Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemical Engineering King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran 31261 Saudi Arabia
2. Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining and Advance Chemicals The Research Institute King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran 31261 Saudi Arabia
Abstract
AbstractHexagonal boron nitride (hBN), also known as white graphene, has recently gained larger attention due to its unique physical and chemical properties. Owing to its excellent thermal conductivity and stability, hBN has been reported as an effective filler in many polymers. This study explores the potential of hBN as a catalyst support and filler for olefin polymerization. We report the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of γ‐Al2O3 on hydroxyl‐functionalized hBN. The alumina precursor, methylaluminoxane, showed high selectivity, depositing Al species only on the B‐OH sites, while B−O‐O−B sites remained unreacted. The hBN/γ‐Al2O3 hybrid was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐Ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The deposition of the aluminum over the hBN sheets was confirmed. The hBN/γ‐Al2O3 was used as a support for metallocene catalysts. The supported catalyst complex was highly active and produced ethylene‐propylene polymers with molecular weights up to 10 times higher, as demonstrated by gel permeation chromatography (GPC)