Colour formation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) during melt processing

The discolouration, that occurs in virgin poly(ethylene terephthalate) - PET during melt processing, was studied using various bulk and surface analytical techniques. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) was used to study the bulk chemical changes occurring in the polymer during thermo-oxidative degradation. Chemical derivatisation with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) was used to label the hydroxyl groups introduced on the polymer surface by thermal oxidation.From the surface analysis studies using photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (PA/FT-IR), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) it was evident that colour formation starts initially with the hydroxylation of the terephthalic ring. Further, the formation of additional carbonyl functionalities and conjugated chromophoric systems complete the colour formation process.