Preparation and characterization of poly(butylene terephthalate)/silica nanocomposites

Abstract

In this study, we presented a convenient, in situ polymerization route for the preparation of Poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/silica nanocomposites, in which silica was not premodified. The nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization of terephthalic acid (TPA), 1,4-butanediol (BD) and silica. The structure of these nanocomposites were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The results show that PBT chains were successfully grafted onto the surface of silica. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs revealed that silica were homogeneously dispersed in PBT matrix at a size level of 10-20 nm. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of pure PBT and PBT/silica nanocomposites were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and simulated by Avrami model. The existence of silica could lead to an acceleration of crystallization and enhance the thermal stability of PBT. According to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the storage modulus of PBT/silica nanocomposites were markedly improved compared with pure PBT.

Modeling of tensile strength in polymer particulate nanocomposites based on material and interphase properties

“…Nevertheless, some undesirable occurrences especially at high nanofiller contents can significantly decrease the interphase strength and thickness. The tendency of nanoparticles to attract each other leads to clusters of agglomerated particles, which produce many void‐like and dangerous defects between polymer matrix and nanoparticles that may cause debonding . Also, the particle–particle interaction is dominant at high nanofiller content, which may affect the polymer–filler interfacial interaction …”

Poly(butylene terephthalate)/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites. Part I. Carbon nanotubes functionalization and in situ synthesis

“…There are a few drawbacks, which limit the applications of PBT: low impact strength and heat distortion temperature. For these reason in recent years many experiments were devoted to obtain desirable properties of PBT for example by blending it with other polymers or by using different nanofillers [21][22][23][24][25]. Especially carbon nanotubes have emerged as potentially attractive materials for the PBT reinforcement [21,22].…”

Process–structure–property relationships in poly(butylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

“…The organoclay was dispersed homogeneously in the PBT matrix. Yao et al (2009a) investigated the effect of silica on the thermal properties of PBT. Tripathy et al (2003) synthesized high-performance PBT/organically modified clay nanocomposites using cyclic-PBT (c-PBT) oligomers as low-viscosity precursors.…”