Abstract

Crystallization Characteristics Of Pet/TiO2 Nanocomposites

Author(s): Toshiro Yamada, Lifei Hao, Kaoru Tada, Shigeji Konagaya, Guang Li

A series of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization from dimethyl terephthalate and ethylene glycol/TiO2 suspension. DSC measurements indicate that the crystallization temperature from the melt moves to high temperature compared to neat PET while the value of melting point as well as the crystallinity first increases and then decreases slightly with increasing TiO2 content. The results derived from the isothermal crystallization study demonstrate that the incorporated TiO2 nano particles play the role of nucleus and generally enhance the crystallization rate of PET/TiO2 nanocomposites. The crystal growth in nanocomposites mainly conforms to the two-dimensional form with heterogeneous nucleation. WAXD analysis explains that the crystal lattice in PET is generally not affected by the presence of TiO2. ï›™ 2006 Trade Science Inc. - INDIA