A New Era in Engineering Plastics: Compatibility and Perspectives of Sustainable Alipharomatic Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) Blends
Dimitrios G. Papageorgiou,
Irini Tsetsou,
Raphael O. Ioannidis,
George N. Nikolaidis,
Stylianos Exarhopoulos,
Nejib Kasmi,
Dimitrios N. Bikiaris,
Dimitris S. Achilias,
George Z. Papageorgiou
Affiliations
Dimitrios G. Papageorgiou
School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
Irini Tsetsou
Chemistry Department, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Raphael O. Ioannidis
Chemistry Department, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
George N. Nikolaidis
Chemistry Department, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Stylianos Exarhopoulos
Department of Food Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, P.O. Box 141, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
Nejib Kasmi
Department of Materials Research and Technology (MRT), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 5 Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Dimitrios N. Bikiaris
Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitris S. Achilias
Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
George Z. Papageorgiou
Chemistry Department, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
The industrialisation of poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) for total replacement of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in the polyester market is under question. Preparation of high-performing polymer blends is a well-established strategy for tuning the properties of certain homopolymers and create tailor-made materials to meet the demands for a number of applications. In this work, the structure, thermal properties and the miscibility of a series of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PET/PEF) blends have been studied. A number of thermal treatments were followed in order to examine the thermal transitions, their dynamic state and the miscibility characteristics for each blend composition. Based on their glass transition temperatures and melting behaviour the PET/PEF blends are miscible at high and low poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) contents, while partial miscibility was observed at intermediate compositions. The multiple melting was studied and their melting point depression was analysed with the Flory-Huggins theory. In an attempt to further improve miscibility, reactive blending was also investigated.
