Mechanical properties and structure of the zone-drawn poly(L-lactic acid) fibers

Abstract

The zone-drawing (ZD) method was applied three times to the melt-spun poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers of low molecular weight (Mv = 13,100) at different temperatures under various tensions. The mechanical properties and superstructure of the ZD fibers were investigated. The resulting ZD-3 fiber had a draw ratio of 10.5, birefringence of 37.31 × 10−3, and crystallinity of 37%, while an orientation factor of crystallites remarkably increased to 0.985 by the ZD-1. The Young's modulus and tensile strength of the ZD-3 fiber respectively attained 9.1 GPa and 275 MPa, and the dynamic storage modulus was 10.4 GPa at room temperature. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 991–996, 1999