Preparation of polyolefin/2D-nanosheet Nanocomposites via reactor mixing; Polyethylene composites using masterbatch

Polyethylene/modified 2D-nanosheets composites were fabricated via the masterbatch technique which was synthesized by reactor mixing under mild conditions using (n-BuCp)2ZrCl2/methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst. The 2D-nanosheets were modified with octadecylamine (ODA) for enhancement of dispersion and interaction with the polymer matrix. Microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties of composites were examined. The modified 2D-nanosheets were homogeneously dispersed across the composites and showed good interfacial adhesion between the modified 2D-nanosheets and polyethylene matrix. The thermal stabilities and mechanical properties of composites were significantly enhanced (e.g., up to 15% increase in tensile strength and 100% increase in Young's modulus for composites containing 5 wt% 2D-nanosheets). Thus, the masterbatch technique was able to produce high-performance polyolefins.