Thermoplastics Polyfethylene terephthalate

With the expiry of the basic ICI patents on poly(ethylene terephthalate) there was considerable development in terephthalate polymers in the early 1970s. More than a dozen companies introduced poly(butylene terephthalate) as an engineering plastics material whilst a polyether-ester thermoplastic rubber was introduced by Du Pont as Hytrel. Polyfethylene terephthalate) was also the basis of the glass-filled engineering polymer (Rynite) introduced by Du Pont in the late 1970s. Towards the end of the 1970s poly(ethylene terephthalate) was used for the manufacture of biaxially oriented bottles for beer, colas and other carbonated drinks, and this application has since become of major importance. Similar processes are now used for making wide-neck Jars. 

The production of durable functional products without using petroleum-based raw materials is a focus of much academic research today but it is also prioritized by many industries. Many questions still remain concerning the use, production and properties of bio-based and/or degradable polymers and whether or not they are more environmentally friendly than oil-based products. Polylactide is a bio-based compostable thermoplastic that is considered as one of the most promising materials for replacement of traditional volume plastics. The properties of polylactide can be tuned to resemble polystyrene, polyfethylene terephthalate) or polyolefins by controlling the stereochemistry by copolymerization or blending. This chapter reviews the life-cycle of polylactide based materials as well as the properties and applications. The recent trends in the area are also discussed. 

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