New Polymeric Materials for Containers Manufacture Based on PET/PEN Copolyesters and Blends

Hot-fillable, re-fillable, high oxygen-barrier and high UV-barrier containers cannot be conveniently made with poly(ethylene terephthalate). Copolyesters of terephthalic acid, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol, prepared through either melt-polycondensation or blending, are very promising material for the manufacture of containers with special performances. The properties of these materials depend on their composition and microstructure, which can be tuned by controlling the experimental parameters during their preparation. In particular, the effect on crystallization rate, which plays a key-role in the bottle manufacturing cycle (comprising melt polymerization, solid-state polymerization, drying, molding and blowing), is discussed.