Poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate) latex-reinforced polyester nonwoven fabric composites: Thermal and morphological studies

A series of thermoplastic composites were fabricated by impregnating the polyester nonwoven fabric in poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate) latex having different monomer compositions of styrene and butyl acrylate viz., 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50 weight by weight. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the composites was performed to establish the thermal stability and their mode of thermal degradation. From TGA thermograms, a slight improvement in thermal stability of the composites was noticed compared to polyester nonwoven fabric. Degradation kinetic parameters were obtained for the composites using Broido and Coats-Redfern methods. The activation energy (Ea) of the composites for the thermal degradation process lies in the range 7.1-261 and 60-264 kJ/mol for Broido and Coats-Redfern methods respectively. Morphology of the tensile-fractured composites was studied using scanning electron microscopic technique.