This article provides an overview of strain-induced solid mesophases in polymer fibers, melt-spun from amorphous (polycarbonate, cyclo-olefin polymer, copolyamide, polyethylene terephthalate glycol) and semi-crystalline materials (polyethylene terephthalate, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate). The discussed are made stretched, conformationally disordered macromolecules that highly oriented along the fiber...

The in-plane (plane stress) fracture toughness of two polyester (PET, PETG) sheets were assessed using the essential work of fracture (EWF) method after thermal and hygrothermal aging performed just below glass temperature. This ensured that physical aging takes place. On the aged sheets the yield stress (σy), enthalpy relaxation (ΔH) and EWF parameters were determined. It was observed that the...

The thermomechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of films and fibres in vapour laden atmospheres and simulated dye baths were investigated in order to understand their processing behaviour. Acetone and water vapour acted as plasticisers for cellulose acetate film. 2-phenoxyethanol was found to penetrate poly(ethylene terephthalate) film above its glass transition temperature and consequen...

In this article, the reversible and irreversible thermo-mechanical time-dependent deformation of oriented polyethylene terephthalate film is studied. A mean-field model is used to simulate these effects along with the long-term creep behaviour, taking into account the underlying material microstructure and differences in constitutive behaviour of the phases. The material is modelled as an aggre...

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) belongs to the family of thermal analysis methods. In general thermal analysis is the determination of substance properties in dependence on temperature. Thermodynamic data (heat capacity, phase transition, enthalpy) and kinetic data can be determined by methods of thermal analysis. The greatest advantage of thermal analysis is the easy handling and the o...

Solar disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles is a simple, efficient point-of-use technique for the inactivation of many bacterial pathogens. In contrast, the efficiency of SODIS against viruses is not well known. In this work, we studied the inactivation of bacteriophages (MS2 and ϕX174) and human viruses (echovirus 11 and adenovirus type 2) by SODIS....

low temperature plasma technology is well established in surface modification of polymer materials on industrial scale. this method modifies surface properties of polymers without chemicals, manual work and reducing chemicals and energy consumption. in this study, low pressure plasma treatment was used to develop hydrophilic properties of polyethylene terephthalate (pet) fabrics. it was found t...

With increasing global consumption and their natural resistance to degradation, plastic materials and their accumulation in the environment is of increasing concern. This review aims to present a general overview of the current state of knowledge in areas that relate to biodegradation of polymers, especially poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). This includes an outline of the problems associated...

The fatigue behavior of silver films on polyethylene-terephthalate substrates is studied for various levels of film thickness, pre-stretch, sample width, and applied strain range. Films with large pre-stretch have a shorter fatigue life, with failure caused by strain localization (films thicker than 100 nm) or intergranular crack formation (100 nm film). There is a significant effect of film th...

Today, the economic consumption of biodegradable polymers is of capital importance in many applications. One of the most commonly used biopolymers is polylactic acid (PLA). The printability of the biodegradable film has not been fully investigated. This work tested the printability of polylactic acid (PLA) films and compared the print qualities to common packaging films like low density pol...