UHMWPE fiber has become an important high-tech fiber variety due to its excellent performance, but due to its structural characteristics, it has certain performance defects that limit its application range. Various physical and chemical methods such as plasma treatment and oxidation can be used to modify the surface of UHMWPE fibers, which can improve their weak properties such as heat resistance, interface, and creep resistance to varying degrees. This article provides a detailed introduction to the modification methods of this fiber and its applications in ropes, protective equipment, and other fields.
Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber (UHMWPE) is a high-performance fiber that has emerged after carbon fiber and aramid fiber. It is made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene by high-pressure solid extrusion, plasticizing melt spinning, surface crystal growth, super stretching or local super stretching, gel spinning hot stretching and other processes. It is a high-performance fiber with high strength and high modulus, and also has low density (density:
Other superior properties such as 0.97g/cm3, chemical corrosion resistance, impact resistance, non water absorption, and good compatibility with organisms. It has shown excellent application prospects in the field of special materials and composite materials.
However, due to the fact that UHMWPE fibers themselves are linear long chains formed by non-polar methylene groups, there is no strong intermolecular force between fiber molecules; The surface of the fibers is chemically inert, making it difficult to form chemical bonds with the resin; Smooth surface caused by high degree of crystallization and orientation formed by high magnification stretching in production. The combined effect of all these factors makes the surface energy of the fibers very small, making it difficult to form a good interface adhesion with the matrix resin when used as a reinforcing material for composite materials. Numerous studies have shown that composite materials made from UHMWPE fibers are often damaged in the form of interlayer damage during use. The root cause of this problem lies in the structural characteristics of UHMWPE fibers themselves and the characteristics of production processes. Therefore, the interfacial adhesion performance of composite materials made of UHMWPE fibers has become the primary concern in the preparation process of composite materials.