Solid rheological properties of PBT-based vitrimers Article - 2021

We present an experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of solid vitrimer samples obtained by incorporating a diepoxide into a commercial PBT in the presence of a Zn(II) catalyst using batch compounder and injection molding machines. Tensile experiments were carried out at different temperatures (80°C, 120°C, 160°C) below the melting point (220°C) and with various diepoxide concentrations (0, 1, 2wt%,). We found that vitrimer plastic deformation mechanisms differ drastically from those of the PBT precursor, and more generally from the regular behaviour of other semi-crystalline polymers. In PBT vitrimers, strain localization (necking) is very weak and can even be suppressed. This type of behaviour is due to the increase in strain hardening caused by vitrimer crosslinking. The creep resistance and stiffness of PBT vitrimers are significantly higher than that those of the pristine PBT. We found that vitrimer modification of PBT at moderate levels improves dimensional stability without inducing brittleness. These promising results highlight the need to find processes which enable significant