The present disclosure provides borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having branched alkyl groups, catalyst systems comprising, and methods for polymerizing olefins using such activators. Specifically, the present disclosure provides activator compounds represented by Formula: [R.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3EH].sub.d.sup.+[M.sup.k+Q.sub.n].sup.d−, wherein: E is nitrogen or phosphorous; d is 1, 2 or 3; k is 1, 2, or 3; n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; n−k=d; each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is independently C.sub.1-C.sub.40 branched or linear alkyl or C.sub.5-C.sub.50-aryl, wherein each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is independently unsubstituted or substituted with at least one of halide, C.sub.5-C.sub.50 aryl, C.sub.6-C.sub.35 arylalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.35 alkylaryl and, in the case of the C.sub.5-C.sub.50-aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.50 alkyl; wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 together comprise 15 or more carbon atoms; M is an element selected from group 13 of the Periodic Table of the Elements; and each Q is independently a hydride, bridged or unbridged dialkylamido, halide, alkoxide, aryloxide, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, halocarbyl, substituted halocarbyl, or halosubstituted-hydrocarbyl radical, provided that at least one of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is a branched alkyl.

The present disclosure provides borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having branched alkyl groups, catalyst systems comprising, and methods for polymerizing olefins using such activators. Specifically, the present disclosure provides activator compounds represented by Formula: [R.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3EH].sub.d.sup.+[M.sup.k+Q.sub.n].sup.d−, wherein: E is nitrogen or phosphorous; d is 1, 2 or 3; k is 1, 2, or 3; n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; n−k=d; each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is independently C.sub.1-C.sub.40 branched or linear alkyl or C.sub.5-C.sub.50-aryl, wherein each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is independently unsubstituted or substituted with at least one of halide, C.sub.5-C.sub.50 aryl, C.sub.6-C.sub.35 arylalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.35 alkylaryl and, in the case of the C.sub.5-C.sub.50-aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.50 alkyl; wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 together comprise 15 or more carbon atoms; M is an element selected from group 13 of the Periodic Table of the Elements; and each Q is independently a hydride, bridged or unbridged dialkylamido, halide, alkoxide, aryloxide, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, halocarbyl, substituted halocarbyl, or halosubstituted-hydrocarbyl radical, provided that at least one of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is a branched alkyl.

The present disclosure provides methods for producing an olefin polymer including: i) contacting alpha-olefin with a first catalyst system comprising a first non-metallocene catalyst, a first activator, and a reversible chain transfer agent to form a first polymer; ii) contacting the first polymer with a coupling agent in the presence of a catalyst, an activator; and iii) obtaining a second polymer. The present disclosure further provides polymers having a g′vis value from about 0.4 to about 0.8 and a vinyl unsaturation content of 0.8 or greater vinyls/1000 carbons, and preferably low gel content.

The present disclosure provides borate activators comprising cations having linear alkyl groups, catalyst systems comprising, and processes for polymerizing olefins using such activators. Specifically, the present disclosure provides polymerization activator compounds which may be prepared in, and which are soluble in aliphatic hydrocarbon and alicyclic hydrocarbon solvents.

The present disclosure provides catalyst systems having a bridged metallocene compound and a transition metal pyridyldiamide compound for use in alkene polymerization to produce multimodal polyolefins, such as multimodal ethylene, propylene, diene monomer copolymers. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides for polyolefins and processes for producing a polyolefin composition including contacting at least one olefin with a catalyst system of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure provides a catalyst system having a salan catalyst compound and borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having alkyl groups and methods for polymerizing olefins using such catalyst systems. In still another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a polymerization process comprising a) contacting one or more olefin monomers with a catalyst system comprising: i) an activator as described herein, ii) a catalyst compound as described herein, and iii) optional support.

The present disclosure provides a catalyst system having a salan catalyst compound and borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having alkyl groups and methods for polymerizing olefins using such catalyst systems. In still another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a polymerization process comprising a) contacting one or more olefin monomers with a catalyst system comprising: i) an activator as described herein, ii) a catalyst compound as described herein, and iii) optional support.

The present disclosure provides a catalyst system having a Group 15 catalyst compound and borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having alkyl groups and methods for polymerizing olefins using such catalyst systems. In still another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a polymerization process comprising a) contacting one or more olefin monomers with a catalyst system comprising: i) an activator as described herein, ii) a catalyst compound as described herein, and iii) optional support.

The present disclosure provides a catalyst system having a Group 15 catalyst compound and borate or aluminate activators comprising cations having alkyl groups and methods for polymerizing olefins using such catalyst systems. In still another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a polymerization process comprising a) contacting one or more olefin monomers with a catalyst system comprising: i) an activator as described herein, ii) a catalyst compound as described herein, and iii) optional support.

Embodiments of this disclosure include processes of polymerizing olefins, the process comprising contacting ethylene and a (C.sub.3-C.sub.40)alpha-olefin comonomer in the presence of a catalyst system, the catalyst system comprising a Group IV metal-ligand complex and a metallic activator ionic complex, the metallic activator ionic complex comprising an anion and a countercation, the anion having a structure according to formula (I):