PROCESS FOR MAKING HIGH-STRENGTH POLYLACTIC ACID FILAMENT

• Main Authors: STEPANYAN, Roman, CORAKCI, Bengisu, VAN DER WERFF, Harm
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 12.06.2024
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBONFILAMENTS; CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS,THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OFARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES ORRIBBONS; METALLURGY; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; SPINNING; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; WORKING-UP

The present invention relates to a process for making high-strength polylactic acid elongated object comprising the steps of making a solution of polylactic acid in a solvent at a concentration of 5 to 50 mass %; spinning the solution through a spinplate comprising at least 1 spinhole to form a fluid elongated object; cooling the fluid elongated object with a cooling medium to form a solvent-containing gel elongated object; removing at least partly the solvent from the gel elongated object to form a solid elongated object; and drawing the elongated object while applying a draw ratio of at least 2, to form a high strength PLA elongated object, characterized in that the cooling medium has a temperature Tq of less than 0° C. The present invention also relates to gel-spun elongated objects comprising PLA with an IV in the range of 4-40 dl/g, and having a tenacity in N/tex such that Ten≥0.146*IV, as well as gel-spun elongated object having a tenacity and a filament titer in tex (t) such that Ten≥1.40*t −0.3. The invention also relates to articles containing said gel-spun elongated objects.