STUDIES ON CO[POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE-P-OXYBENZOATE)]THERMOTROPIC COPOLYESTER (I) - SYNTHESIS AND THERMOGRAVIMETRIC BEHAVIOR

Abstract

A series of co[poly (ethylene terephthalate-p-oxybenzoate)] thermotropic copolyester was synthesized from various ratios of two different moieties of either poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) or its oligomer as moiety (II) with p-acetoxybenzoic acid as moiety (I) through the polycondensation process. The polymeric products obtained were then ground and subjected to solid-state polymerization under vacuum for various polymerization times. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) were performed with these samples obtained. Also, a commercial product, Eastman 10109, was analyzed in comparison with these samples. It was found that the copolyesters made of PET and of its oligomer in a p-oxybenzoate (POB):PET = 80:20 composition ratio and subjected to 8 and 4 h solid-state polymerization times, respectively, showed the most similar thermogravimetric behavior with Eastman 10109.