Disentangled ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (d-UHMWPE) solves the problem of the difficult processing of traditional UHMWPE caused by entanglements between molecular chains. In this review, we look into the innovative realm of nascent disentangled UHMWPE, concentrating on the recent advances achieved through the in situ polymerization of ethylene by single-site catalysts. The effect of single-site catalysts and polymerization conditions on the molecular characteristics is discussed in detail from the perspective of mechanism and DFT calculations. The key factors to low entanglement are revealed, which have instructive implications for the development of new single-site catalytic systems that can generate d-UHMWPE more efficiently and become closer to industrial production. The progress in the preparation for nascent d-UHMWPE with homogeneous and heterogeneous single-site catalysts is systematically reviewed. Rheology and DSC can be used to characterize the degree of entanglement. High-modulus and high-strength biaxial films, tapes, and fibers are obtained by the solid-state processing of these nascent d-UHMWPE.

Inorganic layered compounds are an important part of organic-inorganic functional nanocomposites and offer plentiful opportunities and possibilities for synthesizing new-style multifunctional materials because they could be intercalated, exfoliated, and swollen. In recent years, as inorganic layered materials with photoluminescence, layered rare earth hydroxides (LRHs) have been extensively studied. Due to their rich functionalization ways, they have been applied or shown potential application value in many fields such as pollution detection, biomedicine, photoelectric energy storage, and so on. On account of the basic physical and chemical properties, the basic structures of LRHs may be regulated through exfoliation and intercalation, which provides more possibilities for synthesizing new multifunctional composite materials and broadening and updating their application fields. In this paper, LRHs are extracted from inorganic layered compounds, and the structure, synthesis, research progress, and application of LRHs are summarized in detail, which lays a great theoretical foundation for further exploration and optimization of the application as a composite functional material in industry, medicine, detection, optoelectronics, and other fields.

Metallocene catalysts have attracted much attention from academia and industry for their excellent catalytic activity in the field of olefin polymerization. Cocatalysts play a key role in metallocene catalytic systems, which can not only affect the overall catalytic activity, but also have an obvious influence on the structure and properties of the polymer. Although methylaluminoxane (MAO) is currently the most widely used cocatalyst, its price increases the production cost of polyolefin materials. Ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate has shown excellent performance in polymerization, being one of the best substitutes for the traditional cocatalyst MAO. Compared with the main catalyst, whose composition and structure are relatively complex, the research on cocatalyst is very limited. This review mainly introduces the research history, preparation methods, and application progress in polymerization of ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, deepening our understanding of the role of cocatalyst in polymerization, with the hope of inspiring brand-new thinking on improving and enhancing the overall performance of catalyst systems.

Metallocene catalysts, renowned for their exceptional activity, have drawn widespread attention in academia and industry for polymerization. Additionally, cocatalysts are pivotal in metallocene systems, significantly influencing both catalytic activity and polymer structure/properties. Perfluoroaryl borates have demonstrated excellent performance in polymerization reactions and are among the best alternatives to the traditional cocatalyst MAO. Moreover, they are also an excellent candidate for photoinitiators, which further proves its broad application potential in the field of polymerization. However, related review reports on it are currently relatively scarce. This article discusses the applications in polymerization reactions of novel perfluoroaryl borates, such as iodonium borates, oxonium borates, sulfonium borates, lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate – ethyl ether complex, and so on. It deepens our understanding of the role of perfluoroaryl borates in polymerization and opens up new ideas for expanding their diverse applications in the field of polymerization.