A novel method for preparing poly(ethylene terephthalate)/BaSO4 nanocomposites

We developed a novel method for preparing poly(ethylene terephthalate)/BaSO4 nanocomposites, which were synthesized by in situ polymerization of terephthalic acid (TPA), ethylene glycol (EG) and BaSO4 nanoparticles prepared by reacting H2SO4 with Ba(OH)(2) in ethylene glycol (EG). It was shown that the addition of BaSO4 would not influence the synthesis of PET. The structure of the nanocomposites was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the nanoscale dispersion of BaSO4 particles in the PET matrix was observed when the BaSO4 content is below 4 wt%. Moreover, the thermal properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results suggest that the degree of dispersion of BaSO4 particles in the PET matrix has important effect on the thermal properties of the nanocomposites. The existence of BaSO4 nanoparticles enhances the crystallization rate of PET. Besides, it was found that the thermal stability of PET was improved by the addition of the BaSO4 nanoparticles. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.