In situ preparation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)–SiO2 nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/silica nanocomposites were synthesized by using the in situ polymerization approach. Sol–gel transformation based on the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) is used to prepare the inorganic phase, concurrent with condensation polymerization of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol to produce the PET matrix. Due to the simultaneous formation of the polymer matrix and the inorganic networks, a macrophase separation is avoided, and the resulting materials have a high degree of homogeneity. The morphology and the crystallization behavior of the composites were examined by scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively.