Effect of Surface-Treated TiO2 on Non-Isothermal Crystallization Behavior of Poly Trimethylene Terephthalate Nanocomposites

摘要

The study of the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/TiO2 nanocomposites using untreated and surface-treated TiO2 has been carried out with different theoretical models. The PTT/untreated TiO2 and surface-treated TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared employing batch mixing technique with an aim to investigate the influence of the TiO2 dispersion on the crystallization behavior. The nucleation efficiency of the TiO2 nanoparticles has been demonstrated with the use of Avrami and Jez-iorny models. Test results indicated that the PTT matrix with surface-treated TiO2 particles has higher crystallization temperature and melting point than those with untreated PTT/TiO2 nanocomposites. Unlike untreated TiO2, surface-treated TiO2 particles also showed less effect on the degree of crystallization of the PTT matrix. The TiO2 nanoparticles act as a nucleating agent in the PTT matrix by reducing the t_(1/2) of the crystallization time, thus making it easy to form crystals.