Advancements in Enhancing the Heat Resistance of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate): Strategies and Applications

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is widely used due to its exceptional mechanical strength, chemical stability, and cost-effectiveness. However, its low heat resistance severely restricts its application in high-temperature environments, such as packaging, battery components, and automotive parts. To overcome this limitation, this review systematically summarizes diverse strategies developed to enhance the heat resistance of PET. These strategies primarily focus on regulating molecular mobility, controlling crystallization behavior, and utilizing composite enhancement. The methods include molecular structure modification, the incorporation of nucleating agents, optimized processing techniques, and polymer blending. The review provides a comparative analysis of the mechanisms, advantages, and limitations of each method, explores their synergistic potential, and evaluates their practical applicability in engineering fields. Finally, this review identifies critical future research directions, aiming to advance the design and synthesis of high-performance PET materials tailored for demanding high-temperature applications.