• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.244-257
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• 2002

A thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer(TLCP) which has flexible butylene/hexylene spacers in the main chain and a triad aromatic ester type mesogenic unit containing a naphthyl group was prepared by solution polycondensation. The in-situ composites based on poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer(TLCP) were prepared and melt spun at different TLCP contents and different draw ratios to produce monofilaments. Blends of the TLCP with PEN were investigated in terms of thermal, mechanical properties and morphology. The TLCP synthesized showed nematic mesophasic behavior and its transition temperature to isotropic melt from mesophase was 249℃. The blends showed well dispersed TLCP phases in the PEN matrix without macroscopic phase separation. Inclusion of TLCP in the blends decreased the cold crystallization temperature of PEN in the blend, therefore, the TLCP acts as a nucleating agent in the blend and showed good interfacial adhesion between the dispersed LCP phases and PEN matrix with domain sizes 40~50 nm in diameter and well developed fibrillation in the monofilaments. The TLCP acted effectively as a reinforcing material in the PEN matrix at the 10wt% level, it led to an increase of initial modulus up to 270% and tensile strength by 235%, while the elongation rate increasing with higher draw ratios.