| Abstract: | The improvement in oxygen barrier properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by incorporation of an impermeable phase such as crystallinity or talc platelets was examined. Crystallinity was induced by crystallization from the glassy state (cold crystallization). Microlayering was used to create talc‐filled structures with controlled layer architecture. The reduction of permeability in crystallized and talc‐filled PET was well described by Nielsen's model. Changes in permeability of crystalline PET could not be ascribed to the filler effect of crystallites only. Our data on solubility, obtained on the basis of measurements of the oxygen transport coefficients, confirmed a previous finding that the amorphous phase density of PET decreases upon crystallization. The data were amenable to interpretation by free volume theory. Talc‐filled materials processed by different methods showed the same permeability; however, much better mechanical properties were achieved by microlayering. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 847–857, 1999 |
