Mechanical properties of composites based on unsaturated polyester resins obtained by chemical recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

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.