Uniaxial orientation and tensile properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalate) blends

Abstract

Amorphous films of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalate) (PET/PEN) blends with different blend ratios were uniaxially drawn by solid-state coextrusion and the structure development during solid state deformation was studied. As-prepared blends showed two Tgs. The lower Tg was ∼72°C, independent of the blend ratio. In contrast, the higher Tg increased with increasing PEN content. Thus, the coextrusion was carried out around the higher Tg of the sample. At a given draw ratio of 5, which was close to the achievable maximum draw ratio, the tensile strength of the drawn samples from the initially amorphous state increased gradually with increasing PEN content. On the other hand, the tensile modulus was found to decrease initially, reaching a minimum at 40–60wt% PEN, and then increased as the PEN content increased. The results indicate that we can get the drawn films with a moderate tensile modulus and a high tensile strength. The drawn samples from the blends containing 40–60wt% of PEN showed a maximum elongation at break, and a maximum thermal shrinkage around 100°C. Also, the degree of stress-induced crystallinity showed a broad minimum around the blend ratio of 50% of PEN. These morphological characteristics explained well the effects of blend ratio on the tensile modulus and strength of drawn PET/PEN blend films.