In-situ synthesis of SiO2 aerogel/polyethylene terephthalate composite slices and their fibers
Abstract
Purpose
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a fiber molding polymer is widely used in aerospace, electrical and electronic, clothing and other fields. The purpose of this study is to improve the thermal insulation performance of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the SiO2 aerogel/PET composites slices and fibers were prepared, and the effects of the SiO2 aerogel on the morphology, structure, crystallization property and thermal conductivity of the SiO2 aerogel/PET composites slices and their fibers were systematically investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
The mass ratio of purified terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol was selected as 1:1.5, which was premixed with Sb2O3 and the corresponding mass of SiO2 aerogel, and SiO2 aerogel/PET composites were prepared by direct esterification and in-situ polymerization. The SiO2 aerogel/PET composite fibers were prepared by melt-spinning method.
Findings
The results showed that the SiO2 aerogel was uniformly dispersed in the PET matrix. The thermal insulation coefficient of PET was significantly reduced by the addition of SiO2 aerogel, and the thermal conductivity of the 1.0 Wt.% SiO2 aerogel/PET composites was reduced by 75.74 mW/(m · K) compared to the pure PET. The thermal conductivity of the 0.8 Wt.% SiO2 aerogel/PET composite fiber was reduced by 46.06% compared to the pure PET fiber. The crystallinity and flame-retardant coefficient of the SiO2 aerogel/PET composite fibers showed an increasing trend with the addition of SiO2 aerogel.
Research limitations/implications
The SiO2 aerogel/PET composite slices and their fibers have good thermal insulation properties and exhibit good potential for application in the field of thermal insulation, such as warm clothes. In today’s society where the energy crisis is becoming increasingly serious, improving the thermal insulation performance of PET to reduce energy loss will be of great significance to alleviate the energy crisis.
Originality/value
In this study, SiO2 aerogel/PET composite slices and their fibers were prepared by an in situ polymerization process, which solved the problem of difficult dispersion of nanoparticles in the matrix and the thermal conductivity of PET significantly reduced.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Applied Basic Research Project of Light of Textile (Grant No. J202102), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. LGC22E030008), and Scientific and Technological Innovation Activity Plan of College Students in Zhejiang Province (Xinmiao Talents Scheme) (Grant No. 2023R406014).
Conflict of interest: The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest to this work.
Citation
Yang, F., Wang, W., Yan, Y. and Dong, Y. (2024), "In-situ synthesis of SiO2 aerogel/polyethylene terephthalate composite slices and their fibers", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/PRT-12-2023-0117
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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