Catalytic grafting: A new technique for polymer–fiber composites I. Polyethylene–asbestos composites

In this work we present a new technique to prepare polyolefin-fiber composites. This technique is based on chemical anchoring of a catalyst on reinforcing agents containing OH groups on their surface and then conducting an olefin polymerization on the supported catalyst. This technique offers the possibility to approach the challenging problems encountered in polymer composites, namely, the reinforcement-matrix adhesion, the dispersion, and the wetting of the reinforcement by the resin. As a first part of a systematic research, we report on the procedure of fixation of titanium tetrachloride on the surface of asbestos fibers and the Ziegler-Natta polymerization of ethylene on the surface-modified fibers. The procedure as well as the structure and properties of the composite were investigated by means of FTIR, atomic absorption, SEM, solvent extraction, and tensile testing. The experimental results show that the Ziegler-Natta catalyst can be efficiently anchored on the surface of the fibers to conduct successful polymerization and to “synthesize” a new class of polymer composites.