Post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate and polyamide 66 blends and corresponding short glass fiber reinforced composites

Abstract

Blends of bottle-grade post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and virgin polyamide 66 (PA66), over the complete composition range, and corresponding short glass fiber (SGF) reinforced composites were investigated. These materials were compounded in a twin-screw extruder and injection molded as standard specimens. Morphological investigation of the composites revealed that the short glass fibers have a good size distribution and are homogenously dispersed within a polymeric matrix. The PET/PA66/SGF composites showed good mechanical performance in flexural, tensile and impact tests demonstrating that the addition of SGFs to PET/PA66 blends is an interesting approach to obtaining new thermoplastic composites. In addition, this represents a potential application for post-consumer PET, an abundant and cheap material, in the well-established market of PA66/SGF composites, which are widely used in technical parts requiring high mechanical and thermal properties.

Keywords

• PET
• PA66
• nylon 66
• short glass fiber
• composite
• blend