Thermal properties of microcrystalline cellulose-filled PET-PTT blend polymer composites

Polymer composite materials were prepared from poly(ethylene terephthalate)-poly(trimethylene terephthalate) blends as the matrix and different microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) filler levels (0-40 wt%) using melt compounding followed by compression molding. The composites were analyzed using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The DSC results indicated that there is no consistent or significant influence of the MCC addition on the glass transition (T-g), melting (T-m), and crystallization temperature of the composites. With increasing MCC content, dynamic mechanical properties improved because of the reinforcing effect of the MCC. The tan delta peak values from the DMTA were not significantly changed as the MCC content increased. TG indicated that the onset temperature of rapid thermal degradation decreased with increasing MCC content. It was also found that the thermal stability of the composites slightly decreased as the MCC content increased.