This book delivers comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of polyester resins, with an emphasis on their structure—property relationships. Polyester types covered in detail include PET, PET copolymers, PCT, PCTG, PCTA, PBT, PEN, PTT, cyclic polyester oligomers, LCP, and UPs. The latest advances in polymerization and polycondensation methods are described, along with a broad range of current and emerging application areas.

From the Preface: “Polyesters are one of the most important classes of polymers in use today. In their simplest form, polyesters are produced by the polycondensation reaction of a glycol (or dialcohol) with a difunctional carboxylic acid (or diacid). Hundreds of polyesters exist due to the myriad of combinations of dialcohols and diacids, although only about a dozen are of commercial significance...The future direction of polyester R&D efforts is likely to involve further progress in polyester synthesis given the wide range of potential monomer combinations, new blending technology and the use of advanced functional additives such as nanoclay reinforcements, reactive impact modifiers, anti-hydrolyis agents and chain extenders...”

Target Audience: Plastics engineers, polymer chemists, material scientists, and those working in plastics manufacturing and process industries that deal with polyester resins.

Table of Contents:

Historical Overview:

The Historical Development of Polyesters

Polymerization and Polycondensation:

Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Polymerization — Mechanism, Catalysis, Kinetics, Mass Transfer and Reactor Design

Synthesis and Polymerization of Cyclic Polyester Oligomers

Continuous Solid-State Polycondensation of Polyesters

Solid-State Polycondensation of Polyester Resins: Fundamentals and Industrial Production

Types of Polyesters:

New Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Copolymers

Amorphous and Crystalline Polyesters Based on 1,4-Cyclohexanedimethanol

Poly(butylene Terephtahalate)

Properties and Applications of Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene), its Copolyesters and Blends

Biaxially Oriented Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene) Films: Manufacture, Properties and Commercial Applications

Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Poly(trimethylene Terephthalate)

Fibers and Compounds:

Polyester Fibers: Fiber Formation and End-Use Applications

Relationship Between Polyester Quality and Processability: Hands-On Experience

Additives for the Modification of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) to Produce Engineering-Grade Polymer

Thermoplastic Polyester Composites

Depolymerization and Degradation:

Recycling Polyesters by Chemical Depolymerization

Controlled Degradation Polyesters

Photodegradation of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) and Poly(ethylene/1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate)

Liquid Crystal Polymers:

High-Performance Liquid Crystal Polyesters with Controlled Molecular Structure

Thermotropic Liquid Crystal Polymer Reinforced Polyesters

Unsaturated Polyesters:

Preparation, Properties and Applications of Unsaturated Polyesters

PEER Polymers: New Unsaturated Polyesters for Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials

Index