Effect of n-hexane on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the liquid paraffin-based UHMWPE gel spun fibre

Abstract

The current research examined the impact of n-hexane on the liquid paraffin (LP) extraction and the resulting change in the physico-mechanical properties of LP-containing UHMWPE gel-spun fibres of different fineness. In response to the DSC data, each fibre sample showed increased crystallinity and melting point after LP removal, whereas it decreased relatively with fineness. SEM images revealed that the fibre's cross-section showed a distorted polygon shape, with significant areal changes despite minimal changes in the motif after LP removal. It was also observed that the fibre contracted more in the cross direction than in the longitudinal direction. Regarding shrinkage, the fibre mass loss was also observed and directly correlated with the denier and oil content, which caused improvement in fineness. Improvements in fineness and breaking strength resulted in increased average tenacity by up to 50% and breaking elongation by up to twice the original value. DMA analysis revealed that, at higher temperatures, fibre samples with LP exhibited greater extension compared to LP-extracted samples. The current study found that stretching of the gel fibre with intermediate LP removal may be beneficial for achieving high draw ratios.