scholarly journals Addition of Graphite Filler to Enhance Electrical, Morphological, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties in Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate): Experimental Characterization and Material Modeling

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basheer A. Alshammari ◽  
Fahad S. Al-Mubaddel ◽  
Mohammad Rezaul Karim ◽  
Mokarram Hossain ◽  
Abdullah S. Al-Mutairi ◽  
...  

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/graphite (PET/G) micro-composites were fabricated by the melt compounding method using a minilab extruder. The carbon fillers were found to act as nucleating agents for the PET matrix and hence accelerated crystallization and increased the degree of crystallinity. TGA showed that carbon fillers improved the resistance to thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation under both air and nitrogen atmospheres. However, a poor agreement was observed at higher loadings of the filler where the composites displayed reduced reinforcement efficiency. The results demonstrate that the addition of graphite at loading >14.5 wt.% made electrically conductive composites. It was calculated that the electric conductivities of PET/graphite micro-composites were enhanced, above the percolation threshold values by two orders of magnitudes compared to the PET matrix. The minimum value of conductivity required to avoid electrostatic charge application of an insulating polymer was achieved, just above the threshold values. The addition of graphite also improved thermal stability of PET, accelerated its crystallization process and increased the degree of crystallinity. Microscopic results exhibit no indication of aggregations at 2 wt.% graphite, whereas more agglomeration and rolling up could be seen as the graphite content was increased in the PET matrix (in particular, above the percolation threshold value). Furthermore, based on the mechanical experimental characterization of the PET/graphite micro-composites, a large deformation-based mathematical model is proposed for material behavior predictions. The model fits well the experimental data and predicts other mechanical data that are not included in the parameter identification.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basheer A. Alshammari ◽  
Arthur N. Wilkinson ◽  
Ghzzai Almutairi

Graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) were incorporated with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) matrix by melt-compounding technique using minilab compounder to produce PET-GNP nanocomposites, and then the extruded nanocomposites were compressed using compression molding to obtain films of 1 mm thickness. Percolation threshold value was determined using percolation theory. The electrical conductivity, morphology, and thermal behaviors of these nanocomposites were investigated at different contents of GNP, that is, below, around, and above its percolation threshold value. The results demonstrated that the addition of GNP at loading >5 wt.% made electrically conductive nanocomposites. An excellent electrical conductivity of ~1 S/m was obtained at 15 wt.% of GNP loading. The nanocomposites showed a typical insulator-conductor transition with a percolation threshold value of 5.7 wt.% of GNP. In addition, increasing screw speed enhanced the conductivity of the nanocomposites above its threshold value by ~2.5 orders of magnitude; this behavior is attributed to improved dispersion of these nanoparticles into the PET matrix. Microscopies results exhibited no indication of aggregations at 2 wt.% of GNP; however, some rolling up at 6 wt.% of GNP contents was observed, indicating that a conductive network has been formed, whereas more agglomeration and rolling up could be seen as the GNP content is increased in the PET matrix. These agglomerations reduced their aspect ratio and then reduced their reinforcement efficiency. NP loading (>2 wt.%) increased degree of crystallinity and improved thermal stability of matrix slightly, suggesting that 2 wt.% of GNP is more than enough to nucleate the matrix.


2013 ◽  
Vol 554-557 ◽  
pp. 1757-1762
Author(s):  
Júlio C. Viana ◽  
Lyudmil Todorov

Abstract. Upon processing, polymeric products feature a complex microstructure. Besides evolving over the molded component, a through-the-thickness variation is also developed. This is the result of the thermo-mechanical environment (combined thermal and mechanical fields) applied during processing, which varies with the molding technique, the selected molding conditions and polymer properties (rheological, thermal, constitution). This complex microstructure makes rather intricate the establishment of structure-properties relationships in processed polymers. In fact, the basic identification of most relevant morphological parameters determining the behavior of the moldings is been revealed a difficult endeavor, further complicated by the multi-scale morphology presented by polymeric materials. This work follows an inductive approach for establishing the relationships between the structure and the properties (mechanical and barrier) of molded poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET. These relationships are investigated for specimens prepared by different methods, from “simple” to more “complex” stretching modes. Initially, PET specimens were prepared by stretching thin films at different high temperatures and strain rates, followed by quick cooling in a universal testing machine equipped with a thermal camera (uniaxial stretched specimens). More closely to processing, PET injection molded preforms were free blown without a mold with distinct conditions (free blown specimens). Finally, PET bottles were produced from the preforms also under different blown conditions. The morphology of all specimens was assessed by bi- and tri-refringence and DSC. The mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile tests at room temperature. Also, the oxygen transmission rate, OTR, was assessed for the PET bottles. For this low crystallinity and slowly crystallizable polymer, the initial modulus is mainly related to the amorphous phase (i.e., molecular mobility and orientation level). The yield stress appears to be determined by the degree of crystallinity and level of molecular orientation. In the case of free blown specimens (bi-axially stretched) the anisotropy of the initial modulus depends upon the induced anisotropy of the molecular orientation. OTR is influenced by the molecular orientation and the degree of crystallinity of the polymer. An attempt to interpret these types of relationships by molecular dynamics simulations is made.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simge Can ◽  
N. Gamze Karsli ◽  
Sertan Yesil ◽  
Ayse Aytac

Abstract The main aim of this study was to improve the mechanical properties of the recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (r-PET/PEN) blends by enhancing the miscibility between PET and PEN with the usage of chain extenders. This idea was novel for the recycled PET-based r-PET/PEN blends, as investigation of the effects of the chain extender usage on the properties of r-PET/PEN blends has not been studied in the literature, according to our knowledge. 1,4-Phenylene-bis-oxazoline (PBO), 1,4-phenylene-di-isocyanate (PDI), and triphenyl phosphite (TPP) were selected as chain extenders. The maximum tensile strength value was observed for the 1.0PDI sample. Moreover, PDI-based blends exhibited better Izod impact strength when compared with all other samples. The miscibility and degree of crystallinity values of all blends were discussed by means of thermal analysis. 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis was carried out to determine transesterification reaction levels. According to 1H-NMR results, the increase in the level of transesterification was around 40% with the usage of PDI. The optimum loading level for selected chain extenders was determined as 1 wt.%, and PDI-based blends exhibited better properties when compared with those of the blends based on PBO and TPP at this loading level.


1993 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika E. Reinsch ◽  
Ludwig Rebenfeld

ABSTRACTBlends of poly (ethylene terephthalate), or PET, and polycarbonate (PC) over a range of compositions were studied in isothermal crystallizations from the melt using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both crystallization rate and degree of crystallinity of PET depend on blend composition. The glass transition temperature, Tg, of PET and PC in blends and pure polymer were also measured by DSC. Elevation of the Tg of PET and depression of the Tg of PC are observed upon blending. In cooling scans, dynamic crystallization from the melt was observed. In PET/PC blends with high PC content, a novel dual-peak crystallization of PET was observed. The effects of thermal history on crystallization kinetics and degree of crystallinity were also determined in isothermal crystallization studies. For Melt processing times between 1 and 30 Min and for processing temperatures between 280 and 300 °C, Melt processing temperature was seen to have a stronger effect than processing time.


1996 ◽  
Vol 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J. Foran ◽  
Elizabeth Pingel ◽  
Gary E. Spilman ◽  
Larry J. Markoski ◽  
Tao Jiang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe microstructure and thermal properties of copolymers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containing a crosslinkable terephthalic acid, 1,2-dihydrocyc Iobutabenzene 3,6 dicarboxylic acid (XTA) are reported. Wide angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) show that the addition of XTA does not alter the PET crystal structure in copolymers at low XTA contents. However, the degree of crystallinity drops for higher XTA levels. WAXS profiles show that PET-co-XTA 50% is amorphous, and that PEXTA homopolymer has a different crystal structure. Thermal data from DSC and TGA show that crosslinking of the benzocyclobutene groups (∼350°C) occurs at temperatures between melting (∼250°C) and degradation (∼400°C), making it possible to melt process the copolymers into fibers before the onset of crosslinking. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurements show that increased oxygen concentrations are required to sustain a stable flame in PET-co-XTA copolymers; whereas unmodified PET had an LOI value of -18%, the copolymers had LOI values near 32%. Further, while unmodified PET melts and drips as it burns, XTA copolymers formed a stable char that inhibiting flame propagation. An increased char was observed in optical micrographs for XTA containing polymers, and crystalline domains were observed near the burn surface in transmission electron micrographs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document