Anisotropic Supports in Metallocene-Catalyzed Polymerizations: Templates to Obtain Polyolefin Fibers

The formation of polyethylene fibers via metallocene-catalyzed polymerization using anisotropic organic supports as templates is presented. The supports are obtained by electrospinning a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol and functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles. After loading the MAO-activated metallocene on the support and olefin polymerization, the obtained catalyst system yields polyethylene fibers displaying a core-sheath structure with a controlled diameter in the range of 0.3–2 μm. This strategy represents a direct method to fabricate well-defined polyolefin fibers and mats during the polymerization without any further processing.