Water-soluble single-component (kappa2-N,O)-salicylaldiminato nickel-methyl complexes 1-4-L (L = TPPTS, TPPDS, H2N-PEG-OMe) allow for the catalytic polymerization of ethylene under organic solvent-free aqueous conditions producing high molecular weight polyethylene with particle sizes below 10 nm. Amphiphilic TPPDS- and H2N-PEG-OMe complexes exhibit a polymerization activity in water higher than that in toluene. A solvation-favored activation of precatalysts 1-4-L by equilibrium dissociation of L in aqueous solution likely accounts for this enhanced polymerization activity. The observed generation of a given particle by a single active site is an unprecedented mechanism for formation of aqueous particle dispersions.