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Fibers from Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT Fibers)

Biothermoplastics from Renewable Resources

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Innovative Biofibers from Renewable Resources

Abstract

PTT is one of the more recently manufactured synthetic fiber that is derived from renewable resource. Companies such as Shell chemical company and Dupont are manufacturing PTT on a commercial scale and are selling the fibers under the trade names of Corterra and Sorona, respectively [03Duh]. PTT is said to have excellent resiliency and softness and also chemical stability and stain resistance which makes them particularly suitable for carpet applications. PTT is produced in a two-step process, similar to the common polyester (polyethylene terephthalate). In the first step, terephthalic acid (TPA) is esterified using 1,3-propanediol or transesterified using dimethyl terephthalate. The second step involves polycondensation of the esterified or transesterified product to remove the polycondensation byproducts until the desired molecular weight is reached. It is the use of 1,3-propanediol that is derived from an renewable resource that makes PTT fibers eco-friendly. Two distinguishing features of producing PTT compared to PET are the use of a titanium catalyst instead of the antimony catalyst and a considerably lower polycondensation temperature. Due to the use of low polycondensation temperatures, the cost of producing PTT is considerably higher than that of PET. In addition, PTT has a melting temperature 20–30 °C lower than that of PET and a low initial modulus that provides high flexibility to the fibers [01Lyo]. The high extensibility of PTT fibers is attributed to the arrangement and orientation of the polymers in the chain. As seen in Fig. 64.1, PTT fibers have –O-(CH2)3-O bond conformation with a concentration of the repeating units and opposite inclination of successive phenylene groups along the chain which force the molecular chain to assume a extended zigzag configuration. This helical structure of PTT with an angle of 60 ° provides an opportunity to extend the PTT chain by drawing during fiber production (zone-drawing) and improve the tensile properties of the fibers [01Lyo].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Emerging Technologies, Jain University, Bangalore, India

    Narendra Reddy

  2. Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Yiqi Yang

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  1. Narendra Reddy
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  2. Yiqi Yang
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Reddy, N., Yang, Y. (2015). Fibers from Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT Fibers). In: Innovative Biofibers from Renewable Resources. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45136-6_64

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