The influence of surface modification on the structure and properties of a calcium carbonate filled poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles were successfully prepared via a carbonization route with polyethylene glycol phosphate 1000 (PGP) as the modifying agent to improve the dispersion and increase the compatibility between nanoparticles and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) matrix. PET/CaCO3 nanocomposites were prepared by further in situ polymerization with 5 wt.% CaCO3 nanoparticles. The microstructure and dispersion of CaCO3 nanoparticles in the nanocomposites were investigated. It was found that well dispersion was obtained up to 5 wt.% of the surface treated CaCO3 loading for PET/CaCO3 nanocomposites. Compared to the nanocomposites filled with the blank CaCO3, a significant improvement in thermal stability and crystallinity properties was observed with the addition of 5 wt.% of the surface treated CaCO3.