In-situ SAXS study on PET/ PMMT composites during tensile tests

The nanostructures during the tensile drawing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/hexadecyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide montmorillonite (PMMT) nanocomposites were studied by in-situ small angle x-ray scattering. For strain higher than the yield point, the scattering intensity increases dramatically due to the nucleation and growth of nanovoids and crystals. The nanovoids and crystals are significantly dependent on the heating temperature. The effective filling of PMMT in the PET matrix provokes a strong restriction to the long period. The peaks of the long period disappear gradually with the deformation strain increasing from 0% to 34%.