.

Table of Contents:

Fundamentals:

Beyond Metallocenes: Next-Generation Polymerization Catalysts

Catalysts from Group 4 Metal Complexes:

Synthesis of New Olefin Polymerization Catalysts Based on Zirconium Complexes of Organoboron Compounds

FI Catalysts for Highly Controlled Living Polymerization of Ethylene and Propylene: Creation of Precisely Controlled Polymers

Group 4 Octahedral Complexes Catalyzed the Stereoregular and Elastomeric Polymerization of Propylene

Complexes of Amine Phenolate Ligands as Catalysts for Polymerization of Alpha-Olefins

Modeling and Catalytic Performance of Group 4 Metal Complexes with Anionic Heteroatomic Ligands

Catalysts from Group 5 Metal Complexes:

1,3,5-Triazacyclohexane Complexes of Chromium as Homogeneous Model Systems for the Phillips Catalyst

Olefin Copolymerization and Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Catalyzed by Tantalum(V)-Based Complexes

Catalysts from Groups 8-10 Metal Complexes:

The Alternating Copolymerization of Epoxides and Carbon Monoxide: A Novel Way to Polyesters

Copolymerization of Ethylene and Acrylates by Nickel Catalysts

Trends in Alkene Insertion in Late- and Early-Transition Metal Compounds: Relevance to Transition Metal-Catalyzed Polymerization of Polar Vinyl Monomers

Theoretical Studies on the Polymerization and Copolymerization Processes Catalyzed by the Late-Transition Metal Complexes

Vinyl-Type Polymerization of Norbornene by Nickel(II) bis-Benzimidazole Catalysts

Catalysts Based on Copper Complexes:

Copper-Based Olefin Polymerization Catalysts

Copper-Based Olefin Polymerization Catalysts: High Pressure ¹⁹F NMR Catalyst Probe

Cu Catalysts for Homo- and Copolymerization of Olefins and Acrylates

Index