Polytrimethylene terephthalate

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Polytrimethylene terephthalate, or PTT, has been a commercially available polymer for nearly 50 years. It is produced by a method called condensation polymerization or transesterification. The two monomer units used in producing this polymer are: 1,3-propanediol and terephthalic acid. Similar to polyethylene terephthalate, PTT is used in the production of polyesters.

Though PTT has been available for more than half a century now, its value as a commercial polymer has improved only lately, with the development of economical methods to the production of propane diol (PDO), the main raw material for PTT. DuPont is also now experimenting with the production of PDO through the bioplastic route, using corn as the base material for the production of PDO. These developments mean that PTT can now effectively compete against PBT and PET, two polyesters that have been far more successful than PTT so far.