Preparation and characterization of BaSO4/poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

Hydrophobic BaSO4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared by one-step precipitation reaction in aqueous solution of Na2SO4 and BaCl2 with stearic acid (SA) as the modifying agent. BaSO4/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nanocomposites were prepared by further in situ polymerization of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), ethylene glycol (EG) and BaSO4 nanoparticles. The surface modification of BaSO4, the microstructure and the properties of nanocomposites were investigated by relative contact angle, TEM, FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA and DSC. Measurements of relative contact angle indicated that BaSO4 samples were hydrophobic. Compared to the nanocomposites filled with the blank BaSO4, the resulting nanocomposites filled with the modified BaSO4 exhibit a better dispersion of the nanoparticles, a superior crystallinity properties and a better thermal stability. The experimental results also suggested that the properties of nanocomposites were correlated with the dispersion of BaSO4 in PET and the interfacial interactions between BaSO4 and PET matrix.