Characterizations for blends of phosphorus-containing copolyester with poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract

High molecular weight phosphorus-containing copolyesters, poly(ethylene terephthalate)-co-poly(ethylene DDP) (PET-co-PEDDP)s, were prepared and characterized with the objective of producing a non-halogen flame retardant system for practical applications. The phosphorus-containing copolyester with 30 wt% phosphorus (P30 copolyester) was blended with PET to evaluate their characteristics and flame retardancy. Higher phosphorus content results in lower crystallinity and higher char formation after thermal degradation. The rheological behavior remains similar to that of PET. The P30/PET blend possesses higher crystallization rate than the corresponding phosphorus-containing copolyester containing equal phosphorus content. Thermal and rheological behaviors of P30/PET blends are similar to PET or the phosphorus-containing copolyesters. The P30/PET blends are miscible or compatible base on single T(g)s detected by DSC or DMA. The SEM/EDX phosphorus mapping image of the P30/PET blend shows uniform distribution of the phosphorus moieties within the P30/PET matrix, another indication of a compatible or miscible blend between the phosphorus-containing copolyester P30 and PET. Flame retardancy of the P30/PET blend is identical to that of the phosphorus-containing copolyester with identical phosphorus content. Blending of high phosphorus content copolyester with virgin PET provides a feasible method to obtain a flame resistant PET with LOI greater than 28.