Thermal ageing of polycarbonate/poly(butylene terephthalate) blends

Thermal ageing of PC/PBT blends and alloys has been studied with dynamic mechanical, calorimetric, and tensile dilatometry tests during creep. The substantial embrittlement occuring in PC/PBT during ageing is tentatively explained in terms of an unusually high densification of the amorphous phase. The phase boundaries have been found to increase in strength during ageing, improving the load bearing properties of the material.     

Stepwise annealing of poly(butylene terephthalate)

Annealing of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) measurement. A PBT sample was annealed at a recrystallization temperature where recrystallization occurs with a maximum rate in the heating process of the sample. In the subsequent annealing steps, the annealed sample was annealed repeatedly at the recrystallization temperatures, and the stepwise annealing sample was obtained. Peak melting temperature (T_m) and sharpness of DSC peak of the stepwise annealing sample increased with the annealing step. A high melting‐temperature sample was obtained in a short time, and T_m increased up to 238.5°C which is higher than all the T_m values that appear in the literature. The long period calculated from SAXS curves of the stepwise annealing sample increased with the annealing step. The increase of crystallite size and perfection of the crystal in the stepwise annealing process is suggested. Annealing experiment indicated that T^°_m should be higher than about 235°C. T_m increased linearly with the annealing temperature of the final step in the stepwise annealing (T_a). The equilibrium melting temperature (T^°_m) for PBT was estimated to be 247°C by the application of a Hoffman–Weeks plot to the relation between T_m vs. T_a. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2420–2429, 1999     

Properties of sulfonated poly(butylene terephthalate)

The synthesis, morphology, and mechanical properties of sulfonated poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and its unsulfonated analogs were studied. The morphology of these copolymers crystallized from the melt were examined by a combination of wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS), polarized light microscopy, and small-angle light scattering (SALS). Stress-strain measurements are correlated with the morphological results. Spherulitic morphology, with a maltese cross at 45°C with respect to the crossed polars, is formed at low sulfonate levels (≤ 5.0 mol %). At a higher ion content, the maltese cross rotates 45° to form a cross pattern. At still higher sulfonate contents, typically 13 mol %, the light scattering pattern disappears completely. Microscopic and WAXS examination of these functionalized PBT copolymers confirms that the crystallinity level decreases with increasing ion content and is eliminated completely at the higher sulfonation level. The spherulite radius, however, remains invariant until the highest functionalization level. On the contrary, the morphology and properties of the unsulfonated isophthalate copolymer analogs remain relatively constant over the entire composition range examined. In several compositions clearly inferior properties are noted compared with the ion-containing copolymers.     

Heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate)

The low‐temperature heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was measured from 5 to 330 K. The experimental heat capacity of solid PBT, below the glass transition, was linked to its approximate group and skeletal vibrational spectrum. The 21 skeletal vibrations were estimated with a general Tarasov equation with the parameters Θ₁ = 530 K and Θ₂ = Θ₃ = 55 K. The calculated and experimental heat capacities of solid PBT agreed within better than ±3% between 5 and 200 K. The newly calculated vibrational heat capacity of the solid from this study and the liquid heat capacity from the ATHAS Data Bank were applied as reference values for a quantitative thermal analysis of the apparent heat capacity of semicrystalline PBT between the glass and melting transitions as obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. From these results, the integral thermodynamic functions (enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function) of crystalline and amorphous PBT were calculated. Finally, the changes in the crystallinity with the temperature were analyzed. With the crystallinity, a baseline was constructed that separated the thermodynamic heat capacity from cold crystallization, reorganization, annealing, and melting effects contained in the apparent heat capacity. For semicrystalline PBT samples, the mobile‐amorphous and rigid‐amorphous fractions were estimated to complete the thermal analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4401–4411, 2004     

Alkaline-solution-induced crystallization in poly(butylene terephthalate)

Subtle crystalline structure changes of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) specimens treated with an alkali solution at room temperature were investigated with the grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis method. A new phenomenon was found: the aqueous alkali solution induced the crystallization of the PBT polymer. Under the GIXRD analysis condition of an incidence angle of 1°, the penetration depth of the X-ray in PBT was less than 80 μm, and this agreed well with the rough theoretical estimation. The alkali solution adopted in this study was an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, which had a concentration of 2.5 N. Dissolved quantities of the surface layers during the alkaline treatment were found to be small. No appreciable intrinsic viscosity change due to the alkaline treatment was detected. Possible factors that might contribute to the crystallization, such as water absorption and a chemical reagent effect, were examined, and a plausible explanation for the phenomenon was developed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1938–1948, 2004     

Reversible melting in poly(butylene terephthalate)

Crystallized samples of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), examined in the melting region by means of temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC), show reversible fusion. The analysis of the complex heat capacity reveals that the fusion of poor crystallites can follow temperature modulation more easily than perfect crystals, in agreement with the findings recently reported in the literature, and that the amount of reversible melting decreases with increasing the modulation frequency.     

Small angle X-ray scattering studies of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate)

Summary Small angle X-ray studies and density measurements were carried out on isotropic PET and PBT samples. PET samples were crystallized between 60 and 260 °C, and PBT between 60 and 225 °C. The aim of these studies was to investigate the dependence of the amorphous density, the degree of crystallinity and the average transmission path through the regions of the two-phase system on the crystallization temperature. It could be shown that PET and PBT crystallize with sharp phase boundaries.Since for the evaluation of the amorphous density the knowledge the exact crystal density is very important, additional measurements of the wide angle X-ray behaviour were made. Both the crystal and the amorphous densities of PET and PBT show specific differences dependent on the crystallization temperature, which can be explained by the higher mobility of the PBT chain.The degrees of crystallization, evaluated with the individual values of crystal density and amorphous density determined on each sample, are principally higher than those calculated with the usually used values of crystal and amorphous density. Investigations of the background scattering have shown that both the specific amorphous and specific crystalline scattering background are constant.For PET and PBT the average transmission path through the amporhous regions firstly decreases with increasing crystallization temperature. This can be explained by new formation of crystallites. At higher crystallization temperatures increases. The average transmission path through the crystalline regions increases over the whole range of crystallization temperature.

---

Zusammenfassung An isotropen PET- und PBT-Proben, kristallisiert bei Temperaturen zwischen 60 und 260 °C bzw. 60 und 225 °C wurden Röntgenkleinwinkel- und Dichtemessungen durchgeführt, mit dem Ziel, die amorphe Dichte, die Volumenanteile und die mittleren Durchschußlängen durch die Phasen in Abhängigkeit von der Kristallisationstemperatur zu bestimmen.Da für die Bestimmung der amorphen Dichte die Kenntnis der genauen Kristalldichte sehr wichtig ist, wurden zusätzliche Röntgenweitwinkelmessungen durchgeführt.Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß sowohl PBT als auch PET mit scharfen Phasengrenzen kristallisiert.Die Kristalldichte und die amorphe Dichte von PET bzw. PBT zeigen in Abhängigkeit von der Kristallisations-temperatur spezifische Unterschiede, die durch die höhere Beweglichkeit der PBT-Kette erklärt werden können.Die Kristallisationsgrade, die mit den von uns bestimmten Kristalldichten und amorphen Dichten ermittelt wurden, liegen generell höher als die mit den bekannten Werten von _c und _a berechneten. Untersuchungen des Streuuntergrundes zeigten, daß sowohl der spezifische amorphe als auch der spezifische kristalline Streuuntergrund konstant ist.Bei PET und PBT nehmen die mittleren Durchschußlängen durch die amorphen Phasenanteile bei geringen Kristallisationstemperaturen ab, was durch die Neubildung von Kristalliten erklärt wird, und nehmen bei höheren Kristallisationstemperaturen wieder zu.Die mittleren Durchschußlängen durch die kristallinen Phasenanteile nehmen über den gesamten Temperaturbereich zu.

---

---

With 22 figures and 3 tables     

CO2 sorption in poly(butylene terephthalate)

The Sorption of CO₂ in poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) has been examined according to the equilibrium-sorption method in the pressure range of 1–30 bar at temperatures of 298–338 K. In the temperature range 298–328 K it does not respond to Henry's law. At about 20 K above the glass-transition temperature Langmuir adsorption takes place.Dedicated to Professor Dr. G. Kanig on his 70th birthday.     

High‐pressure DTA of poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(hexamethylene terephthalate), and poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Pressure effect on the melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and poly(hexamethylene terephthalate) (PHT) was studied by high‐pressure DTA (HP‐DTA) up to 320 and 530 MPa, respectively. Cooling rate dependence on the DSC melting curves of the samples cooled from the melt was shown at atmospheric pressure. Stable and metastable samples were prepared by cooling from the melt at low and normal cooling rates, respectively. DTA melting curves for the stable samples showed a single peak, and the peak profile did not change up to high pressure. Phase diagrams for PBT and PHT were newly determined. Fitting curves of melting temperature (T_m) versus pressure expressed by quadratic equation were obtained. Pressure coefficients of T_m at atmospheric pressure, dT_m/dp, of PBT and PHT were 37 and 33 K/100 MPa, respectively. HP‐DTA curves of the metastable PBT showed double melting peaks up to about 70 MPa. In contrast, PHT showed them over the whole pressure region. HP‐DTA of stable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was also carried out up to 200 MPa, and the phase diagram for PET was determined. dT_m/dp for PET was 49 K/100 MPa. dT_m/dp increased linearly with reciprocal number of ethylene unit. The decrease of dT_m/dp for poly(alkylene terephthalate) with increasing a segmental fraction of an alkyl group in a whole molecule is explained by the increase of entropy of fusion. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 262–272, 2000     

Transesterification and crystallization behavior of poly(butylene succinate)/poly(butylene terephthalate) block copolymers

The block copolymers of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) were synthesized by melt processing for different times. The sequence distribution, thermal properties, and crystallization behavior were investigated over a wide range of compositions. For PBS/PBT block copolymers it was confirmed by statistical analysis from ¹H-NMR data that the degree of randomness (B) was below 1. The melting peak (T_m) gradually moved to lower temperature with increasing melt processing time. It can be seen that the transesterification between PBS and PBT leads to a random copolymer. From the X-ray diffraction diagrams, only the crystal structure of PBS appeared in the M1 copolymer (PBS 80 wt %) and that of PBT appeared in the M3 (PBS 50 wt %) to M5 (PBS 20 wt %) copolymers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 147–156, 1998     

Heat of fusion and specific volume of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate

Summary Concerning the relation between the experimental heat of fusion H* and the specific volumev of PETP a considerable uncertainty exists in literature. For PBTP obviously no data have been reported. The present paper reports H* andv measurements for undrawn PETP and PBTP samples which have been crystallized from the glassy state or from the melt at different temperatures for different periods of time.For PETP a linear relation is obtained: H* = 1411–1886v (Jg^–1). Published values for the specific volumev _c of the PETP crystal range from 0.660 to 0.687 cm³g^–1. Ifv _c = 0.660 cm³g^–1 is accepted, a heat of fusion M _m = 166 Jg^–1 is obtained for the PETP crystal.For PBTP also a linear relation is found: H* = 1296–1628v (Jg^–1). Withv _c = 0.71 cm³g^–1 one obtains H _M = 140 Jg^–1 as the heat of fusion of the PBTP crystal. The specific volumev _a of amorphous PBTP (H* = 0) is 0.796 cm³g^–1 which is much higher than the hitherto used values of 0.781–0.782 cm³g^–1. The reason for this difference is thatv _a cannot directly be measured, because the low quasi-static glass temperature of 15 °C enables quenched PBTP to undergo cold crystallization at 20 °C.

---

Zusammenfassung Hinsichtlich des Zusammenhangs zwischen experimenteller Schmelzwärme H* und spezifischem Volumenv von PETP bestehen in der Literatur beträchtliche Diskrepanzen. Für PBTP wurden bislang offensichtlich keine Ergebnisse veröffentlicht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Messungen von H* undv für unverstreckte PETP- und PBTP-Proben mitgeteilt, die unterschiedlich lange bei ver-schiedenen Temperaturen aus dem Glaszustand oder aus der Schmelze kristallisiert wurden.Für PETP ergibt sich die lineare Beziehung: H* = 1411–1886v (Jg^–1). Literaturwerte für das spezifische Volumenv _c des PETP-Kristalls schwanken zwischen 0.660 und 0.687 cm³g^–1. Nimmt manv _c = 0.660 cm³g^–1 als richtig an, so erhält man als Schmelzwärme des PETP-Kristalls H _M = 166 Jg^–1 = 32 kJ mole^–1.Auch für PBTP erhält man eine lineare Abhängigkeit: H* = 1296–1628v. Mitv _c = 0.71 cm³g^–1 ergibt sich als Schmelzwärme des PBTP-Kristalls H _M = 140 Jg^–1 = 31 kJ mole^–1. Das spezifische Volumen des amorphen PBTP beträgt _a = 0.796 cm³g^–1 und ist erheblich größer als der bisher angenommene Wert von 0.781 cm³g^–1. Die Ursache fÜr diese Diskrepanz liegt darin begündet, daßv _a nicht direkt gemessen werden kann, weil wegen der niedrigen quasi-statischen Glastemperatur von 15°C bei abgeschrecktem PBTP die Kaltkristallisation bei 20°C bereits einsetzt.

---

---

With 7 figures and 3 tables

---

Dedicated to Professor Dr. Matthias Seefelder on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Isothermal crystallization studies of poly(butylene terephthalate) composites

Different crystallization kinetic models (Avrami and Tobin) have been applied to study the crystallization kinetics of virgin poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and filled PBT systems under isothermal experimental conditions. The experimental data have been analyzed with a nonlinear, multivariable regression program. The kinetic parameters for the isothermal crystallization have been determined. The analysis results indicate that both models satisfactorily represent the isothermal crystallization kinetics. PBT crystallizes most slowly. The presence of nanoclays or nanofibers, added as fillers, enhances the crystallization rate of PBT composites. An analysis of the kinetic data with the Avrami and Tobin models has shown little change in the crystallization exponent compared with that of virgin PBT. The crystallization rate constant decreases with a rise in the temperature for the two models. This trend has been observed for similar polyester systems reported in the literature. The dispersion of the clay layers in the PBT nanocomposites has been characterized with wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1344–1353, 2007     

State of order in blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) with poly(ethylene terephthalate) or polycarbonate

Blends of PBT with PET or PC were studied by X-ray diffraction and DSC for different conditions of crystallization. PBT and PET crystallize very similarly, though they are recognized as partially compatible in the melt. In the PBT/PC blends X-ray diffraction examinations show crystallization of PC after 4 h of annealing. In the melt, both components are compatible. T_g-calculations indicate a plasticizing effect. In both kinds of blends, PBT crystallizes faster than PC or PET. Fast crystallization processes were examined by X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation.     

The multiple melting endotherms from poly(butylene terephthalate)

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) has been investigated, and a simulation has been performed to determine whether the multiple melting endotherms observed during the thermal analysis of PBT can be explained by the simultaneous melting and recrystallization of an initial distribution of crystal melting temperatures that contains only one maximum and two inflection points. Specimens that were cooled at constant rates from the melt showed between one and three melting endotherms upon heating in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The position and breadth of the crystallization exotherms upon cooling from the melt and small-angle x-ray scattering showed that as the cooling rate is increased, the distribution of melting temperatures broadens and shifts to lower temperatures. By combining temperature-dependent recrystallization with an initial distribution of melting temperatures, simulated DSC curves were produced that agreed well with experimental DSC curves. In instances of triple peaked curves, the high temperature peak was due to crystals formed during the scanning process, and the middle and low temperature peaks were due to crystals originally present in the material. Satisfactory agreement between the experimental and simulated curves was found without considering additional crystallization from the amorphous regions during the scanning process.     

Miscibility in a ternary system of poly(ether imide) with semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate)

A rare case of thermodynamic miscibility has been demonstrated in the amorphous state (quenched glass as well as molten state) of a ternary blend system formed by poly(ether imide) and semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly-(butylene terephthalate). A single glass transition temperature (T_g) in the ternary blends was observed using differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis.     

The annealing and thermal analysis of poly(butylene terephthalate)

When poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) is annealed, a second endotherm is often displayed in a subsequent scanning thermal analysis at a temperature below that of the original endotherm, and this new endotherm appears to grow with annealing at the expense of the original. This growth is not due to chemical changes, because the thermogram obtained before annealing is recovered after complete melting. But a physical change would also seem unlikely because the transformation of higher-melting into lower-melting crystals is generally prohibited by thermodynamics. Two hypotheses to explain the result were tested. The first is that higher-melting crystals are not transformed into lower-melting crystals. Instead, because of recrystallization during thermal analysis, the single endotherm that results without annealing overestimates the population of high-melting crystals present before the analysis. This hypothesis was tested by extending to annealing a mathematical analysis previously used to describe the thermal scanning behavior of specimens crystallized at different cooling rates. Though most features of the thermograms obtained after annealing were able to be described, the decrease in the higher-temperature endotherm concomitant with growth of the lower endotherm was not. The second hypothesis is that the transformation of higher-melting to lower-melting crystals during annealing is allowed because it is coupled to the crystallization of formerly amorphous material. The amount of such crystallization observed for PBT was found to be sufficient to satisfy thermodynamic requirements, suggesting that this hypothesis is correct. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mechanism for the phase transition of poly(butylene terephthalate)

The α and β forms of poly(butylene terephthalate) transform reversibly by elongation and relaxation. The conformation change occurs in the tetramethylene glycol part, from GGTGG conformation to TSTS?T conformation. In this study, by using a doubly oriented sample, we measured the positions, intensities, and half‐widths of the (100) and (010) reflections of the α and β forms of poly(butylene terephthalate) with a position‐sensitive proportional counter system. During the transformation, the molecules translate only slightly. These slight molecular translations, or distortions, accumulate, and the crystallite of the α form breaks into the small crystallites of the β form as the α–β transformation proceeds, and the crystallite of the α form grows with the relaxation of the distortion accumulated in the crystal and amorphous regions and on the crystallite surface as the β–α transformation proceeds. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 765–771, 2002     

Rubber toughening of poly(ether imide) by modification with poly(butylene terephthalate)

Rubber toughening of poly(ether imide) (PEI) has been elusive up to now due to the high processing temperature of PEI, which leads to degradation of the rubber. In this study, by profiting from the miscibility between PEI and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), and the low T_g of PBT, we prepared a blend by melt extrusion with 20 wt% PBT in an attempt to render it toughenable by decreasing its T_g and processing temperature. The PEI-rich blend was subsequently mixed with maleic anhydride (0.9 wt%) grafted poly(ethylene-octene) copolymer (mPEO) up to 30 wt%. The decrease in T_g and processing temperature resulted in no observable degradation of the mPEO, and to the formation of a homogeneous morphology of rubber particles with a fine particle size, indicating that compatibilization was achieved. Upon rubber addition, stiffness decreased, while a very large toughness increase occurred with only 15% mPEO (impact strength more than 10-fold that of the PEI-PBT matrix). Upon observation of the fracture surface, the increase in impact strength was attributed partially to the cavitation and debonding of the rubber particles, and mostly to the deformation and yielding of the PEI-PBT matrix.     

Multiple melting endotherms in isothermally melt-crystallized poly(butylene terephthalate)

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) crystallized isothermally for various times was examined using differential scanning calorimetry. After short crystallization times, the DSC analysis gave two melting peaks, but after longer times, the analysis gave three peaks. The latter triplet of DSC peaks can be denoted as low, middle, and high, starting with the lowest temperature endotherm. The DSC peaks were simulated using a measured recrystallization rate and behavior for PBT and an assumed initial melting point distribution. The low and middle peaks represent the original melting peaks arising from isothermal crystallization. The high melting peak arises from recrystallization during the DSC heating scan. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1757–1767, 1998