Synthesis and properties of polyethylene/TiO 2 nanocomposites using a vanadium catalyst

In this study, a vanadium (III) complex bearing a salicylaldiminato ligand of the general formula [RN=CH(2,4‐ t Bu 2 C 6 H 2 O)]VCl 2 (THF) 2 , where R = 2,6‐ i Pr 2 C 6 H 3 , was used as a catalyst. Titanium dioxide doped with iron nanofillers was synthesized by a sol‐gel process and used to investigate the effect of nanofillers on ethylene homopolymer and ethylene/propylene copolymer properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time titanium dioxide doped with iron has been used as a nanofiller in ethylene polymerization and ethylene/propylene copolymerization using a vanadium complex with methyl aluminum dichloride as a cocatalyst. Besides catalyst activity, the molecular mass ( M w ) of the obtained polymer, molecular mass distribution, copolymer composition, crystallinity, and thermal characteristics of polyethylene and polyethylene/polypropylene nanocomposites were investigated.