Thermal and crystallization characteristics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene naphthalate) blends

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) blends were miscible in the amorphous state in all of the blend compositions studied, as evidenced by a single, composition-dependent glass transition temperature (T_g) observed for each blend composition. The variation in the T_g value with the blend composition was well predicted by the Gordon-Taylor equation, with the fitting parameter being 0.57. The cold-crystallization peak temperature decreased with increasing PTT content, while the melt-crystallization peak temperature decreased with increasing amount of the minor component. The subsequent melting behavior after both cold- and melt-crystallization exhibited melting point depression, in which the observed melting temperatures decreased with increasing amount of the minor component. During melt-crystallization, both components in the blends crystallized concurrently just to form their own crystals. The blend with 60% w/w of PTT exhibited the lowest total apparent degree of crystallinity.     

Miscibility of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) blends by transesterification

The effects of transesterification on the miscibility of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) were studied. Blends were obtained by solution precipitation at room temperature to avoid transesterification during blend preparation. The physical blends and transesterified products were analyzed by wide-angle x-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It was found that the physical blends are immiscible and when the extent of transesterification reaches 50% of the completely randomized state, independent of blend composition, the blends are not crystallizable and show a single glass transition temperature between those of starting polymers. The interchange reactions were significantly influenced by annealing temperature and time but negligibly by blend composition. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) blends

The glass-transition temperature and non-isothermal crystallization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PTT/PEN) blends were investigated by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results suggested that the binary blends showed different crystallization and melting behaviors due to their different component of PTT and PEN. All of the samples exhibited a single glass-transition temperature, indicating that the component PTT and PEN were miscible in amorphous phase. The value of T_g predicted well by Gordon-Taylor equation decreased gradually with increasing of PTT content. The commonly used Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny, Ozawa theory and the method developed by Mo were used, respectively, to fit the primary stage of non-isothermal crystallization. The kinetic parameters suggested that the PTT content improved the crystallization of PEN in the binary blend. The crystallization growth dimension, crystallization rate and the degree of crystallinity of the blends were increased with the increasing content of PTT. The effective activation energy calculated by the advanced iso-conversional method developed by Vyazovkin also concluded that the value of E_a depended not only on the system but also on temperature, that is, the binary blend with more PTT component had higher crystallization ability and the crystallization ability is increased with increasing temperature. The kinetic parameters U^* and K_g were also determined, respectively, by the Hoffman-Lauritzen theory.     

Miscibility and thermal properties of melt‐mixed poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/amorphous copolyester blends

This work examined the miscibility, crystallization kinetics, and melting behavior of melt‐mixed poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly(ethylene‐co‐cyclohexane 1,4‐dimethanol terephthalate) (PETG) blends. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction techniques were used to approach the goals. The single composition‐dependent glass‐transition temperatures of the blends and the equilibrium melting temperature (T) depression of PTT in the blends indicated the miscible characteristic of the blend system at all compositions. T of pure PTT, determined with a conventional extrapolative method, was 525.8 K. Furthermore, the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter was estimated to be ?0.38. The dynamic and isothermal crystallization abilities of PTT were hindered by the incorporation of PETG. A complex melting behavior was observed for pure PTT and its blends. The observed complex melting behavior resulted mainly from the recrystallization and/or reorganization of the originally formed crystals during the heating scans. For the samples crystallized under the same conditions, the degree of recrystallization and/or reorganization declined with increasing PETG contents in the blends. The preliminary results obtained from the DSC experiments suggested that untraceable interchange reactions occurred in the studied blends. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2264–2274, 2003     

Effect of small amount of poly(ethylene naphthalate) on isothermal crystallization and spherulitic morphology of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The effect of a small amount of poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) in its blends with poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) on isothermal melt-crystallization kinetics and spherulitic morphology of the blends was thoroughly investigated. The maximum PEN content in the blends was 9 wt%. Due to the single composition-dependent glass transition temperature (T_g) that was observed for each blend, these blends appeared to be miscible in the amorphous state. After isothermal crystallization from the melt state, the neat PTT and its blends with PEN exhibited either double or triple melting endotherms. The triple endothermic peaks were observed in both the neat PTT and the blends when being crystallized at crystallization temperatures (T_c) of less than or equal to 195 °C. The equilibrium melting temperature () for the neat PTT was determined based on the linear Hoffman–Weeks extrapolative method to be 248 °C. Such values for the blends were found to decrease with the addition and increasing amount of PEN. Both the neat PTT and the blends were isothermally crystallized over the T_c range of 190–205 °C. At a given T_c, the 97PTT/3PEN blend exhibited a half-time of crystallization (t_0.5) value that was lower, while it exhibited reciprocal half-time (), Avrami rate constant (K_A), and spherulitic growth rate (G) values that were greater, than those of the neat PTT. With further increase in the PEN content, the t_0.5 value increased, while the , K_A, and G values decreased. Analysis of the G values based on the Lauritzen–Hoffman's (LH) secondary nucleation theory showed that the neat PTT and the 91PTT/9PEN blend exhibited a regime II→III transition at 194 °C (467.2 K), while no regime transition was observed for the other two blends. The lateral and the fold surface free energies (σ and σ_e) and the work of chain folding (q) for the neat PTT and the blends were 19.4, 30.2–46.3 erg cm⁻², and 2.4–3.6 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. Lastly, the effect of both the T_c and the PEN content on morphology and texture of the PTT spherulites was also investigated and the results showed that the texture of the spherulites became coarser with increasing T_c and PEN content.     

Synthesis,morphology, and nonisothermal crystallization behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(propylene glycol) segmented random copolymers

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(propylene glycol) (PTT/PPG) segmented random copolymers were synthesized by melt copolycondensation. The weight fraction of PPG blocks was ranged from 12.1 to 33.4 wt%, which was confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The result of wide‐angle X‐ray diffractometer indicated that all copolymers had the same crystal structure of PTT homopolymer at room temperature. At a determined crystallization temperature, ring‐banded spherulites could be observed in all copolymers samples, and the band spacing increased with the increase of PPG content. Morphologies of copolymers after nonisothermal crystallization process were strongly depended on the cooling rate. Well‐defined ring‐banded spherulites can be observed only at moderate cooling (20°C/min), while it was really hard to be observed at too low (2.5°C/min) or too high (by air‐quenching) cooling rate. Moreover, the size of spherulites decreased with the increase of cooling rate. Finally, different nonisothermal crystallization kinetics were adopt to analyze this copolymer system, and only the Mo method was suitable to describe this copolymer system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergistic mechanical behaviour and improved processability of poly(ether imide) by blending with poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

Fully miscible poly(ether imide) (PEI)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) blends were obtained by melt mixing in an extruder followed by injection moulding. The viscosity of PEI, represented by the pressure at the extruder output, almost halved upon the addition of only 10% PTT, allowing the use of PEI in applications where either complex parts or thin sections must be moulded. The modulus of elasticity showed a synergistic behaviour which was absolute (modulus higher than that of any of the two components) in the blend with 10% PTT. This was attributed mainly to the decrease in specific volume upon blending. The additional absolute synergism in the yield stress of PEI‐rich blends and their ductile nature depict a set of properties that make these new materials attractive in a number of new applications. Copyright ­© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of annealing on the crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate blends

The effect of annealing on the morphology and subsequent crystallization kinetics of poly (ethylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate blends have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). During annealing transesterification and phase coarsening occurred, and the final properties were compromizes between these two competing effects. Initially, the effect of phase separation dominated and the rate of cold crystallization of PET increased. Transesterification, however, became increasingly important and the rate of crystallization decreased progressively until finally the blend completely lost the ability to crystallize. At this stage in the reaction a single glass transition was observed and uniform glassy material observed in the SEM. The maximum crystallinity of the blend achieved on heating showed the same trend in first increasing and then decreasing with annealing time. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2129–2136, 2004     

Influence of compatibilization on the mechanical behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene-octene) blends

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) based blends toughened with up to 30 wt.% of a partially maleinized poly(ethylene-octene) copolymer (mPEO) were obtained by melt mixing. The blends were composed of two pure amorphous phases and a partially crystalline PEO phase. The rubber modification clearly compatibilized the blends leading to a decrease in the dispersed phase size. The decrease was not enough to attain the brittle-tough transition, but an increase in the shear rate gave rise to an additional decrease in the dispersed phase size and in the interparticle distance (IDc) that led to very high toughness values (15-fold the notched impact strength of the matrix) at rubber contents above 25 wt.%. The critical interparticle distance of the blends was 0.17 μm. A comparison between this IDc and those of PBT/mPEO and PET/mPEO blends was explained in terms of their interfacial tensions.     

NMR study of ester-interchange reactions during melt mixing of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(butylene terephthalate) blends

The occurrence of ester-interchange reactions during PET/PBT blend processing has been confirmed by ¹³C-NMR measurements. The limitations of the method for precise quantification of the extent of reaction between high molecular weight polyester blends have also been pointed out. Titanium alkoxide has been confirmed as an efficient catalyst, and, within experimental precision, the stabilizing effect of triphenyl phosphite addition has been demonstrated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Miscibility and compatibilization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene blends

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PTT/ABS) blends were prepared by melt processing with and without epoxy or styrene-butadiene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SBM) as a reactive compatibilizer. The miscibility and compatibilization of the PTT/ABS blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), capillary rheometer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The existence of two separate composition-dependent glass transition temperatures (T_gs) indicates that PTT is partially miscible with ABS over the entire composition range. In the presence of the compatibilizer, both the cold crystallization and glass transition temperatures of the PTT phase shifted to higher temperatures, indicating their compatibilization effects on the blends.The PTT/ABS blends exhibited typical pseudoplastic flow behavior. The rheological behavior of the epoxy compatibilized PTT/ABS blends showed an epoxy content-dependence. In contrast, when the SBM content was increased from 1 wt% to 5 wt%, the shear viscosities of the PTT/ABS blends increased and exhibited much clearer shear thinning behavior at higher shear rates. The SEM micrographs of the epoxy or SBM compatibilized PTT/ABS blends showed a finer morphology and better adhesion between the phases.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) under the influence of self-seeding nucleation

The effect of self-seeding nucleation on the crystallization behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) was studied. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the crystallization temperature of PTT notably increased after self-seeding nucleation. Avrami equation was applied in the analysis of the isothermal crystallization process of PTT. The resulting average value of the Avrami exponent at n = 3.34 suggests that primary crystallization may correspond to a three-dimensional spherulitic growth. Self-seeding nucleation, leading to a decrease in active energy for crystallization and chain folding work, promotes the overall crystallization process of PTT. Translated from Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2006, (3): 414–417 (in Chinese)     

Thermal oxidation of blends of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Thermal oxidation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and its blends with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were studied using oxygen uptake measurements. The rates of oxidation and maximum oxygen uptake contents were reduced as the content of PMMA was increased in the blends. The results were indicative of a stabilizing effect by PMMA on the oxidation of PEO. The oxidation reaction at 140°C was stopped at various stages and PMMA was separated from PEO and its molecular weights were measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The decrease in the number-average molecular weight of PMMA was larger as the content of PEO increased in the blends. The visual appearance of the films suggested that phase separation did not occur after thermal oxidation. The activation energy for the rates of oxidation in the blends was slightly increased compared to pure PEO. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and properties of new polyester elastomers composed of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene oxide)

Series of PTT-b-PEO copolymers with different composition of rigid PTT and PEO flexible segments were synthesized from dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), 1,3-propanediol (PDO), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, M_n = 1000 g/mol) in a two stage process involving transesterification and polycondensation in the melt. The weight fraction of flexible segments was varied between 20 and 70 wt%. The molecular structure of synthesized copolymers was confirmed by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The superstructure of these polymers was characterized by DSC, DMTA, WAXS and SAXS measurements. It was observed that domains of three types can exist in PTT-b-PEOT copolymers: semi-crystalline PTT, amorphous PEO rich phase (amorphous PEO/PTT blended phase) and semi-crystalline PEO phase. Semi-crystalline PEO phase was observed only at temperature below 0 °C for sample containing the highest concentration of PEO segment. The phase structure, thermal and mechanical properties are effected by copolymer composition. The copolymers containing 30÷70 wt% of PEO segment posses good thermoplastic elastomers properties with high thermal stability. Hardness and tensile strength rise with increase of PTT content in copolymers.     

Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics and spherulite morphology of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The nonisothermal melt crystallization behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) was investigated using the DSC technique. PTT peak exothermic crystallization temperature was found to move to lower temperatures as the cooling rate was increased. The modified Avrami equation exponent, n, was 4 when the cooling rates were between 5 and 15 °C/min, indicating a thermal nucleation and a three-dimensional spherical growth mechanism. When the cooling rate was increased to 25 °C/min, n gradually decreased to near 3, implying the nucleation mechanism changed to an athermal mode. PTT nonisothermal crystallization behavior could also be analyzed using the Ozawa equation and the combined equations of Ozawa and Avrami with very good fit of the data.PTT spherulite morphologies and the sign of the birefringence depended strongly on the spherulite's growth temperature. When the growth temperature was decreased from 222 to 170 °C, the spherulite changed from a saturation-type dendritic morphology to one with a colorful banded texture; the sign of the birefringence also changed in the following order: from a weakly positive spherulite → mixed spherulite → weakly negative spherulite → negative spherulite → positive spherulite → negative spherulite → positive spherulite.     

Morphology development and crystallization behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/phenoxy blend

The morphological development and crystallization behavior of a poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(hydroxyl ether of bisphenol A) (phenoxy) blend were studied with time‐resolved light scattering, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). During annealing at 280 °C, liquid–liquid phase separation via spinodal decomposition proceeded in the melt‐extruded specimen. After the formation of a domain structure, the blend slowly underwent phase homogenization by the interchange reactions between the two polymers. Specimens annealed for various times (t_s) at 280 °C were subjected to a temperature drop and the effects of liquid‐phase changes on crystallization were then investigated. The shifts in the position of the cold‐crystallization peaks indicated that the crystallization rate is associated with the composition change of the separated phases as well as the change of the sequence distribution in polymer chains during annealing. The morphological parameters at the lamellar level were determined by a correlation function analysis on the SAXS data. The crystal thickness (l_c) increased with t_s, whereas the amorphous layer thickness (l_a) showed little dependence on t_s. Observation of a constant l_a value revealed that a large number of noncrystallizable species formed by the interchange reactions between the two polymers were excluded from the lamellar stacks and resided in the interfibrillar regions, interspherulitic regions, or both. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 223–232, 2008     

A comparative study on transreactions induced phase changes in blends of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) upon annealing

By using wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermal analysis, scanning and optical microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, this study has demonstrated that blends of two semicrystalline polyesters, poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PTT/PEN), were initially immiscible in as-blended state. The process of blend phase/morphology changes upon extended heating/annealing at elevated temperatures was monitored and probed. With reactions induced at heating/annealing at high temperatures (300°C) for long enough times, the original two phases quickly merged into a single phase. NMR analyses have shown that the products of the transreactions are identified as the random copolyesters (termed as EN-TT). From the NMR results, statistical analyses revealed that the average sequence lengths decreased upon heating, and the degree of chain randomness increased with time of heating at the fixed temperature. Upon extended heating, all PTT and PEN chains could be fully transformed into random copolymers of higher randomness with only a single but amorphous phase. Results are compared to another blend system comprised of PEN and a homologous polyester, PPT, of different structure. Influence of polyester structure on transreactions and phase homogenization process is analyzed.     

Nonisothermal cold‐crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The nonisothermal cold‐crystallization kinetics and subsequent melting behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry. The Avrami, Tobin, and Ozawa equations were applied to describe the kinetics of the crystallization process. Both the Avrami and Tobin crystallization rate parameters increased with the heating rate. The Ozawa crystallization rate increased with the temperature. The ability of PTT to crystallize from the glassy state at a unit heating rate was determined with Ziabicki's kinetic crystallizability index, which was found to be about 0.89. The effective energy barrier describing the nonisothermal cold‐crystallization process of PTT was estimated by the differential isoconversional method of Friedman and was found to range between about 114.5 and 158.8 kJ mol^?1. In its subsequent melting, PTT exhibited double‐melting behavior for heating rates lower than or equal to 10 °C min^?1 and single‐melting behavior for heating rates greater than or equal to 12.5 °C min^?1. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4151–4163, 2004     

Crystallization, morphology, and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/clay nanocomposites

The poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/clay nanocomposite has been successfully prepared via melt intercalation using a co-rotating twin screw extruder. The nanocomposite was characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light microscope (PLM) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The nanocomposite forms an exfoliated structure, which can be observed by WAXD and TEM. The effect of clay layers on the crystallization behaviors of PTT was studied through isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization methods. The results suggest that the introduction of nanosize clay layers accelerates the crystallization rate of PTT and the clay layers act as nucleation agents. The morphology of spherulites was investigated with PLM and the result is well in agreement with crystallization kinetics. DMA shows that glass transition temperature (T_g) and storage modulus (E^′) of the PTT matrix of the nanocomposite are higher than those of pure PTT.     

Isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(propylene terephthalate)

The kinetics of crystallization of poly(propylene terephthalate) (PPT) samples of different molecular weights were studied under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. The Avrami and Lauritzen–Hoffmann treatments were applied to evaluate kinetic parameters of PPT isothermal crystallization. It was found that crystallization is faster for low‐molecular‐weight samples. The modified Avrami equation, and the combined Avrami–Ozawa method were found to successfully describe the nonisothermal crystallization process. Also, the analysis of Lauritzen–Hoffmmann was tested and it resulted in values close to those obtained with isothermal crystallization data. The nonisothermal kinetic data were corrected for the effect of the temperature lag and shifted alone with the isothermal kinetic data to obtain a single master curve, according to the method of Chan and Isayev, testifying to the consistency between the isothermal and corrected nonisothermal data. A new method for ranking of polymers, referring to the crystallization rates, was also introduced. This involved a new index that combines the maximum crystallization rate observed during cooling with the average crystallization rates over the temperature range of the crystallization peak. Furthermore, the effective energy barrier of the dynamic process was evaluated with the isoconversional methods of Flynn and Friedmann. It was found that the energy barrier is lower for the low‐molecular‐weight PPT. The effect of the catalyst remnants on the crystallization kinetics was also investigated and it was found that this is significant only for low‐molecular‐weight samples. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3775–3796, 2004