In-situ Polymerization of Polypropylene/Clay Nanocomposites in Slurry Phase Reactor

Polymer nanocomposites are a class of hybrid materials composed of an organic polymer matrix with dispersed inorganic nano fillers that have at least one dimension in the nanometer range [1- 5]. Melt intercalation is a common method to prepare polymer/clay nanocomposite. However, this promising approach is not suitable for the preparation of polyolefin nanocomposites [3-5]. Polyolefin and olefin monomers are nanpolar organic materials which cannot be easily intercalated between the lattice layers of clay, if not impossible [5, 6]. To find a practical and efficient way for preparation of polyolefin/clay nanocomposites, in this paper direct production of polypropylene/clay nanocomposite (PPCNC) with in situ polymerization of propylenemonomers by bi supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst has been presented. To prepare active catalyst, titanium tetrachloride which is known as Ziegler-Natta catalysts, was supported on the surface of montmorillonite smectite type clay and MgCl2 (ethoxide type) and then the produced catalyst was used for propylene polymerization in slurry phase