Morphology of polyimide fibers derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 4,4′‐oxydianiline

As one member of high performance fibers, aromatic polyimide fibers possess many advantages, such as high strength, high modulus, high and low temperature resistance, and radiation resistance. However, the preparation of the high performance fibers is so difficult that the commercial fibers have not been produced except P84 with good flame retardancy. In this report, a polyimide was synthesized from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and the fibers were prepared from its solution by a dry‐jet wet‐spinning process. The formation of the as‐spun fibers in different coagulation bath composition was discussed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to study the morphology of the as‐spun fibers. As a result, the remnant solvent existed in the as‐spun fibers generated from coagulation bath of alcohol and water. There were many fibrils and microvoids with the dimension of tens of nanometers in the fibers. One could observe the obvious fibrillation and the drawn fibers. The measurement for the mechanical properties of the fibers with a drawing ratio of 5.5 indicated that tensile strength and initial modulus were 2.4 and 114 GPa, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 669–675, 2004     

Thermal mechanical and dynamic mechanical property of biphenyl polyimide fibers

High‐performance polyimide fibers possess many excellent properties, e.g., outstanding thermal stability and mechanical properties and excellent radiation resistant and electrical properties. However, the preparation of fibers with good mechanical properties is very difficult. In this report, a biphenyl polyimide from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 4,4′‐oxydianiline is synthesized in p‐chlorophenol by one‐step polymerization. The solution is spun into a coagulation bath of water and alcohol via dry‐jet wet‐spinning technology. Then, the fibers are drawn in two heating tubes. Thermal gravimetric analysis, thermal mechanical analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) are performed to study the properties of the fibers. The results show that the fibers have a good thermal stability at a temperature of more than 400°C. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion is negative in the solid state and the glass transition temperature is about 265°C. DMA spectra indicate that the tanδ of the fibers has three transition peaks, namely, α, β, and γ transition. The α and γ transition temperature, corresponding to the end‐group motion and glass transition, respectively, extensively depends on the applied frequency, while the β transition does not. The activation energy of α and γ transition is calculated using the Arrhenius equation and is 38.7 and 853 kJ/mol, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1653–1657, 2004     

Effect of coagulation conditions on solvent diffusions and the structures and tensile properties of solution spun polyacrylonitrile fibers

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were spun by solution spinning. In this work, two coagulation compositions, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/water and methanol, were used, and coagulation temperatures were varied from ?20 to 0 to 20 °C. The coagulation compositions and temperatures strongly affected the solvent diffusion processes, the structures of as‐spun fibers, and the tensile properties of final drawn fibers. When DMSO/water was used as coagulation bath, non‐solvent (water) diffused into PAN fibers and led to a quick PAN solidification. By comparison, when methanol was used as coagulation bath, no or minimal amount of methanol diffused inward to the fibers. The different solvent diffusion behaviors in DMSO/water and methanol baths led to different structures of as‐spun PAN fibers. It was observed that the tensile properties of final drawn fibers strongly depended on the coagulation conditions. When methanol was used as coagulation bath and the bath temperature was ?20 °C, PAN fibers was found to possess the best tensile properties, a tensile strength of 0.89 GPa and young modulus of 20.4 GPa. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44390.     

Processing,structure, and properties of gel spun PAN and PAN/CNT fibers and gel spun PAN based carbon fibers

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN/carbon nanotube (PAN/CNT) fibers were manufactured through dry‐jet wet spinning and gel spinning. Fiber coagulation occurred in a solvent‐free or solvent/nonsolvent coagulation bath mixture with temperatures ranging from ?50 to 25°C. The effect of fiber processing conditions was studied to understand their effect on the as‐spun fiber cross‐sectional shape, as well as the as‐spun fiber morphology. Increased coagulation bath temperature and a higher concentration of solvent in the coagulation bath medium resulted in more circular fibers and smoother fiber surface. as‐spun fibers were then drawn to investigate the relationship between as‐spun fiber processing conditions and the drawn precursor fiber structure and mechanical properties. PAN precursor fiber tows were then stabilized and carbonized in a continuous process for the manufacture of PAN based carbon fibers. Carbon fibers with tensile strengths as high as 5.8 GPa and tensile modulus as high as 375 GPa were produced. The highest strength PAN based carbon fibers were manufactured from as‐spun fibers with an irregular cross‐sectional shape produced using a ?50°C methanol coagulation bath, and exhibited a 61% increase in carbon fiber tensile strength as compared to the carbon fibers manufactured with a circular cross‐section. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2603–2614, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

High-strength–high-modulus polyimide fibers II. Spinning and properties of fibers

The polyimides based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) described in Part I of this series were dissolved in p-chlorophenol and spun into fibers using a coagulating bath of ethanol. The fibers as spun had in general low tenacities and low moduli, but a heat treatment at 300–500°C under tension produced a remarkable increase in strength and modulus, and fibers with a tensile strength of 26 g/den (3.1 GPa) and an initial modulus higher than 1,000 g/den (120 GPa) could be obtained. Thus, the annealed fibers of polyimides are comparable to aramid fibers in mechanical properties. To heating in air and in the saturated steam, the polyimide fibers showed higher resistance than the aramid fibers. The polyimide fibers surpassed the aramid fibers in resistance to acid treatment and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, but were inferior in resistance to alkali treatment. The annealed fibers of polyimides displayed distinct X-ray diffraction patterns. The chain repeat distance of 20.5 Å determined on the fibers of polyimide prepared from BPDA and o-tolidine, and 20.6 Å determined on the fibers of polyimide derived from BPDA and 3,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether are reasonable when the dimensions of monomeric units and the shapes of the molecular chains are considered. The X-ray reflections of both polyimide fibers were indexed satisfactorily on the basis of postulated unit cells.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyaspartimides derived from 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bis(4‐maleimidophenoxy)biphenyl and various diamines

A novel bismaleimide, 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bis(4‐maleimidophenoxy)biphenyl, containing noncoplanar 2,2′‐dimethylbiphenylene and flexible ether units in the polymer backbone was synthesized from 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)biphenyl with maleic anhydride. The bismaleimide was reacted with 11 diamines using m‐cresol as a solvent and glacial acetic acid as a catalyst to produce novel polyaspartimides. Polymers were identified by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy, and characterized by solubility test, X‐ray diffraction, and thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis). The inherent viscosities of the polymers varied from 0.22 to 0.48 dL g⁻¹ in concentration of 1.0 g dL⁻¹ of N,N‐dimethylformamide. All polymers are soluble in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, pyridine, m‐cresol, and tetrahydrofuran. The polymers, except PASI‐4, had moderate glass transition temperature in the range of 188°–226°C and good thermo‐oxidative stability, losing 10% mass in the range of 375°–426°C in air and 357°–415°C in nitrogen. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 279–286, 1999     

Solid‐state polymerization of melt‐spun poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers and their tensile properties

The production of high modulus and high strength poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers was examined by using commercially available melt‐spun fibers with normal molecular weight (intrinsic viscosity = 0.6 dL/g). First, molecular weight of as‐spun fibers was increased up to 2.20 dL/g by a solid‐state polymerization, keeping the original shape of as‐spun fibers. Second, the polymerized as‐spun fibers were drawn by a conventional tensile drawing. The achieved tensile modulus and strength of as‐drawn fibers (without heat setting) were 20.0 and 1.1 GPa, respectively. A heat setting was carried out for the as‐drawn fibers. Tensile properties of the treated fibers were greatly affected by the condition of the heat setting. This was related to the increase of sample crystallinity and molecular degradation during the treatments. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1791–1797, 2007     

Structure and properties of novel PMDA/ODA/PABZ polyimide fibers

A series of random copolyamic acid were synthesized from various ratios of two diamines 4, 4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐5‐aminobenzimidazole (PABZ) by polycondensation with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP). Their inherent viscosities were in the range of 1.89–2.91 dl/g. The polyamic acid (PAA) solution drops were spun into fibers by the wet spinning process. The polyimide (PI) fibers were obtained from PAA fibers after drawn and treated in heating tube. The fibers were characterized by fourier transform infrared (FTIR), wide X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and tensile testing. WAXD showed these PI fibers were basically amorphous. The tensile strength and initial modulus of the PI fiber reached 1.53 and 220.5 GPa when diamine ratio of PABZ/ODA was 7/3, which were almost three times and 30 times over that of the PMDA/ODA PI fibers. TGA showed that the PI fibers were thermally stable with 10% weight losses recorded in the range of 492–564°C under nitrogen atmosphere, and their glass transition temperature (T_g) were found to be 410–440°C by DMA with increasing PABZ content from 30 to 70%. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation and properties of organo‐soluble polyimides based on 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and conventional dianhydrides

4,4′‐Diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane was used to prepare polyimides in an attempt to achieve good organo‐solubility and light color. Polyimides based on this diamine and three conventional aromatic dianhydrides were prepared by solution polycondensation followed by chemical imidization. They possess good solubility in aprotonic polar organic solvents such as N‐methyl 2‐pyrrolidone, N,N‐dimethyl acetamide, and m‐cresol. Polyimide from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and diphenylether‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride is even soluble in common solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and chloroform. Polyimides exhibit high transmittance at wavelengths above 400 nm. The glass transition temperature of polyimide from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and pyromellitic dianhydride is 370°C, while that from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and diphenylether‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride is about 260°C. The initial thermal decomposition temperatures of these polyimides are 520–540°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1299–1304, 1999     

High strength polyethylene fibers from high density polyethylene/organoclay composites

High strength fibers were prepared from high density polyethylene (HDPE)/organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) composites. X‐ray diffraction study revealed that the composites were of conventional or phase‐separated type. As‐spun composite fibers were found to have higher drawability than as‐spun HDPE fiber. As a result of an increased drawability, fibers with much higher mechanical properties were obtained. The highest modulus and tensile strength obtained in the present study were 38 GPa and 1.7 GPa, respectively. Study of internal morphology suggests that the role of OMMT is to suppress a defect formation and allows the fiber to be drawn to higher draw ratio. Analysis of the mechanical properties of the fibers using a Griffith type relationship suggested that the fibers have much smaller defects and the predicted attainable strength for the fiber is much higher than that previously predicted for melt‐spun and hot drawn fiber. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:943–950, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Stretching induced steric interaction between backbone and side chain in a novel polyimide fiber

Stretching induces to form electric interaction between backbone and mesogenic side chain in the bulk of a novel polyimide fiber that was synthesized from 4,4′‐oxydiphthalicanhydride (ODPA) and 6‐(4‐phenyl phenoxy) hexyl‐3,5‐diaminobenzoate (DABBE6), which results in unusual in situ self‐reinforced function, and surprisingly, zigzag undulation of mechanical properties of the annealed polyimide fibers with increasing draw ratios. X‐ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicate that some order structures develop in the annealed fibers under tensile stress. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) and DSC results also indicate that no phase separation is observed between backbone and side chain. Further results of experiments and computer molecular simulation prove that the biphenyl side chain can be parallel to the backbone via methylene spacers bending and together align orientationally under tensile stress to develop electronic interaction, and the molecular conformations are stabilized to form binding‐like molecular structures by the interaction to enhance strength and rigidity of backbone. Meanwhile, formation of the interaction depends on the relative position between backbone and the trail phenyl group of side chain, which contributes to the zigzag undulation of tensile strength and initial modulus of the polyimide fibers. In addition, relationship of draw ratios and formation of the interaction was established, and a corresponding backbone‐side chain‐packing model was suggested. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fibers based on cellulose‐chitin blends

Fibers made of cellulose (CE) and chitin (CH) in different proportion were wet spun from solutions in dimethylacetamide containing 5% LiCl (w/w). Polymer concentration was purposely maintained as low as possible (?2.4% w/w). Moreover, dope temperature was 60°C to have good spinability. Comparison of the elastic modulus (E) of fibers “as spun” at different CE/CH ratio showed a synergy between the components: at CE/CH ? 50/50, E is ?15 GPa with respect to ?9 and ?11 GPa for neat CE and CH fibers, respectively. Application of a pull‐off ratio during the coagulation allows the E value to increase further. These results, as well as the electronic microscopy of fibers section, agree with a complete miscibility of two polymers at the solid state, probably enhanced by the presence of LiCl. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1825–1831, 2002     

Synthesis and properties of some novel,soluble and light‐coloured,aromatic poly(amide–imide) copolymers

A new type of tetraimide‐dicarboxylic acid (I) was synthesized starting from the ring‐opening addition of m‐aminobenzoic acid (m‐ABA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 4,4′‐methylenedianiline (MDA) at a 2:2:1 molar ratio in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), followed by cyclodehydration to the diacid I. A series of soluble and light‐coloured poly(amide–imide–imide)s (III_a–j) was prepared by triphenyl phosphite‐activated polycondensation from the tetraimide‐diacid I with various aromatic diamines (II_a–j). All films cast from DMAc had cutoff wavelengths shorter than 400 nm (376–393 nm) and had b* values between 20.46 and 40.67; these polymers were much lighter in colour than those of the corresponding trimellitimide series. All polymers were readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents such as NMP, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and even in the less polar m‐cresol and pyridine. Compared with those of corresponding ODPA–MDA polyimide, the solubilities of poly(amide–imide–imide)s III_a–j were greatly improved. Polymers III_a–j afforded tough, transparent, and flexible films, which had tensile strengths ranging from 82 to 105 MPa, elongations at break from 8 to 14%, and initial moduli from 2.0 to 2.2 GPa. The glass transition temperature of polymers were recorded at 255–288 °C. They had 10% weight loss at a temperature above 540 °C and left more than 60% residue even at 800 °C in nitrogen. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of water on drawability,structure, and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) melt‐spun fibers

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) melt‐spun fibers with circular cross‐section and uniform structure, which could support high stretching, were prepared by using water as plasticizer. The effects of water content on drawability, crystallization structure, and mechanical properties of the fibers were studied. The results showed that the maximum draw ratio of PVA fibers decreased with the increase of water content due to the intensive evaporation of excessive water in PVA fibers at high drawing temperature. Hot drying could remove partially the water content in PVA as‐spun fibers, thus reducing the defects caused by the rapid evaporation of water and enhancing the drawability of PVA fibers at high drawing temperature. The decreased water content also improved the orientation and crystallization structure of PVA, thus producing a corresponding enhancement in the mechanical properties of the fibers. When PVA as‐spun fibers with 5 wt % water were drawn at 180 °C, the maximum draw ratio of 11 was obtained and the corresponding tensile strength and modulus reached ～0.9 GPa and 24 GPa, respectively. Further drawing these fibers at 215 °C and thermal treating them at 220 °C for 1.5 min, drawing ratio of 16 times, tensile strength of 1.9 GPa, and modulus of 39.5 GPa were achieved. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45436.     

Preparation and properties of melt‐processable polyimides based on fluorinated aromatic diamines and aromatic dianhydrides

Two series of melt‐processable polyimides were prepared from 4,4′‐bis(3‐amino‐5‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)biphenyl (m‐6FBAB) and 4,4′‐bis(4‐amino‐5‐trifluoromethylphenoxy) biphenyl (p‐6FBAB) with various aromatic dianhydrides. The effects of the chemical structures of the polyimides on their properties, especially the melt processability and organic solubility, were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that some of the fluorinated aromatic polyimides showed good melt processability at elevated temperatures (250–360°C) with relatively low melt viscosities and could be melt‐molded to produce strong and tough polyimide sheets. Meanwhile, the polyimides showed excellent organic solubility in both polar aprotic solvents and common solvents to give stable polyimide solutions with high polymer concentrations and relatively low viscosities. Thus, we prepared high‐quality polyimide films by casting the polyimide solutions on glass plates followed by baking at relatively low temperatures. The polyimides derived from m‐6FBAB showed better melt processability and solubility than the p‐6FBAB based polymers. The melt‐processable polyimides showed a good combination of thermal stability and mechanical properties, with decomposition temperatures of 547–597°C, glass‐transition temperatures in the range 205–264°C, tensile strengths of 81.3–104.9 MPa, and elongations at break as high as 19.6%. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis of aromatic poly(urea‐imide) with heterocyclic side‐chain structure

The poly(urea‐imide) copolymers with inherent viscosity of 0.81–1.08 dL/g were synthesized by reacting aryl ether diamine or its polyurea prepolymer with various diisocyanate‐terminated polyimide prepolymers. The aryl ether diamine was obtained by first nucleophilic substitution of phenolphthalein with p‐chloronitrobenzene in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate to form a dinitro aryl ether, and then further hydrogenated to diamine. The polyimide prepolymers were prepared by using 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate to react with pyromellitic dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride, or 3,3′,4,4′‐sulfonyldiphthalic anhydride by using the direct one‐pot method to improve their solubility, but without sacrificing thermal property. These copolymers are amorphous and readily soluble in a wide range of organic solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, dimethylimidazole, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, m‐cresol, and sulfolane. All the poly(urea‐imides) have glass transition temperatures in the range of 205–240°C and show a 10 wt % loss at 326–352°C in nitrogen and 324–350°C in air. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and initial modulus of these copolymer films range from 42 to 79 MPa, 5 to 16%, and 1.23 to 2.02 GPa, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1719–1730, 1999     

Synthesis and properties of novel polyimides from 3‐(4‐aminophenylthio)‐N‐aminophthalimide

A novel, asymmetric diamine, 3‐(4‐aminophenylthio)‐N‐aminophthalimide, was prepared from 3‐chloro‐N‐aminophthalimide and 4‐aminobenzenethiol. The structure of the diamine was determined via IR and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. A series of polyimides were synthesized from 3‐(4‐aminophenylthio)‐N‐aminophthalimide and aromatic dianhydrides by a conventional two‐step method in N,N‐dimethylacetamide and by a one‐step method in phenols. These polyimides showed good solubility in 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, m‐cresol, and p‐chlorophenol, except polyimide from pyromellitic dianhydride, which was only soluble in p‐chlorophenol. The 5% weight loss temperatures of these polyimides ranged from 460 to 498°C in air. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis indicated that the glass‐transition temperatures of the polyimides were in the range 278–395°C. The tensile strengths at break, moduli, and elongations of these polyimides were 146–178 MPa, 1.95–2.58 GPa, and 9.1–13.3%, respectively. Compared with corresponding polyimides from 4,4′‐diamiodiphenyl ether, these polymers showed enhanced solubility and higher glass‐transition temperatures. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Preparation and properties of conductive polyaniline/poly‐ω‐aminoundecanoyle fibers

Historically, polyaniline (PANI) had been considered an intractable material, but it can be dissolved in some solvents. Therefore, it could be processed into films or fibers. A process of preparing a blend of conductive fibers of PANI/poly‐ω‐aminoundecanoyle (PA11) is described in this paper. PANI in the emeraldine base was blended with PA11 in concentrated sulfuric acid (c‐H₂SO₄) to form a spinning dope solution. This solution was used to spin conductive PANI / PA11 fibers by wet‐spinning technology. As‐spun fibers were obtained by spinning the dopes into coagulation bath water or diluted acid and drawn fibers were obtained by drawing the as‐spun fibers in warm drawing bath water. A scanning electron microscope was employed to study the effect of the acid concentration in the coagulation bath on the microstructure of as‐spun fibers. The results showed that the coagulating rate of as‐spun fibers was reduced and the size of pore shrank with an increase in the acid concentration in the coagulation bath. The weight fraction of PANI in the dope solution also had an influence on the microstructure of as‐spun fibers. The microstructure of as‐spun fibers had an influence on the drawing process and on the mechanical properties of the drawn fibers. Meanwhile, the electrically conductive property of the drawn fibers with different percentage of PANI was measured. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1458–1464, 2002     

Structure and property changes of polyamide 6 during the gel‐spinning process

Polyamide 6 (PA6) gels were prepared by the dissolution of PA6 powder in formic acid with CaCl₂ as a complexing agent. The concentration of the polymer was 16% w/v. PA6 fibers were obtained through gel‐spinning, drawing, decomplexation, and heat‐setting processes. The structure and properties of the fibers at different stages were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The experiment results indicate that the melting transition of the as‐spun fibers obtained by the extrusion of the PA6/CaCl₂/HCOOH solution into a coagulation bath through a die disappeared. A porous structure existed in the as‐spun fibers, which led to poor mechanical properties. Compared with the as‐spun fibers, the melting and glass‐transition temperatures of the decomplexed and drawn fibers retained their original values from PA6, the degree of crystallinity increased, the porous structure disappeared, and the mechanical properties were improved. The maximum modulus and tensile strength obtained from the drawn fibers in this study were 32.3 GPa and 530.5 MPa, respectively, at the maximum draw ratio of 10. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4449–4456, 2013     

Structural changes in the melt spinning,cold drawing,and annealing of poly(4‐methylpentene‐1) fibers

Isotactic poly(4‐methylpentene‐1) melt‐spun fibers were investigated. Prior investigators of melt‐spun fibers found that these fibers have a tetragonal unit cell (Form I). We obtained the same unit cell structure in melt‐spun fibers. We found that higher draw‐down‐ratio fibers had d‐spacings closer to the previously cited values of Form I. We also found that cold‐drawn fibers had similar values to those of melt‐spun fibers. However, after these were annealed at 200°C, the unit cell was changed. It is possible that this new unit cell was the orthorhombic form of He and Porter. We also observed the birefringence of these fibers. The values changed after the melt‐spun fibers were cold drawn and annealed. The melt‐spun fiber values reached 0.006. The values for the drawn fibers were as high as 0.007. We suggest that the intrinsic birefringence is about 0.0075. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 130–137, 2005