Structure–property relationship of poly(cyclohexane 1,4‐dimethylene terephthalate) modified with high trans‐1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol and 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylicacid

ABSTRACT A series of novel poly(1,4‐cyclohexanedimthylene terephthalate‐co‐1,4‐cyclohxylenedimethylene 2,6‐naphthalenedicarboxylate) (PCTN) copolyesters were successfully melt polymerized using different content of trans‐ or cis‐isomers. Before evaluations, the performance properties, their actual chemical composition, chemical structure, and molecular weight were determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and intrinsic viscosity (IV) measurements. Thermal studies of obtained copolyesters were carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermal degradation behaviors were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Randomly oriented film specimens were developed using a hot‐press and their thermal, barrier, dimensional stability, and optical properties were analyzed and compared with conventional poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN). The results revealed that glass transition temperature (Tg), melting temperature (Tm), and crystallinity (Xc) of the synthesized copolyesters are increased in a linear trend by increasing the trans‐1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol (trans‐CHDM) isomers. It was also found that synthesized films had better thermal, barrier, optical, and dimensional stability properties than conventional PET and PEN films. Results clearly indicated that high trans‐CHDM isomers significantly improve the performance properties of the fabricated films. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48950.