New functional bicomponent fibers with core/sheath‐configuration using poly(phenylene sulfide) and poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract

Bicomponent fibers using the high-performance polymer poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) together with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were melt-spun. Both possibilities of using PPS, either as core or as sheath material, were realized to provide special functionalities like improved thermobonding capability, flame retardancy, or chemical resistance. Parameters that guarantee stable processing of PPS and PET during coaxial extrusion with different core/sheath volume ratios were explored. Microscopic studies of the cross-sections showed holes and cavities, which were formed at the interface between PPS and PET. Possible mechanisms for cavity formation were evaluated. Results of thermal and mechanical characterization by means of TGA, DSC, and tensile testing revealed a strong influence of the processing parameters, namely draw ratio and core/sheath volume ratio, on the crystallization and the tensile strength of the drawn fibers. By changing the core/sheath volume ratio from 2 to 0.5 in the PPS/PET fiber, the crystallinity of the PET-component was switched from 10 to 50%, whereas the crystallinity of the PPS dropped from 68 to 7%. It was determined that bicomponent fibers can exceed the strength of monocomponent fibers up to 28%. The flammability and chemical resistance of the new developed fibers were characterized. In contrary to what was expected, the encasing of PET with PPS reduced the flame retardancy, though PPS has a higher flame resistance than PET. The chemical resistance of the PET core against hydrolysis was imparted by coextruding a PPS sheath.

Biodegradable Bicomponent Fibers from Renewable Sources: Melt‐Spinning of Poly(lactic acid) and Poly[(3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(3‐hydroxyvalerate)]

“…The fiber melt‐spinning was carried out on Empa's custom‐made pilot melt‐spinning plant built by Fourné Polymertechnik (Alfter‐Impekoven, Germany);47 a schematic drawing is shown in Figure 1. This plant, with features corresponding to an industrial spinning line, enables the prototype production of mono‐, bi‐, and tricomponent fibers with various fiber cross‐sections and material combinations with a throughput of 0.1–5 kg · h −1 .…”

Characterization of synthetic fibers using the atomic force microscope

“…The sample preparation and the fixation are important steps to assure reliable measurement conditions of the fiber geometry. We present results obtained on a selection of different advanced fibers and thus demonstrate the power of AFM as a valuable tool to elucidate local topographical and material properties of bicomponent fibers [2], nano-scaled fibers and plasma-modified fibers [3]. In particular, the selection of examples include novel bicomponent fibers with core/sheath configuration from our pilot melt-spinning plant.…”

Influence of polymer type, composition, and interface on the structural and mechanical properties of core/sheath type bicomponent nonwoven fibers

“…It was attributed to the difference in the thermal expansion of each component and their thermal behavior in either combination. The interfacial instability, in other words phase separation, at the interface was also observed for PET/ poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) c/s type bicomponent meltspun fibers [15]. The observation of the phase separation at the interface was attributed to the incompatibility of these polymers used in bicomponent fibers.…”