A full
elucidation of chemisorbed donor behavior is of fundamental
importance for tailoring the active species but has not yet been achieved
for Ziegler–Natta catalysts. Herein, by exploiting the self-nucleation
of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) molecules, we present
porous microspheres assembled from rhombic MgCl2 nanocrystals
with layered laterals. The as-formed POSS–MgCl2 aggregation,
after immobilization of TiCl4, shows considerable catalytic
activity toward ethylene polymerization, synthesizing ultrahigh molecular
weight polyethylene with enhanced processability and mechanical properties
as well as reduced entanglement. By tracing catalyst synthesis and
titanium activation with in situ spectroscopy, surface approaches,
and density functional theory calculations, we acquired fundamental
insight into the active role of THF on the MgCl2 surface.
We experimentally demonstrate (i) the full coverage of THF on the
lateral surfaces of MgCl2 crystals; (ii) the partial desorption
and migration of THF on the surfaces owing to its high mobility, resulting
in the regeneration of unsaturated Mg2+ sites and the subsequent
formation of TiCl4–THF complexes during titanation;
and (iii) the active participation of THF in the final active sites
(i.e., after activation). The whole data set clearly demonstrates
that the dynamic adsorption of donors directly affects the structure
and performance of the active species, offering a perspective on the
interactions between donors and other components.