Thermal and curl properties of PET/PP blend fibres compatibilized with EAG ternary copolymer

Blends of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polypropylene (PP) and the ternary copolymer ethylene-acrylic ester-glycidyl methacrylate (EAG) as the compatibilizer were prepared using a twin-screw extruder. The thermal properties, densities and morphologies of the blends were determined using various techniques. Next, PET/PP blend fibres were prepared using a melt-spinning system, and their curl properties were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the number of PP particles in the PET matrix and size of the PP phase decreased as the EAG content increased. The melting temperature (T_m) and cooling crystallization (T_cc) values of PP in the PET/PP blends decreased significantly after the addition of 1% EAG. The density of the PET/PP blend fibres decreased significantly with increase in the EAG and PP contents. After curl formation, the curl length of PP in the fibres was shorter than that of PET.