Functional polyethylene composites prepared via polymerization of ethylene with opal‐immobilized zirconocene complex

Abstract An opal‐supported zirconocene complex (OC) was prepared and employed to prepare functional polyethylene composite for the first time through in situ polymerization of ethylene. The formation mechanism of anion relating to opal was explained and the values of anions released from pristine opal and that contained in the as‐fabricated polyethylene composites were detected. The OC exhibited high catalytic activities in ethylene polymerization with methylaluminoxane (MAO) the cocatalyst. In addition to higher viscosity‐average molecular weights (M_η), experimental results also showed that the resulting polyethylene composites possessed improved anion‐releasing capacity in comparison with pristine opal in addition to increased tensile strength, Young's modulus, and onset decomposition temperature (T_onset) relative to neat polyethylene due to highly uniform dispersion of opal in polyethylene matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers