Hydrolytic Degradation of Thermoplastic Copolyester Nanocomposites

Thermoplastic copolyesters (TPE-Es) are multi-block copolymers commonly incorporating hard (polyester) and soft (polyether) blocks.Multifunctional epoxy-based chain extenders (TGDDM) are one of the additives that serve to reverse molecular weight (MW) damage caused by the process of hydrolysis of TPE-E.There are two functional groups that are capable of additional reactions on the terminal hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of TPE-E.Considering the hydrogen bonded hard segments in hard domains are less susceptible to hydrolysis compared to the non-hydrogen bonded equivalents, the phase separated morphology of polyether-polyester copolymers based TGDDM also provides to the longterm stability.The molecular weight of TPE-E was determined by GPC and the thermal and tensile behaviors were investigated.