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Preparation and properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/inorganic whiskers composites
Author(s) -
Li Nan,
Luo Ping,
Liu Kai,
Chen Li,
Wang Ke,
Chen Feng,
Fu Qiang
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.33729
Subject(s) - whiskers , materials science , whisker , composite material , crystallization , ultimate tensile strength , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , glass transition , nucleation , crystallinity , polymer , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
To improve the crystallization and mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), in this work, PET/SiO 2 ‐MgO‐CaO whiskers composites were prepared via in situ polymerization. The morphology, crystallization, and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were investigated. It was found that inorganic whiskers could be easily dispersed in PET matrix, as demonstrated by SEM and PLM. DSC and PLM observation indicated a strong nucleation capability of inorganic whiskers for PET. Mechanical analysis results showed that the glass transition temperature, tensile strength, and modulus of the composites were greatly improved. A possible chemical bonding between PET chains and the surface of whiskers was observed by FTIR, TGA, and sedimentation experiment. It could be the main reason for the good dispersion and improved properties of the prepared composites. This work is important for the application of PET due to the low cost but high reinforcing efficiency of this inorganic whisker. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011