Preparation and structural control of polyphenylene sulfide porous fibers via thermally induced phase separation method

Abstract

AbstractThe porous fibers are expected to be widely used in liquid filtration, environmental protection, and catalyst carrier field. Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) porous fiber was prepared using polyethersulfone (PES) as pore‐forming agent by a thermally induced phase separation method. The rheological behaviors, crystallization, compatibility of the PPS/PES blending resins and fibers were characterized by the tests of high pressure capillary rheology, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic thermodynamic analysis, and so on; meanwhile, the structure and properties of PPS porous fibers were studied through the tests of continuity, scanning electron microscope, mercury injection, and mechanical properties. The results shown that the pore structure of porous PPS fibers can be regulated by controlling the PES content. In the spinning process, the higher winding speed (R = 300 ~ 400) and the larger PES content (60%) are more conducive to the formation of an interpenetrating structure of PES in the blend system. After the extraction of PES, PPS fibers with PES contents of 30% and 40% formed pore structure with uniform shape and size. Nevertheless, a high PES fraction of 60% leads to the collapse of the pore structure, resulting in serious structural damage. The porous fiber with controllable pore dimension is obtained by selecting proper ratio of polymers and appropriate spinning conditions.