High-Performance Polyethylene Fibers “Al Dente”: Improved Gel-Spinning of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene Using Vegetable Oils

Abstract

We demonstrate that the major drawbacks of so-called gel spinning and solid-state processing of “virgin”, i.e. never molten or fully dissolved, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW PE) to produce ultrahigh modulus and ultrahigh strength fibers and films, which are the unfavorably low polymer concentrations in highly flammable solvents typically employed in the former process and low production rates in the latter, can be largely avoided by employing relatively poor—as opposed to good—solvents, including, among others, fatty acids and natural oils omnipresent in, for example, fruits, nuts, and seeds, which have additional major recovery and environmental advantages.