Ultradrawing properties of ultrahigh‐molecular weight polyethylene/functionalized carbon nanotube fibers and transmittance properties of their gel solutions

Abstract

The influences of the dispersion level of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and functionalized CNTs on the transmittance properties of ultrahigh‐molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) gel solutions and on ultradrawing properties of their as‐prepared fibers are reported. The transmittance properties suggest that the dispersion level of functionalized CNTs in UHMWPE/functionalized CNTs gel solution is significantly better than plain CNTs in UHMWPE/CNTs gel solutions. The orientation factors, achievable draw ratios, tensile strength (σf), and modulus (E) values of UHMWPE/CNTs (FxCy) and UHMWPE/functionalized CNTs (FxCf‐y) as‐prepared fiber specimens reached a maximum value as their CNT and functionalized CNT contents approached optimum contents at 0.00015 and 0.0001 wt%, respectively. The σf and E values of both FxC0.0012 and FxCf‐0.001 series fiber specimens prepared at their optimum CNT and functionalized CNT contents reached another maximum as their UHMWPE approached optimum UHMWPE concentration of 1.7 wt%. Possible reasons accounting for these interesting properties are proposed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers

Ultradrawing properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene/hydrochloric acid treated attapulgite fibers

“…Presumably, incorporation of uniformly dispersed and aligned CNTs in polymer matrix can provide polymer composites with dramatically improved strength and modulus in their machine direction. These expectations have recently been confirmed by a number of studies [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Our recent investigation [32][33][34] found that the achievable draw ratios (D ra ) of UHMWPE/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) asprepared fibers prepared near the optimal UHMWPE concentration improve consistently and reach a maximal value as their CNT and/or functionalized CNT contents increase up to an optimal value, respectively.…”

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers prepared using conical dies with varying dimensions

“…Among these investigations, gel spinning/casting method [8, 9] has attracted much attention because of its availability in production of high‐strength/modulus fibers commercially. In fact, tensile strengths and moduli of ultradrawn UHMWPE specimens were found to improve consistently with the increase in achievable draw ratios [10–19]. Investigations [10, 13–22] have been performed to improve the achievable draw ratios ( D ra ) and the corresponding tensile properties of UHMWPE specimens.…”

“…In fact, tensile strengths and moduli of ultradrawn UHMWPE specimens were found to improve consistently with the increase in achievable draw ratios [10–19]. Investigations [10, 13–22] have been performed to improve the achievable draw ratios ( D ra ) and the corresponding tensile properties of UHMWPE specimens. The drawability of the UHMWPE specimens was found to depend significantly on the compositions of the solutions from which the gel specimens were made [11, 13–22].…”

“…Investigations [10, 13–22] have been performed to improve the achievable draw ratios ( D ra ) and the corresponding tensile properties of UHMWPE specimens. The drawability of the UHMWPE specimens was found to depend significantly on the compositions of the solutions from which the gel specimens were made [11, 13–22]. The D ra values of UHMWPE specimens were found to reduce significantly, when they were prepared from solutions whose concentrations deviated from their critical values, at which the numbers of entanglements in the coherent network structure of the gel specimens were too many or too few to yield the maximum extension of the UHMWPE during the gel‐deformation process [23, 24].…”

“…The addition of a small but optimum amount of low molecular weight polyethylene (LMWPE) in UHMWPE/LMWPE film or fiber specimens could significantly improve their critical draw ratios (λ c ) over those of film or fiber specimens prepared from the pure UHMWPE gel solutions [17], and this improvement in λ c was further enhanced with decreasing lengths of short‐chain branches of LMWPEs [25]. After addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the D ra values of UHMWPE/CNTs as‐prepared fibers prepared near the optimum UHMWPE concentration improved consistently and reached a maximum value as their CNTs contents increased up to an optimum value [18, 19, 26]. In fact, the D ra values of UHMWPE/CNTs as‐prepared fibers prepared from the gel solution with the optimum CNTs, UHMWPE composition and temperature were about 15% to 30% higher than those of the UHMWPE as‐prepared fibers prepared at the optimum concentration [18].…”