Composites based on unsaturated polyester (UPe) resins and fumed silica
AEROSIL? RY 50, NY 50, RX 50 and NAX 50, as well as graphite, TiO2 or
organically modified clay CLOISITE 30B were prepared in order to investigate
the influence of reinforcing agents on the mechanical properties of
composites. Unsaturated polyester resins were synthesized from maleic
anhydride and products of glycolysis, obtained by depolymerization of
poly(ethylene terephthalate) with dipropylene glycol (UPe1 resin) and
triethylene glycol (UPe2 resin) in the presence of tetrabutyl titanate
catalyst. The obtained unsaturated polyesters were characterized by FTIR
spectroscopy, acid and hydroxyl values, and their mechanical properties were
also examined. Significant increase of the tensile modulus, tensile strength
and decrease of the elongation at break was observed for composites prepared
after addition of 10 wt.% of graphite or 10 wt.% of TiO2 to the UPe resins,
indicating strong interaction between matrix and filler particles. On the
other hand, nanocomposites prepared using UPe2 and hydrophobically modified
silica nanoparticles showed lower tensile strength and tensile modulus than
polymer matrix. The presence of CLOISITE 30B had no significant influence on
the mechanical properties of UPe1, while tensile strength and tensile modulus
of UPe2 increased after adding 10 wt.% of clay.
Exploring Next-Generation Engineering Bioplastics: Poly(alkylene furanoate)/Poly(alkylene terephthalate) (PAF/PAT) Blends
