POLYMERS & POLYMER COMPOSITES, cilt.10, sa.3, ss.249-255, 2002 (SCI-Expanded)
The failure mechanism of polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT) was improved by the addition of highly dispersed Fe/FeO to the polymer, The mechanical behaviour of the materials under impact was investigated. It was shown that the addition of Fe/FeO stabilised the failure mechanism of PBT and improved its mechanical properties. Increased interphases between crystalline and amorphous phases, decreased crystalline size, increased network entanglement density and decreased critical structural defect length were responsible for these improvements.