Enhanced properties of polyethylene through in situ polymerization with siloxene‐supported vanadium‐based catalysts

Abstract

Two‐dimensional (2D) inorganic fillers can significantly improve the properties of polyolefins and broaden their application areas. In this study, high‐performance polyethylene (PE)/siloxene nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization using layered siloxene‐supported vanadium (V)‐based catalysts. The siloxene‐supported V‐based catalysts have highly dispersed active sites and excellent catalytic performance for ethylene polymerization compared to VOCl3 catalysts. The catalytic activity of the siloxene‐supported V‐based catalysts for the polymerization of ethylene was significantly better than that of the VOCl3 catalysts at the same catalyst feed. During in situ polymerization, the layered siloxene fillers exhibited uniform dispersion in the PE matrix. Moreover, the addition of a very small amount (1.12 wt%) of siloxene filler significantly improved the thermal stability and mechanical performance of PE. Therefore, this study presents an effective method to fabricate PE with excellent properties.