STUDY OF BRANCHING OF POLY(ETHYLENE-TEREP HTHALATE)

The degree of branching of poly(ethylene terephthalate) synthesized in the presence of trifunctional compounds, trimellitic acid and glycero l, is studied. It is shown that introducing into the main chain of 1.5 % ''branching'' units gives up to 6 side chains per one polymer molecu le. The chemical formula of the branching units does not influence the degree of branching. At the same time, the structure of the branching unit determines the molecular weight of the main chain at which the s ide chains begin to appear. For polymers containing up to 5-6 side cha ins, the glass transition point and the melting point are virtually in dependent of the molecular mass when the latter varies in the interva M(n)BAR = (20-70) x 10(3).