Up until the 1950’s the only type of polyethylene produced was low density
polyethylene. Low Density polyethylene was being produced at extremely high pressures. This high-pressure polymerization created polyethylene with many branches; the branches are created due to intermolecular and intramolecular chain transfer during polymerization. The mechanism for the polymerization of low-density polyethylene is free radical polymerization. The uses of low-density polyethylene are limited due to high number of branches. Because of the extreme pressure needed to create low density polyethylene and its limited uses, Karl Ziegler was trying to create polyethylene at atmospheric pressure. Karl Ziegler, a German scientist, made the greatest contribution to producing high-density polyethylene.
