Reactive blending of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(pet)/ poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate)(pen). I: Effect of mixing conditions on chain structure

Reactive blending of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6dicarboxylate) with addition of 2,2'‐bis(1,3‐oxazoline) (BOZ) has been studied under various mixing conditions for the different compositions. The transesterification level, the sequence length of both PET and PEN short blocks, and the degree of randomness were estimated using¹H NMR. The results indicate that both mixing time and temperature are the primary factors controlling the transesterification, while the chain extender BOZ can significantly accelerate the transesterification between PET and PEN at 275°C. The composition also, to some extent, influences the transerification level as the mixing time is increased. As a consequence of transesterification proceeding, the sequence structures of the reactive blends are also markedly changed, which corresponds to a transfer from an initial block structure to a multiblock structure with higher randomness. The change in the microstructure of the reactive blends has also been analyzed by a Bernoullian statistics model. The effect of the BOZ on the intrinsic viscosity of the reactive blends is discussed.