Blend Fibres: Phase Structure and Mechanical Properties
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Anton Marcinčin, Marcela Hricová, Polypropylene/(Polyethylene Eva Körmendyová, Anna Ujhelyiová, Terephthalate/Polybuthylene Terephthalate) *Jan Broda, *Jaroslaw Janicki Blend Fibres: Phase Structure and Mechanical Properties Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Abstract Department of Fibres and Textile Chemistry, This paper deals with conditions for preparation, phase structure and selected properties Radlinského 9, 813 37 Bratislava, Slovakia, of polypropylene (PP)-polyester (PES) blend fibres. The dispersed polyester phase in E-mail: [email protected] PP matrix is represented by both polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybuthylene terephthalate (PBT), as well as by their blends (PES). The phase morphology of the blend *University of Bielsko-Biala, Institute of Textile Engineering fibres with regard to the rheological properties of the components of PP/PES blend fibres and Polymer Materials, was investigated by the microscopic method. The DSC analysis and wide-angle X-ray Willowa 2, 43 309 Bielsko-Biala, Poland scattering (WAXS) methods were used to evaluate the supermolecular structure of blend fibres. The correlations between the rheological properties of polymer components and the phase structure & mechanical-physical properties of the PP/PES blend fibres are discussed in this paper. We found a positive effect of the PBT in the PES-dispersed phase on the rheological properties of the blend and mechanical properties of the PP/PES blend fibres. Key words: polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybuthylene terephthalate, phase structure of blend fibres, mechanical properties. n Introduction r the radius of the undeformed drop, σ are interesting from the point of view of the interfacial tension, ηd the viscosity of their application in PP/PES blends, and The polymer blends are physical ‘alloys’ the dispersed phase, and ηm the matrix PP/PES blend fibres with PP as a major- of the structurally different polymers viscosity. The deformation ε is expressed ity phase, in comparison with pure PET. which do not have any clearly identifi- by the length l and diameter d of the de- able covalent bonds between the mac- formed particles: The structure and properties of the romolecule chains of components. The ε = (l-d)/(l+d) PET/PBT blends have been studied, chemical interactions in the real polymer particularly in recent years. PET/PBT blends often lead to a certain share of the Competition between drop breakup and blends have a lower glass temperature copolymers, e.g. between two kinds of coalescence results in critical deforma- T [11] and a lower melting temperature ε g polyesters by a re-esterification reaction. tion cr. For shear flow, the minimum T [15, 16] relative to PET despite hav- ε m Polymer blends permit new materials of cr is within the range of K value ing the same crystallinity. The minority to be prepared without any synthesis of 0.1 - 1.0, and for elongation flow, it is phase in the concentration range under the new polymers. The properties of the within K=1 - 5. 10 wt.% cannot create its own crystal- blends depend to a decisive degree on the line phase. The low content of copolymer In any case, the deformation of the dis- properties of individual components and in the blend which is formed above Tm on the blend phase structure. The mutual persed phase is expressed by the shear provides good deformability without the compatibility of polymers and blend- rate γ˙, which is indirectly proportional necking phenomena which is character- ing conditions play a very important to K [9]. The experimental results from istic for PET. Further, PET/PBT blends various authors concerning the polymer role in creating the phase structure of exhibit one glass transition Tg without polymer blends [1]. The phase structure blends are not unambiguous in harmony regard to composition. This confirms of the fibres based on a heterogeneous with the theory. Some authors have found the thermodynamic miscibility of the polymer blend is significantly affected the maximum of the deformation of the components in the amorphous state [11, by the rheological properties of com- dispersed phase to be of the same viscos- 15]. Interphase interactions and adhesion ponents and adhesive interactions at the ity as that of the matrix [10]. between the crystalline phase of com- interphase [2, 3]. The deformation of ponents, resulting from their miscibility polymer melt in both the spinning and Almost all polymer blends consisting of in the amorphous phase, improves me- drawing of fibres leads to deformation of semi-crystalline polymers in solid state chanical-physical properties such as the the particles of the dispersed phase, and display a micro-phase, heterogeneous tenacity and modulus of elasticity of the a polyfibrilar system of blend fibres is structure [11]. Some of these blends PET/PBT blend (referring to individual formed [4 - 6]. are miscible above melting temperature components). It can be assumed that in molten state, and the miscibility of these positive properties of the PET/PBT According to Taylor & Cox’s theory, the components in the amorphous region has blends result from the interactions of shape of the particles in the dispersed also been noted after individual crystal- aromatic rings of terephthalatic acid in phase of immiscible polymers in the lisation. This specific structure has been polymer chains, whereas the flexibility steady uniform shear or extensional flow observed in some polyester blends (PET/ of the butandiol part of the PBT enables can be expressed by two dimensionless PBT, PET/PTT) [12, 13] and polyamide the development of these interactions. parameters [7, 8]: the capillary number blends (PA6/PA66, PA6/PA10) [14]. In . Ca = ηm γ˙ r/σ and the viscosity ratio particular, polyester blends have a struc- In this paper, the structure and selected K = ηd/ηm, where γ˙ is the shear rate, ture and some positive properties which mechanical properties of the fibres based 92 FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe January / December 2006, Vol. 14, No. 5 (59) FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe January / December 2006, Vol. 14, No. 5 (59) 93 on a ternary PP/(PET/PBT) blend were (LiE) in 1.5 wt.% concentration was used the wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) studied and compared with known binary to improve the blending of PP with FPA method. The investigations were carried PP/PET and PP/PBT blend fibres. The during spinning. out using a Seifert X-ray diffractometer. rheological properties of the polymer The diffraction patterns were registered components and the final polymer ad- b. Spinning of PP/PES blend fibres for samples powdered on a Hardy micro- ditive blends were correlated with the The PP and FPA chips are mixed; the PP/ tome within a range of angles from 4° to phase structure and selected properties PES blend fibres are blended and spun 40°. The pattern analysis was performed of PP/(PET/PBT) blend fibres in depend- using a laboratory spinning plant with a calculating a theoretical curve approxi- ence on the composition of PET/PBT’s one-screw extruder with a diameter of mating the experimental data. The theo- polyester dispersed phase. Two kinds of 30 mm. The content of the PES dispersed retical curve was constructed as a sum of the blend fibres were prepared: PP fibres phase in the PP matrix of the PP/PES functions describing a background scat- modified by the PET/PBT blend with fibres was 8 wt.% and 16 wt.%, without tering, an amorphous halo and crystalline 8 wt.% of the total PES content, and blend regard to the content of compatibiliser in or mesophase peaks. The parameters of fibres with 16 wt.% of the PES dispersed the FPA. The parameters of the spinning component functions were found by min- phase in the PP matrix. We used the DSC process were as follows: temperature imising the sum of squared deviations of and WAXS analyses, as well as micro- 275 °C, spinneret with 48 holes, spin- the theoretical curve from the experimen- scopic observations, to investigate the ning speed 400 m/min-1. The fineness tal one. The minimisation was carried out phase and the supermolecular structure of the undrawn multifilaments was by means of Rosenbrock’s method using of the PP/(PET/PBT) fibres. The results Tdt = 960 dtex. The multifilaments the OptiFit computer program [17]. On are correlated with the mechanical-physi- were drawn using the laboratory draw- the basis of the WAXS patterns, the pa- cal properties of the blend fibres. ing equipment. The drawing ratio was rameters characterising the fibre structure 1 : 3, the temperature 110 °C. The fine- were determined. The crystallinity index ness of the drawn multifilaments was and the content of the mesophase were n Experimental Tdt = 320 dtex x f48. The fibres were an- calculated as a ratio of the area under Materials nealed without shrinkage at 110 °C for a the crystalline or mesophase peaks to the total area. Polymers and additives period of 30 min. Polypropylene TF 331 (PP), MFI = 18.0 Morphology of PP/PES fibres g/10 min (Slovnaft AG) Methods The size and shape of the deformed par- Polyethylene terephthalate L (PET), In- Rheological measurements ticles of the PES dispersed phase were trinsic viscosity = 0.55 l.g-1 (phenol- The rheological properties of the com- observed, after etching the PP matrix tetrachlor ethane 1:3) (SH Senica) ponents and polymer blends (FPA) with xylene at 140 °C, and after separa- Polybuthylene terephthalate Celanex were measured using a Göttfert N 6967 tion of the PES microfibres. The light 2000 (PBT), MFI = 19.8 g/10 min capillary extrusiometer with extruder microscopy observation technique was (Ticona AG) φ = 20 mm at 275 °C. The conditions of used [18]. Polyester wax (montane wax) Licowax E measurement were close to those in the (LiE), (Ciba Specialty Ltd) spinning equipment, namely dynamic conditions in extruder before extrusion Mechanical properties of PP/PES blend fibres Preparation of the final polymer addi- of the blend melt.