The Effects of Soft-Segment Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)-block-poly(tetramethylene glycol) Copolymers.
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| Title: | The Effects of Soft-Segment Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)-block-poly(tetramethylene glycol) Copolymers. |
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| Authors: | Dong, Hailiang1,2 (AUTHOR), Tian, Yuchuang2 (AUTHOR), Li, Junyu1,2 (AUTHOR), Shi, Jiyou2 (AUTHOR), Kuang, Jun2 (AUTHOR), Zhou, Wenle2 (AUTHOR), Chen, Ye1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Polymers (20734360). Oct2025, Vol. 17 Issue 20, p2781. 15p. |
| Subjects: | Block copolymers, Molecular weights, Biopolymers, Thermal properties, Microstructure, Biomaterials, Polyethylene terephthalate, Mechanical behavior of materials |
| Abstract: | A series of PTT-b-PTMG copolyesters was synthesized via direct esterification followed by melt polycondensation using purified terephthalic acid (PTA), bio-based 1,3-propanediol (PDO), and poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) of varying molecular weights (650–3000 g/mol). The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized in terms of chemical structure, molecular weight, thermal behavior, phase morphology, crystalline architecture, and mechanical performance using a range of analytical techniques: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H-NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA), tensile testing, and other standard physical methods. FTIR, 1H-NMR, and GPC data confirmed the successful incorporation of both PTT-hard and PTMG-soft segments into the copolymer backbone. As the PTMG molecular weight increased, the average sequence length of the PTT-hard segments (Ln,T) also increased, leading to higher melting (Tm) and crystallization (Tc) temperatures, albeit with a slight reduction in overall crystallinity. DMA results indicated enhanced microphase separation between hard and soft domains with increasing PTMG molecular weight. WAXS and SAXS analyses further revealed that the crystalline structure and long-range ordering were strongly dependent on the copolymer composition and block architecture. Mechanical testing showed that tensile strength at break remained relatively constant across the series, while Young's modulus increased significantly with higher PTMG molecular weight—concurrently accompanied by a decrease in elongation at break. Furthermore, the elastic deformability and recovery behavior of PTT-b-PTMG block copolymers were evaluated through cyclic tensile testing. TGA confirmed that all copolyesters exhibited excellent thermal stability. This study demonstrates that the physical and mechanical properties of bio-based PTT-b-PTMG elastomers can be effectively tailored by adjusting the molecular weight of the PTMG-soft segment, offering valuable insights for the rational design of sustainable thermoplastic elastomers with tunable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 188955681 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The Effects of Soft-Segment Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)-block-poly(tetramethylene glycol) Copolymers. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dong%2C+Hailiang%22">Dong, Hailiang</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tian%2C+Yuchuang%22">Tian, Yuchuang</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Junyu%22">Li, Junyu</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shi%2C+Jiyou%22">Shi, Jiyou</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kuang%2C+Jun%22">Kuang, Jun</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhou%2C+Wenle%22">Zhou, Wenle</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Ye%22">Chen, Ye</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Oct2025, Vol. 17 Issue 20, p2781. 15p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Block+copolymers%22">Block copolymers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Molecular+weights%22">Molecular weights</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biopolymers%22">Biopolymers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thermal+properties%22">Thermal properties</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microstructure%22">Microstructure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biomaterials%22">Biomaterials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Polyethylene+terephthalate%22">Polyethylene terephthalate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mechanical+behavior+of+materials%22">Mechanical behavior of materials</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: A series of PTT-b-PTMG copolyesters was synthesized via direct esterification followed by melt polycondensation using purified terephthalic acid (PTA), bio-based 1,3-propanediol (PDO), and poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) of varying molecular weights (650–3000 g/mol). The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized in terms of chemical structure, molecular weight, thermal behavior, phase morphology, crystalline architecture, and mechanical performance using a range of analytical techniques: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H-NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA), tensile testing, and other standard physical methods. FTIR, 1H-NMR, and GPC data confirmed the successful incorporation of both PTT-hard and PTMG-soft segments into the copolymer backbone. As the PTMG molecular weight increased, the average sequence length of the PTT-hard segments (Ln,T) also increased, leading to higher melting (Tm) and crystallization (Tc) temperatures, albeit with a slight reduction in overall crystallinity. DMA results indicated enhanced microphase separation between hard and soft domains with increasing PTMG molecular weight. WAXS and SAXS analyses further revealed that the crystalline structure and long-range ordering were strongly dependent on the copolymer composition and block architecture. Mechanical testing showed that tensile strength at break remained relatively constant across the series, while Young's modulus increased significantly with higher PTMG molecular weight—concurrently accompanied by a decrease in elongation at break. Furthermore, the elastic deformability and recovery behavior of PTT-b-PTMG block copolymers were evaluated through cyclic tensile testing. TGA confirmed that all copolyesters exhibited excellent thermal stability. This study demonstrates that the physical and mechanical properties of bio-based PTT-b-PTMG elastomers can be effectively tailored by adjusting the molecular weight of the PTMG-soft segment, offering valuable insights for the rational design of sustainable thermoplastic elastomers with tunable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=188955681 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/polym17202781 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 2781 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Block copolymers Type: general – SubjectFull: Molecular weights Type: general – SubjectFull: Biopolymers Type: general – SubjectFull: Thermal properties Type: general – SubjectFull: Microstructure Type: general – SubjectFull: Biomaterials Type: general – SubjectFull: Polyethylene terephthalate Type: general – SubjectFull: Mechanical behavior of materials Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The Effects of Soft-Segment Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)-block-poly(tetramethylene glycol) Copolymers. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Dong, Hailiang – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tian, Yuchuang – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Li, Junyu – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Shi, Jiyou – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kuang, Jun – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zhou, Wenle – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Chen, Ye IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 15 M: 10 Text: Oct2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 20734360 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 17 – Type: issue Value: 20 Titles: – TitleFull: Polymers (20734360) Type: main |
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