Residual Solvent Effect on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Fibers Produced by Gel Spinning

Mechanical tests of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene threads produced by gel spinning found that their stress—strain indicators depended on the content of residual solvent (mineral oil, MO) in them. The greater the MO content in the thread was, the lower its strength and elasticity modulus were. DSC data showed that the degree of crystallinity of the finished thread also decreased with increasing residual MO content in the thread. IR spectroscopic data for the MO content in the thread agreed well with its mechanical characteristics