Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Structure and Thermal Properties of Kaolin Modified Polyester Fibers

Modified polyester fibers were obtained using 2% and 6% of kaolin blends through melt spinning.The influences of two thermal treatments maintaining the original tension(180 ℃ x 2 min and 200 ℃ x 1 min)on the structure and properties of fiber were compared.The changes of grain size and crystaUinity of fiber were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The changes of thermal properties of fibers were analyzed using dynamic mechanical analyzer(DMA).The results show that the crystalline structure of kaolin modified polyester fiber doesn't change with the thermal treatment.With the kaolin content increasing,the grain size of fiber charged.The higher the thermal treatment temperature is,the higher the crystallinity of fiber is.There are two glass-transition temperatures for kaolin modified:the lower one is the glasstransition temperature of polyester fiber matrix,and the higher one is derived from the heterogeneons blend of polyester matrix and nano kaolin.The higher the kaolin content is,the higher the glass-transition temperature is.Thermal treatment could increase the compatibility of polyester matrix and nano kaolin.There was only one glass-transition temperature for the thermal treatment fiber,and the heat resistance of fiber was improved.Thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry(TGA-DSC)results of kaolin modified polyethylene terephthalate(PET)matrix indicate that the decomposition temperature of PET fibers,kaolin modified PET fibers,and thermal treated fibers were little different within 40%- 60% of weight loss rate range.