Hydrolytic Degradation of Thermoplastic Copolyester Nanocomposites-Juniper Publishers
JUNIPER PUBLISHERS- ACADEMIC JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE Abstract Thermoplastic copolyesters (TPE-Es) are multi-block copolymers commonly incorporating hard (polyester) and soft (polyether) blocks. Multifunctional epoxy-based chain extenders (TGDDM) are one of the additives that serve to reverse molecular weight (M W ) damage caused by the process of hydrolysis of TPE-E. There are two functional groups that are capable of additional reactions on the terminal hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of TPE-E. Considering the hydrogen bonded hard segments in hard domains are less susceptible to hydrolysis compared to the non-hydrogen bonded equivalents, the phase separated morphology of polyether-polyester copolymers based TGDDM also provides to the long-term stability. The molecular weight of TPE-E was determined by GPC and the thermal and tensile behaviors were investigated. Keywords: Thermoplastic copolyester; Crosslinking; Hydrolysis; Mechanical properties Abbrevations: ...