Crystallization behavior and thermal stability of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/clay nanocomposites

Abstract

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by the solution intercalation method. Two different kinds of clay were organomodified with an intercalation agent of cetyltrimetylammonium chloride (CMC). X‐ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the layers of MMT were intercalated by CMC, and interlayer spacing was a function of the cationic exchange capacity of clay. The XRD studies demonstrated that the interlayer spacing of organoclay in the nanocomposites depends on the amount of organoclay. From the results of differential scanning calorimetric analysis, it was found that clay behaves as a nucleating agent and enhances the crystallization rate of PTT. The maximum enhancement of the crystallization rate for the nanocomposites was observed in nanocomposites containing about 1 wt % organoclay with a range of 1–15 wt %. From thermogravimetric analysis, we found that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was enhanced by the addition of 1–10 wt % organoclay. According to transmission electron microscopy, the organoclay particle was highly dispersed in the PTT matrix without a large agglomeration of particles for a low organoclay content (5 wt %). However, an agglomerated structure did form in the PTT matrix at a 15 wt % organoclay content. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2902–2910, 2003

PET/imidazolium‐based OMMT nanocomposites via in situ polymerization: Morphological, thermal, and nonisothermal crystallization studies

“…29 This carbon silicate structure on the surface may act as an mass transport barrier that hinders volatilization of decomposed gaseous products via the degradation. 30 It is noticeable that T peak of nanocomposite containing 4 wt% of OMMT is lower than that of the 3-wt% composition of OMMT, which may be related to the agglomeration of nanoclay particles in the PET matrix that is also in good agreement with the morphological analysis. So, to have a comprehensive interpretation of the thermal behavior of nanocomposites, the state of dispersion should be considered.…”

Effect of clay on melt crystallization, crystallization kinetics and spherulitic morphology of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

“…These nanocomposites have been prepared by various intercalation methods such as solution, melt and in situ polymerization [33][34][35]. The commercial aromatic polyesters, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) [36], poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) [37] and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/clay [38][39][40][41] nanocomposites have been studied. It has been shown that these polyesters have a more favorable interaction with organically modified clays and enhance mechanical properties with very low clay content.…”

Preparation and Characterization of High‐Performance Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) Nanocomposites Reinforced with Exfoliated Graphite

“…Accordingly, PTT-based nanocomposites including nanoclays, [9][10][11][12] carbon nanotubes, [13] and silica nanoparticles [14][15][16] have been extensively studied. On the other hand, nanocomposites of PTT and graphene sheets have not been investigated until now.…”