Micro-Raman Characterization of Anisotropic Dimethyl Terephthalate Crystallites
Titel:
Micro-Raman Characterization of Anisotropic Dimethyl Terephthalate Crystallites
Auteur:
Rodrigueza, R. Jimenez, S. Vargas, S. Pacheco, S. Castano, V. M.
Verschenen in:
International journal of polymeric materials
Paginering:
Jaargang 49 (2001) nr. 1 pagina's 1-13
Jaar:
2001-03-01
Inhoud:
Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is one of the most widely employed precursors for fabricating Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET). PET is in turn one of the most important commercial polymers due to its wide spectrum of applications, ranging from fibers and films, to molding materials, etc. The mechanical properties of PET depend strongly on its crystallinity which can be modified by the presence of different contaminants. This is the reason why the technical specifications for the monomers employed in commercial applications of polyester are highly restrictive. Therefore, industrially speaking, it is extremely important to use a simple and reliable way to characterize this anisotropic material. In this work, an alternative way to characterize DMT molecules by using Micro-Raman Spectroscopy is proposed. Because DMT forms large crystals, their anisotropic characterization represents an interesting way to determine the degree of purity of the product. All samples were also characterized by Calorimetric Analysis.