Morphology and Crystallization of Biobased Polyamide 56 Blended with Polyethylene Terephthalate

Abstract

This study attempts to promote biobased polyamide 56 (PA56) as a sustainable candidate to replace commercial PA6 and PA66 when blended with polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the blends with different PA56 contents reveals an immiscible morphology with an increase in the size of the dispersed domains by increasing PA56 content. The steady‐state mixing torque of the kneader is decreased to half by adding 10 wt% of PA56 to PET. Further addition of PA56 gradually increases this torque but does not surpass the neat PET sample up to 30 wt% of PA56. As revealed by microscopic dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations, this gradual increase is ascribed to the difficulty to disperse larger domains of PA56 in the thermodynamically undesired PET. The results confirm that PA56 has a lubricating effect in PET. Using polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, it is shown that PA56 acts as a nucleating agent in PET. This leads to the formation of numerous small crystals in the blends as opposed to several large crystals in the neat samples. The results encourage the use of PA56 biomaterial in combination with PET in products such as bicomponent segmented pie fibers.

Tuning gradient microstructures in immiscible polymer blends by viscosity ratio

“…The design of new functional materials often requires a precise control of the structure at different scales. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In polymer blends, this task is quite challenging due to the complex relationships between their properties, microstructures, and processing conditions. Recently, bioinspired gradient polymer materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their characteristic morphologies and properties.…”

“…The design of new functional materials often requires a precise control of the structure at different scales . In polymer blends, this task is quite challenging due to the complex relationships between their properties, microstructures, and processing conditions.…”

Tailored Gradient Morphologies and Anisotropic Surface Patterns in Polymer Blends

“…The elaborate use of micro‐ and nanoparticles to influence the morphology of polymer blends has also been investigated . It is widely accepted that the morphology of polymer blends is mainly governed by the deformation, migration, breakup, and coalescence of the dispersed phase domains . These phenomena, in turn, are controlled by the processing conditions and are well addressed in numerous rheological studies.…”

Melt-Spun Fibers for Textile Applications

“…PA 5.6, which can be synthesized by direct polycondensation of 1,5-pentamethylenediamine obtained from L-lysine and adipic acid, is a biobased alternative to PA 6 and PA 6.6, with a high potential in fiber applications [ 32 ]. With T m ~250 °C, PA 5.6 shows thermal properties and a heat resistance comparable to the commercially available PA 6 [ 33 ].…”