Investigation of a zirconium compound for redox switchable ring opening polymerization

Redox switchable catalysis with a ferrocene Schiff base zirconium complex allowed the synthesis of diblock and triblock copolymers.

Formation of inorganic nanofibers by heat-treatment of poly(vinyl alcohol)-zirconium compound hybrid nanofibers

Poly(vinyl alcohol)-zirconium compound hybrid nanofibers (precursors) were formed by electrospinning employing water as a solvent for the spinning solution. The precursors were converted into oxide (ZrO2), carbide (ZrC) or nitride (ZrN) nanofibers by heating them in air, Ar or N2 atmospheres. Monoclinic ZrO2 nanofibers with high-specific surface area were obtained by heat-treatment of the precursors in air. ZrC and ZrN nanofibers could be obtained below theoretical temperatures calculated from thermodynamics data.

A Homoleptic Zirconium Complex with Four Bulky η2-Pyrazolato Ligands

Two new tetrakisη2-pyrazolato) zirconium complexes are prepared from the reaction of Zr(CH2Ph)4 with bulky pyrazolate ligands bearing indenylmethyl (HL1) or fluorenylmethyl (HL2) substituents, respectively. Zr(L2)4 has been analyzed by X-ray crystallography, which represents the first structural characterisation of a homoleptic η2-pyrazolato zirconium compound.