Preparation and properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/ATO nanocomposites

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites used for manufacturing antistatic PET fiber were synthesized by in situ polymerization. The crystallization and multiple melting behavior of the nanocomposites were systemically investigated by means of Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X‐ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. The degree of crystallinity in nanocomposites increased with increasing ATO content. Smaller and more incomplete crystals are presented in the crystalline regions of the nanocomposites with increasing the content of ATO, which could be attributed to heterogeneous nucleation effects of ATO nanoparticles. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measurements showed that the storage moduli of the nanocomposites increased with increasing the content of ATO, due to formation of immobilized layer between polymer and filler. The interactions between ATO and PET molecules result in high tan δ for the PET/ATO nanocomposites. Percolation threshold of PET/ATO hybrid fibers prepared by the nanocomposites at room temperature was as low as 1.05 wt %, much lower than that of the composites filled with conventional conductive particles. Adding ATO nanoparticles obviously improves the conductivity of PET. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007