Preparation and properties of propylene/POSS copolymer with rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2 catalyst

An organic–inorganic hybrid copolymer was prepared by using a C2 symmetric ansa-metallocene catalyst in conjunction with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO). Two kinds of monovinyl substituted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) monomers were used to copolymerize with propylene. A special experiment was carried out in order to confirm the purification of the copolymerization products. The unreacted monomer was completely removed by washing with an n-hexane/ethanol mixture. Thermal properties of the propylene/POSS copolymers exhibited improved thermal stability with higher degradation temperature and char yields, demonstrating that the inclusion of inorganic POSS nanoparticles made the organic polymer matrix more thermally robust.