Heterogenization of nickel catalysts with ionic liquid‐modified supports for ethylene polymerization and copolymerization

Abstract The preparation of heterogeneous catalysts by loading homogeneous metal complexes on the supports is an effective strategy preferred by the polyolefin industry. In this contribution, we synthesize a series of heterogeneous nickel catalysts using the supporting strategy of ionic liquid‐modified supports. These supported catalysts have polymerization activities up to 1.68 × 10 7 g mol −1 h −1 , polymer molecular weights up to 224.1 × 10 4 g mol −1 , and significantly, higher melting points compared to homogeneous systems. The polyolefin materials prepared by this supporting strategy possess a wide range of tunable mechanical properties, from thermoplastics to elastomers. These heterogeneous nickel catalysts can catalyze the copolymerization of ethylene and methyl 10‐undecenoate.