Synthesis and mechanical and thermal properties of multiblock terpoly(ester-ether-amide) thermoplastic elastomers with variable mole ratio of ether and amide block

A series of the terpolymers of poly[(trimethylene terephthalate)-block-(oxytetramethylene)-block-laurolactam] with a variable molar ratio of ether and amide block and constant molecular weights of PA12 = 2000 g/mole and PTMO = 1000 g/mole have been obtained. The influence of changes of these molar ratios on the functional properties and the values of phase change temperatures of the products have been determined. The thermal properties and the phase separation of obtained systems were defined by DSC, DMTA and WAXS methods. The chemical structure of obtained materials was studied by FT-IR and 13C NMR methods. The mechanical and elastic properties of these polymers were evaluated.

Extrusion Based 3D Printing of Sustainable Biocomposites from Biocarbon and Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

Three-dimensional (3D) printing manufactures intricate computer aided designs without time and resource spent for mold creation. The rapid growth of this industry has led to its extensive use in the automotive, biomedical, and electrical industries. In this work, biobased poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) blends were combined with pyrolyzed biomass to create sustainable and novel printing materials. The Miscanthus biocarbon (BC), generated from pyrolysis at 650 °C, was combined with an optimized PTT blend at 5 and 10 wt % to generate filaments for extrusion 3D printing. Samples were printed and analyzed according to their thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties. Although there were no significant differences seen in the mechanical properties between the two BC composites, the optimal quantity of BC was 5 wt % based upon dimensional stability, ease of printing, and surface finish. These printable materials show great promise for implementation into customizable, non-structural components in the electrical and automotive industries.

The preparation of antibacterial eco-friendly bio-based PTT-based β-cyclodextrin by complexation of copper and zinc ions

There has been an increasing focus on antibacterial textiles owing to their widespread applications in global public health. In this study, we prepared antibacterial bio-based poly (trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) by multi-crosslinking with citric acid among PTT and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and then adsorbing zinc and copper ions. The results show that β-cyclodextrin was successfully grafted onto the surface of PTT. The adsorption amounts of Zn2+ and Cu2+ on β-CD/PTT were investigated by ICP and FE-SEM, which showed that Zn2+ and Cu2+ penetrated the fabric surface. Moreover, under optimal adsorption conditions, the adsorption capacity of Zn2+ and Cu2+ are about 34 mg/g and 50 mg/g, respectively. During antibacterial test, the bactericidal rates of β-CD/Cu2+/PTT reached 90.75% for E. coli and 85.36% for S. aureus, and the bactericidal rates of β-CD/Zn2+/PTT are 80.48% for E. coli and 73.10% for S. aureus. Functionalized PTT fabrics with eco-environmental and sustainable performance may have promising application in the field of antibacterial fabrics.