Structure and properties of gel-spun ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers with high gel solution concentration

The gel-spun ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers were prepared at the industrial production line with different gel solution concentrations of 15 wt%, 18 wt% and 24 wt%. The difference in ultimate structure and mechanical properties of UHMWPE fibers for different gel solution concentrations were analyzed by tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). With the increase of gel solution concentration, the ultimate mechanical properties of UHMWPE fibers were decreased and the crystallization and orientation of UHMWPE fibers became inferior. Besides, both the average shish length (<Lshish>) and shish misorientation (Bϕ) of UHMWPE fibers were decreased with the increase of gel solution concentration. In addition, the appropriate increase of spinning temperature led to the further optimization of the ultimate structure and mechanical properties of UHMWPE fibers.