Effects of injection conditions on dispersibility of TiO₂ in polymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

In this study, the optimal preparation conditions in the polymerization process of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were studied in detail. As a result, the dispersibility of TiO₂ was significantly improved by the addition of dispersant and steric hinderance additives into TiO ₂/ethylene glycol (EG) slurry during the esterification step. The addition sequence of TiO₂/EG slurry and stirring also affected the dispersibility of TiO₂. The SEM results showed that some TiO ₂ particles were agglomerated in the PET matrix. The full dull (FD) PET chip and fiber were prepared according to the optimal preparation conditions. The FD PET fiber exhibited a better dispersibility than that of the FD PET chip.