NANOPARTICLES OF METAL OXIDES – HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PET MODIFIERS

TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles were introduced into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) during the polymer synthesis stage in the form of a suspension in ethylene glycol (one of the two mono-mers). The synthesis was carried out on a laboratory installation simulating the PET production technology at JSC Mogilevkhimvolokno. The suspension with nanoparticles was dosed into the reaction mixture in portions. The content of metal nanoparticles in the polymer was: 0.005 wt.%; 0.01 wt.%; 0.015 wt.%; 0.020 wt.%. This made it possible to distribute them evenly during the growth of macromolecules. The samples were obtained in the form of rods of solidified melt flowing out of a calibrated hole in the bottom of the reactor. The rods were crushed in a crusher to a size of about 2 mm. Then they were dried under vacuum (55 mm Hg) and at a temperature of 160 °С for 12 h. The dried samples were melted in an IRT XNR-400 set at a temperature of 270 °С under a load pressure of 325 g and pulled out of a calibration hole with a diameter of 2 mm and hardened into monofilaments. Next, the monofilaments were subjected to thermal drawing on a calender at 80 ºC to a drawing ratio of about 4.5 at a fixed tension. The resulting mono-filaments had a diameter of 0.08-0.09 mm and were subjected to further testing. Tests were carried out for deformation-strength properties and combustion resistance. A significant strengthening of monofilaments during nanomodification was established: by 35% with TiO2 nanoparticles and by 22% with ZnO nanoparticles (with their optimal content of 0.015 wt.%). In addition, a significant slowdown in the combustion of samples was noted: from 20 s to 1 s until self-extinguishing. Such an improvement in the most important performance properties of PET filaments is of great practical importance. At the same time, the increase in the cost of PET threads is insignificant due to ultra-small quantities (0.015 wt.%) of nanoparticles. A hypothesis has been proposed to explain the effect of nanoparticles on the properties of PET. For citation: Prokopchuk N.R., Lenartovich L.A., Vishnevskaya T.A., Khot'ko A.N. Nanoparticles of metal oxides – highly effective PET modifiers. ChemChemTech [Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved. Khim. Khim. Tekhnol.]. 2025. V. 68. N 3. P. 104-112. DOI: 10.6060/ivkkt.20256803.7122.