• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.71-73
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• 2008

The development of polymer/inorganic nanocomposites has attracted a great deal of interest due to the improved hybrid properties derived from the two different components. Various nanoscale fillers have been used to enhance polymer mechanical and thermal properties, such as toughness, stiffness, and heat resistance. The effects of the filler on the final properties of the nanocomposites are highly dependent on the filler shape, particle size, aggregate size, surface characteristics, polymer/inorganic interactions, and degree of dispersion. In this paper, we describe the influence of different $CaCO_3$ dispersion methods on the thermal properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/$CaCO_3$ composites: i.e., the adsorption of $CaCO_3$ on the modified PET surface, and the hydrophobic modification of the hydrophilic $CaCO_3$ surface. We prepared PET/$CaCO_3$ nanocomposites using a twin-screw extruder, and investigated their thermal properties and morphology.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 2004

We have prepared poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nanocomposites filled with two different types of fumed silicas, hydrophilic (FS) and hydrophobic (MFS) silicas of 7-nm diameter, by in situ polymerization. We then investigated the morphological changes, rheological properties, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of the PET nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate that the dispersibility of the fumed silica was improved effectively by in situ polymerization; in particular, MFS had better dispersibility than FS on the non-polar PET polymer. The crystallization behavior of the nanocomposites revealed a peculiar tendency: all the fillers acted as retarding agents for the crystallization of the PET nanocomposites. The incorporation of fumed silicas increased the intrinsic viscosities (IV) of the PET matrix, and the strong particleparticle interactions of the filler led to an increased melt viscosity. Additionally, the mechanical properties, toughness, and modules of the nano-composites all increased, even at low filler content.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2014

Nanocomposites based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/(PVDF) blended with carbon fibers (CF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt mixing in the twin screw extruder. Morphologies of the PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT and PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites were investigated using SEM. The aggregation of CNT was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites while the good dispersion of CNT was shown in PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites. In SEM image of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposite, the CNT were mainly located at the PET domain of phase-separated PET/PVDF blend due to the ${\pi}-{\pi}$ interaction between the phenyl ring of PET and graphite sheet of the CNT's surface. In addition, a fairly good compatibility between PET/PVDF matrix and CF was shown in the SEM image. In the case of PET/PVDF nanocomposites blended with the co-addition of CF and CNT, the volume electrical resistivity decreased while no change was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT composites. The degree of CNT dispersion in morphology results was consistent with the electrical conductivity results. From the DSC results, the crystallization temperature (Tc) of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites increased due to the co-addition of CF and CNTs acting as a nucleating agent. Flexural modulus of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT were sharply enhanced due to increasing the interaction between PET and CF.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.745-755
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• 2012

Two types of polymers were tested in this study; poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as a synthetic example and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a natural polymer. DSC analyses showed that the use of nanofiller increased the degree of crystallinity ($X_c$) of both PET and PLA polymers, but the effect was more noticeable on PET nanocomposites. The crystallization of PLA and PET nanocomposites occurred at higher temperatures in comparison to neat polymers. According to dynamic mechanical-thermal analysis (DMTA), the damping factor of PET/$TiO_2$ nanoparticles decreased compared to the neat matrix, but for PLA nanocomposites the opposite trend was observed. Results of the mechanical test showed that for both PET and PLA nanocomposites, the most successful toughening effect was observed at 3 wt% loading of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. SEM micrographs revealed uniform distribution of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles at 1 and 3 wt% loading levels. The results of WAXD spectra explained that the polymorphs of PLA and PET was not affected by $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. UV-visible spectra showed that $TiO_2$ nanocomposite films had high ultraviolet shielding compared to neat polymer, but there was significant reduction in transparency.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.490-494
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• 2011

Nanocomposites of blends of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and polyamide66 (Nylon66) containing natural and organically modified montmorillonite clays (PM, $Cloisite^{(R)}$ 25A and 15A) were prepared by melt mixing. DSC results showed that the addition of clay changed the crystallization behavior of PET/Nylon66 nanocomposites. Clay C25A was observed to most significantly change the crystallization temperature than other clays in blends of PET and Nylon66, which may be caused by the difference in interaction with matrix polymers. AFM results also showed that the lowest value of surface roughness was observed for nanocomposites containing C25A indicating the smooth and relatively homogenous surface. Mechanical properties measurement showed the similar results. Contact angle was measured to study the difference in hydrophobicity. An increase in contact angle was observed for nanocomposites with C25A or C15A due to the increased hydrophobicity.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.156-162
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• 2012

Polyurethane (PU)/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by mixing UV curable urethane acrylate oligomer with organoclay, and a subsequent curing by UV irradiation. As organoclays, commercially available Cloisite 20A (C20A) and acrylsilane modified C20A were used. XRD and TEM analyses revealed that the UV cured PU/clay nanocomposites formed intercalated nanocomposites, and acrylsilane modified C20A are dispersed more finely than unmodified C20A in PU matrix. DMTA, pencil hardness and adhesion test onto PET substrate showed that the clay nanolayers induced an increase in the properties, and the enhancement in the properties was more pronounced in the PU/acrylsilane modified C20A nanocomposites than in the PU/unmodified C20A nanocomposites. It was also observed that the PU/surface modified clay nanocomposites showed remarkably lower shrinkage upon UV curing than the unfilled PU. The nanocomposites showed excellent optical transparency but lower gloss as compared to unfilled PU.

• Carbon letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2012

In this work, expanded graphite (EG)-reinforced poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nanocomposites were prepared by the melt mixing method and the content of the EG was fixed as 2 wt%. The effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a co-carbon filler on the electrical and mechanical properties of the EG/PET was investigated. The results showed that the electrical and mechanical properties of the EG/PET were significantly increased with the addition of MWCNTs, showing an improvement over those of PET prepared with EG alone. This was most likely caused by the interconnections in the MWCNTs between the EG layers in the PET matrix. It was found that the addition of the MWCNTs into EG/PET led to dense conductive networks for easy electron transfers, indicating a bridge effect of the MWCNTs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.29-32
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• 2000

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2023

Because polymer-based composites are lightweight and have excellent properties, their demand is growing rapidly as a way to fulfill properties that are difficult to achieve with a single material. As a result, there has been a lot of research on polymer nanocomposites, which are made by dispersing particles with a size of 1-100 nm in a polymer matrix. In addition, many nanocomposites using thermoplastic resins as matrix materials are being studied. In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)-based nanocomposites containing organic nanoclays modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as interlayer materials were prepared. Among various nanoclays, vermiculite (VMT) has been studied to increase the mechanical and thermal properties of polymeric materials due to its low cost, abundant reserves and unique properties. However, the strong interlayer bonding of VMT has limited its utilization due to its poor exfoliation and dispersion performance within polymer matrices. In this study, the mechanical properties of the VMT content were confirmed by tensile tests, the dispersion of VMT particles in the PET matrix was evaluated by TEM cross-sectional images, and the nitrogen gas barrier properties were evaluated.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.662-670
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• 2007

The crystallization behavior and fine structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/A-zeolite nanocomposites were assessed via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (TR-SAXS). The Avrami exponent increased from 3.5 to approximately 4.5 with increasing A-zeolite contents, thereby indicating a change in crystal growth formation. The rate constant, k, evidenced an increasing trend with increases in A-zeolite contents. The SAXS data revealed morphological changes occurring during isothermal crystallization. As the zeolite content increased, the long period and amorphous region size also increased. It has been suggested that, since PET molecules passed through the zeolite pores, some of them are rejected into the amorphous region, thereby resulting in increased amorphous region size and increased long period, respectively. In addition, as PET chains piercing into A-zeolite pores cannot precipitate perfect crystal folding, imperfect crystals begin to melt at an earlier temperature, as was revealed by the SAXS profiles obtained during heating. However, the spherulite size was reduced with increasing nanofiller content, because impingement between adjacent spherulites in the nanocomposite occurs earlier than that of homo PET, due to the increase in nucleating sites.