A comparative study of UHMWPE fibers prepared by flash-spinning and gel-spinning

Abstract Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers were firstly fabricated by flash-spinning and were compared with UHMWPE commercial fibers prepared using a traditional gel-spinning method. The difference of their molecular structure transformation was discussed, and the crystallinity of gel-spinning fiber was higher than the flash-spinning׳s. The fiber prepared by flash-spinning was a bunch of thinner fibers with a diameter of several micrometers rather than a single one fabricated by gel-spinning. The flash-spinning fiber had relatively rough surface while the gel-spinning fiber had the smooth appearance. The thinner diameter and the rougher surface result in the relatively higher specific surface area of the flash-spinning fiber. The thermal and structure of these two fibers were characterized by DSC and X-ray diffraction.