Polyethylene naphthalate (poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) or PEN) is a polyester derived from naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and

ethylene glycol Ethylene glycol (IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound (a vicinal diol) with the formula . It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odo ...

. As such it is related to poly(ethylene terephthalate), but with superior barrier properties.

Production

Two major manufacturing routes exist for polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), i.e. an ester or an acid process, named according to whether the starting monomer is a diester or a diacid

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, respectively. In both cases for PEN, the glycol monomer is ethylene glycol. Solid-state polymerization (SSP) of the melt-produced resin pellets is the preferred process to increase the average molecular weight of PEN.

Applications

Because it provides a very good oxygen barrier, it is well-suited for bottling beverages that are susceptible to oxidation, such as

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

. It is also used in making high performance

sailcloth Sailcloth encompasses a wide variety of materials that span those from natural fibers, such as flax, hemp or cotton in various forms of sail canvas, to synthetic fibers, including nylon, polyester, aramids, and carbon fibers in a variety of wov ...

. Significant commercial markets have been developed for its application in textile and industrial fibers, films, and foamed articles, containers for carbonated beverages, water and other liquids, and thermoformed applications. It is also an emerging material for modern electronic devices. * PEN was the medium for

Advanced Photo System Advanced Photo System (APS) is a discontinued film format for still photography first produced in 1996. It was marketed by Eastman Kodak under the brand name Advantix, by FujiFilm under the name Nexia, by Agfa under the name Futura and by Ko ...

film (discontinued in 2011). * PEN is used for manufacturing high performance fibers that have very high modulus and better dimensional stability than PET or Nylon fibers. * PEN is used as the substrate for most

Linear Tape-Open Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function Function or functionality may refer to: Computing * Function key, a type of key on computer keyboards * Function model, a structured representation of processes in a syste ...

(LTO) cartridges. It also has been found to show excellent scintillation properties and is expected to replace classic plastic scintillators.

Benefits when compared to polyethylene terephthalate

The two condensed aromatic rings of PEN confer on it improvements in strength and modulus, chemical and hydrolytic resistance, gaseous barrier, thermal and thermo-oxidative resistance and ultraviolet (UV) light barrier resistance compared to

polyethylene terephthalate Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...

(PET). PEN is intended as a PET replacement, especially when used as a substrate for flexible integrated circuits.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polyethylene Naphthalate Polyesters Plastics ja:ポリエステル#ポリエチレンナフタレート