Effect of A-Zeolite on the Crystallization Behavior of In-situ Polymerized Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) Nanocomposites

The crystallization behavior and fine structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/A-zeolite nanocomposites were assessed via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (TR-SAXS). The Avrami exponent increased from 3.5 to approximately 4.5 with increasing A-zeolite contents, thereby indicating a change in crystal growth formation. The rate constant, k, evidenced an increasing trend with increases in A-zeolite contents. The SAXS data revealed morphological changes occurring during isothermal crystallization. As the zeolite content increased, the long period and amorphous region size also increased. It has been suggested that, since PET molecules passed through the zeolite pores, some of them are rejected into the amorphous region, thereby resulting in increased amorphous region size and increased long period, respectively. In addition, as PET chains piercing into A-zeolite pores cannot precipitate perfect crystal folding, imperfect crystals begin to melt at an earlier temperature, as was revealed by the SAXS profiles obtained during heating. However, the spherulite size was reduced with increasing nanofiller content, because impingement between adjacent spherulites in the nanocomposite occurs earlier than that of homo PET, due to the increase in nucleating sites.