Polymerization process for making a polyethylene nanocomposite

Polymerization process for forming a high-density polyethylene nanocomposite by polymerizing a mixture of ethylene and a calcium zirconate nanofiller, comprising:

• adding a zirconocene catalyst, the calcium zirconate nanofiller and a solvent to a reactor;
• mixing the zirconocene catalyst and the calcium zirconate nanofiller in the solvent;
• injecting ethylene into the reactor until absorption of ethylene is no longer observed:
• followed by
• adding a methylaluminoxane cocatalyst into the reactor to from a catalyst mixture;
• then
• polymerizing the ethylene by pressurizing the reactor with ethylene and maintaining a pressure of 1-1.5 bar to form a polymerization mixture:
• then
• adding methanol to the polymerization mixture to quench the polymerization mixture and to form a quenched polymerization mixture;
• then
• washing the quenched polymerization mixture with methanol and drying under vacuum to form the high-density polyethylene nanocomposite;
• wherein the calcium zirconate nanofiller is dispersed in a polyethylene matrix of the high-density polyethylene nanocomposite, and
• the calcium zirconate nanofiller is not a support material for the zirconocene catalyst.