Effects of chemical reaction on the properties of reactive blends between poly(butylene terephthalate) and liquid crystalline polymer

Abstract

In order to understand the effects of chemical reaction on the properties of the reactive blend prepared by the melt-phase reaction of poly(butylene terephthalate) and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), the crystallization behavior, complex viscosity and the molecular weight of the blends were studied. Because of the hindered crystallization due to the presence of the melt phase LCP, the crystallization temperature of the PBT/LCP blend decreased with increasing LCP content. The trans esterification reaction had no effect on the crystallization behavior and complex viscosity, except for A2 sample (PBT90/LCP10 reactive blend at 260 degrees C for 1 hour) and B2 sample (PBT70/LCP30 reactive blend at 260 degrees C for 1 hour). The reactive blends showed the fast crystallization due to annealing and increased the molecular weight due to the end-to-end reaction.