Effect of Catalyst Type on the Thermal Behavior and Physical Properties of Poly(butylene terephthalate)

Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) is produce by the polymerization of 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and terephthalic acid (TPA). In this research, PBT synthesis was studied in the presence of antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) and titanium tetrabutoxide (TBT) as catalysts under the same experimental conditions in a laboratory scale reactor. The effect of catalyst on the intrinsic viscosity (IV), thermal behavior and physical properties of final produced PBT has been investigated. The thermal behavior and physical properties of the synthesized polymer was studied with differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Lab test (CIELAB), respectively. The results have shown that the TBT was more efficient than antimony-based catalyst to increase IV and thermal properties of the PBT. But, the physical properties reduced with utilize TBT as catalyst.

Keywords:

Poly(butylene terephthalate) , Catalyst , Thermal Properties , IV