German researchers have successfully created a polymer nanocrystal from PE. The scientists from universities in Constance, Bayreuth, and Berlin, used a new type of catalyst to synthesize the nanocrystal as well as a combination of unique analytic tools offered by the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (Berlin / Germany; www.helmholtz-berlin.de) research centre. The crystalline nanostructure gives the polymer new properties which could be of interest for producing new types of coatings.

The synthesis was accomplished with the aid of a water-soluble catalyst which allowed for ethylene polymerisation in the aqueous phase. High polymer compounds such as PE are typically partly crystalline. They consist of lamellar-like crystals partly coated by a layer of amorphous PE which is characterised by imperfections. In the process, newly developing parts of the molecular chain are immediately incorporated into the growing crystal so that imperfections are not allowed to form, creating an ideal polymer nanocrystal. Chemically speaking, an ideal crystal is a single crystal with a perfectly regular lattice containing no impurities, imperfection or other defects. The team’s findings are being published in the current edition of the American Chemical Society’s Journal.