First example of cationic titanium (III) complexes with crown ether as catalysts for ethylene polymerization.

[Display omitted] • Ti(III) cationic complexes were first used to catalyze ethylene polymerization. • Activity in the presence of Et 2 AlCl/Bu 2 Mg up to 4.6 tonn kgPE/mol Ti h⋅atm. • Activity largely depends on the Ti/Al molar ratio. • UHMWPE samples were processed into high-strength and high-modulus oriented films. Complex cations with a vacant coordination site are considered as the most plausible catalytically active centers of metallocene and post-metallocene polymerization catalysts. For the first time we demonstrated that cationic titanium (III) complexes stabilized with crown ether can be used as pre-catalysts for ethylene polymerization. In the presence of alkyl aluminum chlorides and MgBu 2 as cocatalysts, these complexes catalyze ethylene polymerization to produce Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) with productivity up to 4650 kg PE /mol Ti h⋅atm and molecular weight up to 1.8·106 Da. UHMWPE powders were processed by the solid-phase method with subsequent orientation drawing into high-strength (1.4–2.1 GPa) and high-modulus (91–118 GPa) films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]