The reactive processing of poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) in presence of triphenylphosphite (TPP) was investigated. An internal mixer coupled to a torque rheometer was used to monitor changes of molecular mass and temperature during processing. The torque curves revealed that chain extension reactions took place. During the processing, there is an increase in the molecular weight of the polyester, which reaches a maximum and then decreases due to molecular degradation, accelerated by the presence of chain extention by-products. The intensity of the chain extention reaction increases when TPP content, temperature and shear rate rise. Chain extension and degradation rate are slower in PEN than in poly(ethylene terephthalate). The presence of low molecular weight by-products of chain extension in PEN causes changes in the Tg, due to plasticization effects, and increase the crystallization rate.
Chain extention; polyesters; phosphites; PEN; PET
