Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 20, 2025

Ethylene Polymerizations Using Parallel Pressure Reactors and a Kinetic Analysis of Chain Transfer Polymerization
Published on: November 27, 2015
Gas phase polymerization of ethylene towards UHMWPE
Gözde GeÇİm1, Ertuğrul ErkoÇ1,2
11Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bursa Technical University, Bursa Turkey.
Abstract:
For the first time, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was produced in gas phase process with a new fluidized bed concept where the solids are dispersed phase and the gas is bulk phase as opposed to conventional fluidized bed reactors (FBRs). With this concept, UHMWPE with average molecular weights about 1-6,9 × 106 g mole-1 were produced with a commercial supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst by using a gas phase mini semibatch reactor system. Additionally, optimum conditions of gas phase polymerization for the best results of productivity, catalyst activity, molecular weight and crystallinity were determined by Taguchi experimental design and catalyst stability at the optimum condition was tested by video microscopy polymerization. The characterization of products was carried out experimentally by TGA, DSC, FTIR, and NMR.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

