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The effects of two-step reactive processing on the properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)

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Abstract

A simple approach for preparing recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (r-PET) with excellent processability and melt strength has been developed in this research. To increase the intrinsic viscosity of r-PET, a two-step chain extension process using a combination of SAG-008 and tetraglycidyl-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM) was investigated. To evaluate the chain extension degree of the modified r-PET, its intrinsic viscosity (IV) and rheological properties were characterized, and found to be correlated to the long-chain branches and molecular weight. The results indicated that the combination of SAG-008 and TGDDM at the optimized conditions provided the highest IV of 1.18 dl/g while controlling the gel formation to a low value. The increases in storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity revealed the enhancement of melt strength and viscoelasticity of r-PET. The differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the crystallinity was reduced with the addition of chain extenders. On the other hand, stepwise annealing method from room temperature to crystal melting temperature promoted the crystallization, which was confirmed by wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurement.

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge ‘Shanghai industry-university-research cooperation project (CXY-2014-023)’ and ‘Jiangsu province science and technology achievements transformation project (SBA2014010034)’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymer Processing Laboratory, Key Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Material Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, People’s Republic of China

    Kai Wang, Jianhua Qian, Feipeng Lou, Wei Yan & Weihong Guo

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center for Petrochemical New Materials, Anqing, 246011, Anhui, People’s Republic of China

    Genhua Wu & Weihong Guo

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  1. Kai Wang
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  2. Jianhua Qian
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  3. Feipeng Lou
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  4. Wei Yan
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  5. Genhua Wu
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Correspondence to Weihong Guo.

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Wang, K., Qian, J., Lou, F. et al. The effects of two-step reactive processing on the properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate). Polym. Bull. 74, 2479–2496 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-016-1850-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-016-1850-9

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