Properties of Polymer Alloy Fibers of Polypropylene and Cationic Dyeable Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Prepared with an in-situ Generated Compatibilizer

Abstract

We have investigated the properties of polymer alloy fibers of polypropylene (PP) and cationic dyeable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (CD-PET) made by melt spinning with an in-situ generated compatibilizer. The compatibilizer, i.e., 1,3-bisphenyloxazoline (1,3-BPO)/stearic acid reactant, is formed in a screw extruder from a 1,3-BPO/stearic acid blend by heating, and the presence of PP/CD-PET results in the simultaneous production of polymer alloy fibers. From SEM observation of the filaments' cross sections as spun, a minimum of 3 wt % compatibilizer is needed for stable polymer alloys to form from these immiscible polymers. The alloyed filaments as spun stretch easily by a drawing process and reach a length of fifteen-fold at 110°C in a normal atmosphere. These drawn, alloyed filaments have adequate tensile strength for practical use. Blending CD-PET and the compatibilizer with PP improves antistatic properties; resistivity decreases from 10¹³ to 10⁸, and the half-life also decreases to less than 1 minute. The alloyed fibers can be dyed with methylene blue and rhodamine B to produce brilliantly deeply colored alloyed fibers.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Chiba, K. , Structure and Physical Properties of N-6/PPO Polymer Alloy (in Japanese), Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi 61, 542–548 (1988).

2. Chow, T. Y., Yamaguchi, H., Samura, H., and Saegusa, T., A Novel Compatibilizer Having Polyoxazoline Segment, in “Proc. 3rd Pacific Polym. Conf.,” 1993, pp. 117–118.

3. JIS L 1094, Testing Methods for Electrostatic Propensity of Woven and Knitted Fabrics, 1992.

4. Kanbara, H. , Chow, T. Y. , Samura, H. , and Saegusa, T. , Alloying of Incompatible Polymers with Oxazoline Compounds [II], Polym. Prepr. Jpn. II, Pb064 (1995).

5. Kanbara, H. , Chow, T. Y. , Samura, H. , and Saegusa, T. , Alloying of Incompatible Polymers with Oxazoline Compounds [I], Polym. Prepr. Jpn. III, H19 (1995).

6. Kobayashi, R. , Current Trends in Compatibilizers for the Development of Polymer Alloy (in Japanese), Plastics 12, 98–107 (1989).

7. Muraoka, Y. , Ito, H. , Fujiwara, T. , Igarashi, C, and Nishizawa, K. , Analytical Technique for Characterizing the Initial Stage of the Dyeing Process, Textile Res. J. 68, 105–109 (1998).

8. Plochocki, A. P. , Dagli, S. S. , Curry, J. E. , and Starita, J. , Effect of Mixing History on Phase Morphology of a Poly-alloy and a Polyblend, Polym. Eng. Sci. 29, 617–624 (1989).

9. Sano, Y. , Lee, C. W. , Kimura, Y. , and Saegusa, T. , Electric Resistivity of Hygroscopic Copoly(ester-ether)s Containing Zwitterionic Units and Their Utilization for Antistatic Modification of Polyester Fiber, Angew. Makromol. Chem. 242, 171–181 (1996).

10.

10. Shashoua, V. E. , Static Electricity in Polymers, I: Theory and Measurement, J. Polym. Sci. 33, 65–85 (1958).