Effect of titanium nanofiller on the productivity and crystallinity of ethylene and propylene copolymer

Abstract

Abstract Bis(cyclopentadienyl) zirconium (IV) dichloride of empirical formula C10 H10 Cl2 Zr was used as a catalyst. Doped titania with iron (TiO2/Fe) nanofillers were used to study the effect of nanofillers on ethylene homopolymer and ethylene/propylene copolymer properties. Using titanium dioxide doped with iron (TiO2/Fe) resulted in the increase in the molecular weight (Mw) of polyethylene and ethylene/propylene copolymer nanocomposites of up to 80% when compared to the neat polymer. The catalyst activity was increased by using TiO2/Fe nanofiller for both ethylene polymerization and ethylene/propylene copolymerization. Besides the investigation of the catalyst activity and the molecular weight (Mw) of the obtained polymer, molecular weight distribution, copolymer composition, crystallinity and thermal characteristics of polyethylene and polyethylene/polypropylene nanocomposites were also studied. Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of polyethylene and polyethylene/polypropylene nanocomposites fits well with the Avrami-Erofeev model.