Thermal, Crystallographic, and Mechanical Properties of Poly(butylene succinate)/Magnesium Hydroxide Sulfate Hydrate Whisker Composites Modified by in Situ Polymerization

Poly­(butylene succinate)/magnesium hydroxide sulfate hydrate whisker (MHSH) composites were prepared using the prepolymer from 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and modified MHSH, which were characterized by FTIR and 1H NMR. The thermal, crystallographic, and mechanical properties of the PBS composites were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that glass transition temperature (T g) and crystallization temperature (T c) were increased with increasing of filler content. The thermal degradation process of PBS composites was analyzed by TG-FTIR, and a possible thermal degradation mechanism of PBS was proposed. The results indicated that the prepolymer was better than UMHSH in interfacial adhesion with PBS. The tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus were significantly increased with the addition of filler mass fraction, especially when the composites were blended with the prepolymer.