Acetophenone-assisted main-chain photocrosslinking of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Maximum gel fraction of 99.1% was obtained under continuous UV irradiation of a UV energy of 200 J cm⁻² on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) containing only in presence of 2.9%(w/w) acetophenone (AP). The fragmented AP radicals abstract the hydrogen atoms of methylene units in PET, producing secondary methine radicals which couples to main-chain crosslinks. The crystal structure of the crosslinked PET became disordered remarkably. The glass transition temperature disappeared and the peak thermal decomposition temperature was significantly retarded as much as 85°C. The crosslinking density and molecular weight between crosslinks reaches up to 0.129 mol g⁻¹ and 7.7 g mol⁻¹, respectively. Also tensile modulus and strength increased by 200 and 72% compared with those of the pristine PET respectively, resulting in more toughened PET. The solid-state photocrosslinking may extend high-temperature applications of PET with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39802.