Polyester comes under polymer which contain the ester functional group as main chain.

Although there are many types of polyester, the term "polyester" as a specific material most
commonly refers to (PET). Polyesters include natural chemicals, such as in the cetin of plant
cuticles, as well as synthetics through step-growth polymerization such
as polycarbonate andpolybutyrate. Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are
biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not.

Depending on the chemical structure polyester can be a thermoplastic or thermoset, however the
most common polyesters are thermoplastics.[1]

Fabrics woven from polyester thread or yarn are used extensively in apparel and home
furnishings, from shirts and pants to jackets and hats, bed sheets, blankets and upholstered
furniture. Industrial polyester fibers, yarns and ropes are used in tyre reinforcements, fabrics for
conveyor belts, safety belts, coated fabrics and plastic reinforcements with high-energy
absorption. Polyester fiber is used as cushioning and insulating material in pillows, comforters
and upholstery padding.

While synthetic clothing in general is perceived by many as having a less-natural feel compared
to fabrics woven from natural fibres (such ascotton and wool), polyester fabrics can provide
specific advantages over natural fabrics, such as improved wrinkle resistance, durability and high
color retention. As a result, polyester fibres are sometimes spun together with natural fibres to
produce a cloth with blended properties. Synthetic fibres also can create materials with superior
water, wind and environmental resistance compared to plant-derived fibres.

Polyesters are also used to make "plastic" bottles, films, tarpaulin, canoes, liquid crystal
displays, holograms, filters, dielectric film forcapacitors, film insulation for wire and insulating
tapes.

Liquid crystalline polyesters are among the first industrially-used liquid crystal polymers. They are
used for their mechanical properties and heat-resistance. These traits are also important in their
application as an abradable seal in jet engines.

Polyesters are widely used as a finish on high-quality wood products such as guitars, pianos and
vehicle / yacht interiors. Burns Guitars,Rolls Royce and Sunseeker are a few companies that use
polyesters to finish their products. Thixotropic properties of spray-applicable polyesters make
them ideal for use on open-grain timbers, as they can quickly fill wood grain, with a high-build film
thickness per coat. Cured polyesters can be sanded and polished to a high-gloss, durable finish.

Contents
[hide]
 • 1 Types

• 2 Industry

o 2.1 Basics

o 2.2 Raw material producer

o 2.3 Polyester processing

• 3 Synthesis

o 3.1 Azeotrope esterification

o 3.2 Alcoholic transesterification

o 3.3 Acylation (HCl method)

o 3.4 Acetate method (esterification)

o 3.5 Ring-opening polymerization

o 3.6 Cross-linking

• 4 Health effects

• 5 Notes

• 6 References

• 7 External links

[edit]Types

Polyesters as thermoplastics may change shape after the application of heat. While combustible
at high temperatures, polyesters tend to shrink away from flames and self-extinguish upon
ignition. Polyester fibres have high tenacity and E-modulus as well as low water absorption and
minimal shrinkage in comparison with other industrial fibres.

Unsaturated polyesters (UPR) are thermosetting resins. They are used

as casting materials, fiberglass laminating resins and non-metallic auto-body fillers. Fibreglass-
reinforced unsaturated polyesters find wide application in bodies of yachts and as body parts of
cars.

According to the composition of their main chain, polyesters can be:

Composition of Number of
Examples of polyesters Examples of manufacturing methods
the main chain repeating units

Aliphatic Homopolymer Polyglycolide or Polyglycolic Polycondensation of glycolic acid

 acid (PGA)

Polylactic acid (PLA) Ring-opening polymerization of lactide

Ring-opening polymerization
Polycaprolactone (PCL)
of caprolactone

Copolymer Polyethylene adipate (PEA)

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)

Polycondensation of terephthalic
Semi-aromatic Copolymer Polyethylene terephtalate (PET)
acid with ethylene glycol

Polybutylene Polycondensation of terephthalic acid

terephthalate (PBT) with 2,3-butanediol

Polytrimethylene Polycondensation of terephthalic acid

terephthalate (PTT) with 1,3-propanediol

Polycondensation of at least
Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) one naphthalene dicarboxylic acid with
ethylene glycol

Aromatic Copolymer Vectran

Increasing the aromatic parts of polyesters increases their glass transition temperature, melting
temperature, thermal stability, chemical stability...

Polyesters can also be telechelic oligomers like the polycaprolactone diol (PCL) and the
polyethylene adipate diol (PEA). They are then used as prepolymers.

[edit]Industry

[edit]Basics
Polyester is a synthetic polymer made of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) or its dimethyl
ester dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and monoethylene glycol (MEG). With 18% market share of
all plastic materials produced, it ranges third after polyethylene (33.5%)
and polypropylene (19.5%).

The main raw materials are described as follows:

 Purified Terephthalic Acid – PTA – CAS-No.: 100-21-0

Synonym: 1,4 Benzenedicarboxylic acid,

Sum formula; C6H4(COOH)2 , mol weight: 166,13

 Dimethylterephthalate – DMT – CAS-No: 120-61-6

Synonym: 1,4 Benzenedicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester

Sum formula C6H4(COOCH3)2 , mol weight: 194,19

 Mono Ethylene Glycol – MEG – CAS No.: 107-21-1

Synonym: 1,2 Ethanediol

Sum formula: C2H6O2 , mol weight: 62,07

More information about polyester raw materials can be found for

PTA,[2] DMT[3] and MEG,[4] at the webpage INCHEM "Chemical
Safety Information from Intergovernmental Organizations".

To make a polymer of high molecular weight a catalyst is

needed. The most common catalyst is antimony trioxide (or
antimony tri acetate):

Antimony trioxide – ATO – CAS-No.: 1309-64-4 Synonym:

non, mol weight: 291,51 Sum formula: Sb2O3

In 2008 about 10 000 t Sb2O3 were used to produce around 49

Mio t polyethylene terephthalate.

Polyester is described as follows:

Polyethylene Terephthalate CAS-No.: 25038-59-9 Synonym /

abbreviations: polyester, PET, PES Sum Formula: H-
[C10H8O4]-n=60-120 OH, mol unit weight: 192,17
There are several reasons for the importance of Polyester:

 The relatively easy accessible raw materials PTA or

DMT and MEG
 The very well understood and described simple chemical
process of polyester synthesis
 The low toxicity level of all raw materials and side
products during polyester production and processing
 The possibility to produce PET in a closed loop at low
emissions to the environment
 The outstanding mechanical and chemical properties of
polyester
 The recyclability
 The wide variety of intermediate and final products made
of polyester.

In table 1 the estimated world polyester production is shown.

Main applications are textile polyester, bottle polyester resin, film
polyester mainly for packaging and specialty polyesters for
engineering plastics. According to this table, the world's total
polyester production might exceed 50 million tons per annum
before the year 2010.

Table 1: World polyester production

Market size per year

Product Type 2002 [Mio t/a] 2008 [Mio t/a]

Textile-PET 20 39

Resin, Bottle/A-PET 9 16

Film-PET 1.2 1.5

Special Polyester 1 2.5

TOTAL 31.2 49

[edit]Raw material producer

The raw materials PTA, DMT, and MEG are mainly produced by
large chemical companies which are sometimes integrated down
to the crude oil refinery where p-Xylene is the base material to
produce PTA and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the base
material to produce MEG.

Large PTA producers are for instance BP, Reliance, Sinopec,

SK-Chemicals, Mitsui, and Eastman Chemicals. MEG production
is in the hand of about 10 global players which are headed by
MEGlobal a JV of DOW and PIC Kuweit followed by Sabic.

Among the world's largest polyester producers are the following

companies:

Artenius, Advansa, DAK, DuPont, Eastman, Hyosung, Huvis,

Indorama, Invista, Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber, Jiangsu
Sanfangxian Industry, M&G Group, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, NanYa
Plastics, Reichhold, Reliance, Rongsheng, Sabic, Teijin, Toray,
Trevira, Tuntex, Wellman, Yizheng Sinopec, and Zhejiang Hengi
Polymerization.

[edit]Polyester processing
After the first stage of polymer production in the melt phase, the
product stream divides into two different application areas which
are mainly textile applications and packaging applications. In
figure 2 the main applications of textile and packaging polyester
are listed.

Table 2: Textile and packaging polyester application list

POLYESTER-BASED POLYMER
(MELT or PELLET)
Textile Packaging

Bottles for CSD, Water, Beer,

Staple fiber (PSF)
Juice, Detergents

Filaments POY, DTY, FDY A-PET Film

Technical yarn and tire cord Thermoforming

Non-woven and spunbond BO-PET Biaxial oriented Film

Mono-filament Strapping