FLUORINATED POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) - PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES

Fluorinated poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) can be easily prepared using a telechelic perfluoropolyether (PFPE) as a comonomer. The funct ional groups of the PFPE react completely with other monomers, but the distribution of the PFPE blocks is not homogeneous and in the final p olymeric material there is a significant fraction of PFPE bonded to ve ry short segments of polyester. Due to the very poor miscibility of PF PE and PBT, the PFPE is present as a separate phase dispersed in an al most pure PBT matrix. Accordingly, both thermal and mechanical propert ies of PBT are little affected by the PFPE. The presence of PFPE induc es a slight improvement on the fracture resistance and on surface prop erties such as wear resistance and coefficient of friction. (C) 1994 J ohn Wiley and Sons, Inc.