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In Situ synthesis of inorganic filler‐filled polyethylene using polyethersulfone‐supported TiCl 4 catalyst system
Author(s) -
Rajesh Smitha,
Parikh Parimal A.,
Murthy Z. V. P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.32768
Subject(s) - crystallinity , materials science , thermogravimetric analysis , polyethylene , polymer , dispersion (optics) , filler (materials) , composite material , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , chemical engineering , catalysis , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , optics , engineering
In situ ethylene polymerizations with inorganic fillers were performed using catalyst based on titanium tetrachloride supported on polyethersulfone. The inorganic fillers used were MgO, TiO 2 , and CaCO 3 , which were pretreated with cocatalyst (methylaluminoxine) for better dispersion onto the polymer matrix. The formation of polyethylene (PE) within the whole matrix was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared studies. The wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction profile of the synthesized PEs indicated the presence of crystalline region. It was found that the nature of inorganic filler did not have any remarkable effect on the melting characteristics of the polymer, but the degree of crystallinity of PE was found to be higher for TiO 2 ‐filled PE. The amount of filler incorporated into the matrix was also evaluated through thermogravimetric analysis, where TiO 2 ‐filled PE showed ∼ 49% of filler material, which was also reflected in the higher productivity obtained by this system. The morphology of the filler‐filled PEs was different, whereas the elemental dispersion was found to be uniform on the surface as elucidated through energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011