Method to produce ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

The method to produce ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) incorporates tungsten-doped titania (TiO2/W) nanofiller during the ethylene polymerization process. The UHMWPE possesses improved mechanical and thermal properties. The process for producing the UHMWPE includes contacting ethylene under polymerization conditions with a polymerization catalyst (a vanadium (III) complex bearing bidentate salicylaldiminato ligands) in the presence of TiO2/W nanofiller and a co-catalyst in a reactor. The reactor is charged with solvent (e.g., toluene) and heated to a temperature suitable for polymerization, e.g., about 30° C. Following heating, the ethylene monomer is fed into the reactor and allowed to saturate for at least 10 minutes, and a methyl aluminum dichloride co-catalyst (MADC) is added to initiate polymerization of ethylene. Polymerization is quenched by adding methanol containing HCl incorporated with titania-tungsten nanofillers, which is then washed and dried to yield UHMWPE.