The effect of isothermal crystallization on mechanical properties of poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate)
Wei Zhang, Qingyin Wang, Gongying Wang, Shaoying Liu
Abstract
Abstract The effects of isothermal crystallization temperature/time on mechanical properties of bio-based polyester poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) were investigated. The intrinsic viscosity, crystallization properties, thermal properties, and microstructure of PEF were characterized using ubbelohde viscometer, X-ray diffraction, polarizing optical microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The PEF sample isothermal crystallized at various temperatures for various times was denoted as PEF- T - t . The results showed that the isothermal crystallization temperature affected the mechanical properties of PEF- T -30 by simultaneously affecting its crystallization properties and intrinsic viscosity. The isothermal crystallization time only affected the crystallization properties of PEF-110- t . The crystallinity of PEF-110-40 was 17.1%. With small crystal size, poor regularity, and α′-crystal, PEF-110-40 can absorb the energy generated in the tensile process to the maximum extent. Therefore, the best mechanical properties can be obtained for PEF-110-40 with the tensile strength of 43.55 MPa, the tensile modulus of 1,296 MPa, and the elongation at a break of 13.36%.