Continuous micro-/nano-fiber composites of polyamide 6/polyethylene oxide with tunable mechanical properties using a novel co-extrusion technique

Abstract

Continuous fibrous composite tapes of polyamide 6 (PA6)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) containing over 16 thousand individual ribbon-like PA6 micro-/nano-fiber domains were produced using a novel co-extrusion and two-dimensional multiplication technique. This melt-based process is suitable for scaling-up, applicable to any melt-processable polymers, and highly adjustable in terms of material composition, tape geometry, and number/size of the fiber domains. The PA6 fibrous tapes were post-oriented to achieve superior mechanical properties that are comparable with commercial strong polymeric fibrous composite tapes. The high tunability of tape and fiber structure and properties makes the co-extruded PA6/PEO tapes a desirable candidate for various strong tape applications.