Crystallization of poly(butylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene octene) blends: isothermal crystallization

Poly(ethylene-octene) (POE), maleic anhydride grafted poly(ethylene-octene) (mPOE), and a mixture of POE and mPOE were added to poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) to prepare PBT/POE, PBT/mPOE, and PBT/mPOE/POE blends by a twin-screw extruder. Observation by scanning electron microscopy revealed improved compatibility between PBT and POE in the presence of maleic anhydride groups. The melting behavior and isothermal crystallization kinetics of the blends were studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimeter; the kinetics data was delineated by kinetic models. The addition of POE or mPOE did not affect the melting behavior of PBT in samples quenched in water after blending in an extrude. Subsequent DSC scans of isothermally crystallized PBT and PBT blends exhibited two melting endotherms (T(mI) and T(mII)). T(mI) was the fusion of the crystals grown by normal primary crystallization and T(mII) was the melting peak of the most perfect crystals after reorganization. The dispersed second phase hindered the crystallization; on the other hand, the well dispersed phases with smaller size enhanced crystallization because of higher nucleation density. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.