Preparation of nano-polyethylene fibres using TiCl₄/MCM-41 catalytic system

A novel TiCl₄/MCM-41 catalyst was prepared for ethylene polymerization. MCM-41 had one-dimension and hexagonal porous structure. With this catalytic system, the nano-polyethylene fibres could be synthesized when the active sites on the exterior of MCM-41 were destroyed by hydroxy groups in β-cyclodextrin. The diameter of the resulting fibre is about 50 nm, which suggests that TiCl₄/MCM-41 catalyst is useful for the preparation of nano-polyethylene fibres. The effect of the catalyst support MCM-41 on the melting points of the resulting PE was systematically investigated too. Compared to TiCl₄/SiO₂ catalysts, it was found that melting points and crystallinity of resulting PE prepared using TiCl₄/MCM-41 catalytic system were significantly increased. The possible formation mechanism for the resulting polyethylene fibres was proposed.