Preparation, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) and Its Nanocomposites Prepared from Cyclic Butylene Terephthalate
Polymerized cyclic butylene terephthalate (pCBT) casts and pCBT/nano-silica composites generated from cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) were manufactured. The mechanical properties of pCBT casts with various ratio of catalyst were investigated through three-point bending test, and the thermal properties of the samples were tested by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, the fracture morphologies of pCBT as well as its nano-silica composites were observed by SEM. From the study, suitable catalyst content for CBT resin was determined and pCBT/nano-silica composites were found to have better thermal performances compared with neat pCBT.