Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) Blends

Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Copolymerized with Various Amounts of Isosorbide

Poly(ethylene-co-isosorbide terephthalate) (PEIT) copolyesters could be used in various applications depending on their ability to crystallize. Moreover, the possibility to carry out solid-state post-condensation (SSP) is conditioned by its ability to sufficiently crystallize. The present study, thus, gives a systematic investigation of isothermal crystallization of these statistical copolyesters with isosorbide contents ranging from 4.8 to 20.8 mol.%. For each copolyester composition, the lowest isothermal half crystallization times and the highest Avrami constant (K) were obtained around 170 °C. Over the range of composition that was studied, both melting points and melting enthalpies decreased with increasing amounts of isosorbide (from 250 to 207 °C and from 55 to 28 J/g, respectively). On the contrary, half crystallization time displayed an exponential increase when increasing isosorbide contents in the studied range. Finally, structural and thermal analysis of PIT homopolyester are reported for the first time, showing that only ET moieties crystallized when PEIT was subjected to isothermal crystallization at 170 °C.

Mechanical and thermal properties of polybutylene terephthalate/ethylene-vinyl acetate blends using vane extruder

The poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blends with different contents of EVA were prepared by an vane extruder. From the observation of morphologies, impact strength and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the EVA particles were well dispersed in the PBT matrix and improved the impact strength of PBT. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements demonstrate that there is little diversification in the crystal structure and type. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that as the weight fraction of EVA increases, the thermal stability of composite is enhanced. The rheological analyses indicate that the PBT/EVA blends follow a non-Newtonian behavior and viscosities of the blends are drastically lower than that of pure PBT at higher frequencies. The storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of the blends monotonously increase as the frequency rises. This work provides a novel method to develop blends with excellent performance.

Improving the properties of recycled PET/PEN blends by using different chain extenders

The main aim of this study was to improve the mechanical properties of the recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (r-PET/PEN) blends by enhancing the miscibility between PET and PEN with the usage of chain extenders. This idea was novel for the recycled PET-based r-PET/PEN blends, as investigation of the effects of the chain extender usage on the properties of r-PET/PEN blends has not been studied in the literature, according to our knowledge. 1,4-Phenylene-bis-oxazoline (PBO), 1,4-phenylene-di-isocyanate (PDI), and triphenyl phosphite (TPP) were selected as chain extenders. The maximum tensile strength value was observed for the 1.0PDI sample. Moreover, PDI-based blends exhibited better Izod impact strength when compared with all other samples. The miscibility and degree of crystallinity values of all blends were discussed by means of thermal analysis. 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis was carried out to determine transesterification reaction levels. According to 1H-NMR results, the increase in the level of transesterification was around 40% with the usage of PDI. The optimum loading level for selected chain extenders was determined as 1 wt.%, and PDI-based blends exhibited better properties when compared with those of the blends based on PBO and TPP at this loading level.

Confined crystallization in phase-separated poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6-dicarboxilate) blends

The isothermal cold crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) in cryogenic mechanical alloyed blends of PET and Poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6-dicarboxilate)(PEN) 1:1 by weight has been investigated by simultaneous small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) and dielectric spectroscopy (DS). For transesterification levels higher than 23% the blends tend to transform into a one-phase system and the crystallization of PET is strongly inhibited due to the significant reduction of the PET segment length. For lower levels of transesterification the blends are phase separated and the overall crystallization behaviour can be explained considering the confined nature of the PET domains in these blends. The formation of a rigid amorphous phase in the intra-lamellar stack amorphous regions is reduced in the blends due to a lower probability of stack formation in the confined PET-rich domains. The more effective filling of the space by the lamellar crystals in the blends provokes a stronger restriction to the amorphous phase mobility of PET in the blends than in pure PET.