Synthesis and characterization of poly(butylene terephthalate) nanocomposite fibers: Thermo-mechanical properties and morphology

Nanocomposites of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) with the organoclay C12PPh-MMT were prepared using hi situ intercalation polymerization. Hybrids with various organoclay contents were processed for fiber spinning to examine their thermal behavior, tensile mechanical properties, and morphologies for various draw ratios (DRs). The thermal properties (T-g' T-m' and T-D(i)) of the hybrid fibers were found to be better than those of pure PBT fibers and were unchanged by variation of the organoclay loading up to 2 wt %. However, these thermal properties remained unchanged for DRs ranging from 1 to 18. Most clay layers were dispersed homogeneously in the matrix polymer, although some clusters were also detected. The tensile properties of the hybrid fibers increased gradually with increasing C12PPh-MMT content at DR = 1. However, the ultimate strengths and initial moduli of the hybrid fibers decreased markedly with increasing DR. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.