Polyethylene terephthalate
CHEMICAL COMPOUND
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Alternative Titles: PET, PETE
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), a strong, stiff synthetic
fibre and resin, and a member of the polyester family of polymers. PET is
spun into fibres for permanent-press fabrics, blow-molded into disposable
beverage bottles, and extruded into photographic film and magnetic
recording tape.
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major industrial polymers: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
PET is produced by the step-growth polymerization of ethylene glycol and terephthalic
acid. The presence of the large benzene rings in the…
PET is produced by the polymerization of ethylene glycol and terephthalic
acid. Ethylene glycol is a colourless liquid obtained from ethylene, and
terephthalic acid is a crystalline solid obtained from xylene. When heated
together under the influence of chemical catalysts, ethylene glycol
and terephthalic acid produce PET in the form of a molten, viscous mass that
can be spun directly to fibres or solidified for later processing as a plastic. In
chemical terms, ethylene glycol is a diol, an alcohol with a molecular structure
that contains two hydroxyl (OH) groups, and terephthalic acid is a dicarboxylic
aromatic acid, an acid with a molecular structure that contains a large, six-
sided carbon (or aromatic) ring and two carboxyl (CO2H) groups. Under the
influence of heat and catalysts, the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups react to
form ester (CO-O) groups, which serve as the chemical links joining multiple
PET units together into long-chain polymers. Water is also produced as a by-
product. The overall reaction can be represented as follows:
The presence of a large aromatic ring in the PET repeating units gives
the polymer notable stiffness and strength, especially when the polymer
chains are aligned with one another in an orderly arrangement by drawing
(stretching). In this semicrystalline form, PET is made into a high-strength
textile fibre marketed under such trademarked names as Dacron, by the
American DuPont Company, and Terylene, by the British Imperial Chemical
Industries PLC. The stiffness of PET fibres makes them highly resistant to
deformation, so they impart excellent resistance to wrinkling in fabrics. They
are often used in durable-press blends with other fibres such as rayon, wool,
and cotton, reinforcing the inherent properties of those fibres while
contributing to the ability of the fabric to recover from wrinkling.
PET is also made into fibre filling for insulated clothing and for furniture and
pillows. When made in very fine filaments, it is used in artificial silk, and in
large-diameter filaments it is used in carpets. Among the industrial
applications of PET are automobile tire yarns, conveyor belts and drive belts,
reinforcement for fire and garden hoses, seat belts (an application in which it
has largely replaced nylon), nonwoven fabrics for stabilizing drainage ditches,
culverts, and railroad beds, and nonwovens for use as diaper topsheets and
disposable medical garments. PET is the most important of the man-made
fibres in weight produced and in value.
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At a slightly higher molecular weight, PET is made into a high-strength plastic
that can be shaped by all the common methods employed with other
thermoplastics. Magnetic recording tape and photographic film are produced
by extrusion of PET film (often sold under the trademarks Mylar and Melinex).
Molten PET can be blow-molded into transparent containers of high strength
and rigidity that are also virtually impermeable to gas and liquid. In this form,
PET has become widely used in carbonated-beverage bottles and in jars for
food processed at low temperatures. The low softening temperature of PET—
approximately 70 °C (160 °F) prevents it from being used as a container for
hot-filled foods.
PET is the most widely recycled plastic. PET bottles and containers are
commonly melted down and spun into fibres for fibrefill or carpets. When
collected in a suitably pure state, PET can be recycled into its original uses,
and methods have been devised for breaking the polymer down into its
chemical precursors for resynthesizing into PET. The recycling code number
for PET is #1.
PET was first prepared in England by J. Rex Whinfield and James T. Dickson
of the Calico Printers Association during a study of phthalic acid begun in
1940. Because of wartime restrictions, patent specifications for the new
material were not immediately published. Production by Imperial Chemical of
its Terylene-brand PET fibre did not begin until 1954. Meanwhile, by 1945
DuPont had independently developed a practical preparation process from
terephthalic acid, and in 1953 the company began to produce Dacron fibre.
PET soon became the most widely produced synthetic fibre in the world. In
the 1970s, improved stretch-molding procedures were devised that allowed
PET to be made into durable crystal-clear beverage bottles—an application
that soon became second in importance only to fibre production.
