Coextrusion drawing of reactor powder of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene

Abstract

Abstract Certain nascent polymers have been shown to have unusual thermal and morphological properties that are irretrievably lost once the polymer has been melted or otherwise reduced to the isotropic state. We show further that nascent ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene “reactor powder” exhibits a remarkable ductility when uniaxially drawn by coextrusion techniques after initial compaction in film form at 100°C. When drawn at a temperature of 110°C, draw ratios of 56 have been obtained, resulting in an enhanced tensile modulus of 58 GPa. Thermal analyses and dynamic mechanical measurements were also made towards understanding the initial and final morphologies.