Abstract: | DMSO/water (80/20 volume ratio) solutions of commercial poly(vinyl alcohol)s (a‐PVA99, a‐PVA88) with degrees of saponification of 99.3 and 88 mol % were gel‐spun into methanol (−20 and −70°C). The dry filaments obtained were drawn at 200°C (a‐PVA99) and 150–180°C (a‐PVA88). The maximum draw ratio and Young's modulus were 26 and 34 GPa for a‐PVA99 and 21 and 24 GPa for a‐PVA88 (drawing temperature: 160°C). So, at first, the dry filaments obtained for a‐PVA88 were drawn at 150–180°C until 10 times their original length. Moreover, the predrawn a‐PVA88 filaments were perfectly saponificated under fixing at the both ends and then the filaments were redrawn at 200°C. The maximum draw ratio and Young's modulus for the filaments (a‐PVA88→99) predrawn at 150°C were 28 and 39 GPa, respectively. The a‐PVA88→99 filaments had two melting peaks (228 and 236°C). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2872–2876, 2000 |