STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL STUDIES OF A BLEND OF POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) AND POLY(ETHER ESTER) BASED ON POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) AND POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)

Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), poly(ether ester) (PEE) based on PBT and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (PBT/PEG=49/51 wt%) and their blend are extruded with quenching, drawn x 5 and annealed together with undrawn samples at 170, 180, 190 and 200 degrees C for 6 h in vacuum. All samples are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.), small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and static mechanical measurements. D.s.c. and X-ray results show the absence of complete cocrystallization of homo-PBT and PBT from PEE in the blend in accordance with other reports. The drawn blend annealed at 200 degrees C reveals much higher (by 30 degrees C) T-m than the PEE component (49/51). Also the mechanical properties of the blend are in between those of the components (homo-PBT and PEE 49/51) but improved compared to those of PEE with the same chemical composition (PEE 75/25). Both observations are explained by partial cocrystallization, i.e. formation of crystallites consisting of two populations of crystallites differing in their size, perfection, origin and time of appearance. The lack of complete cocrystallization and miscibility in this particular blend as well as in other cases with PEE containing less than 75 wt% PBT is explained by the insufficient length of PBT hard segments in PEE necessary for the formation of lamellar thickness typical of the crystallites of homo-PBT.