Quantitative structural characterization of the mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract

AbstractThe mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) are examined to see if the quantitative morphological criteria previously used to define the structural state of isotactic polypropylene will lead to similar quantitative structure‐property correlations when applied to PET. Tenacity, thermal shrinkage in oil and air, tensile modulus, dynamic loss modulus, long spacings, and small‐angle x‐ray intensities are included in the study. All of the data were obtained from the open literature. In all cases the physical properties correlate simply and quantitatively with the internal structure of the PET, and the character of the correlations leads to new insights into the nature of the internal mechanisms controlling the observed properties. The study shows that only by considering the structural state of a polymer, and not its fabrication parameters, can general, simplifying, quantitative, structure‐property correlations be achieved.