Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
AUTEX -2026 World Conference, Marrakush, Fas, 3 - 05 Haziran 2026, (Yayınlanmadı)
The integration of biodegradable polymers into textile applications has seen a substantial rise, driven by increasing environmental concerns. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are member of biodegradable thermoplastic polyesters, biologically derived by bacterial fermentation. These biodegradable, compostable and biocompatible polymers are of great interest in the production of medical textiles, agricultural textiles and disposable materials. However, slow crystallization rate and low thermal stability of PHAs limits the melt spinning of fibers and results in inadequate mechanical properties. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a widely used copolymer of PHA family with lower melting point and higher flexibility. Various processing techniques such as injection molding and melt-spinning have been applied in the past, and the polymer PHBV was formed into films, coatings, and fibers. The slow crystallization rate and low thermal stability of PHBV result in a narrow processing window, which presents challenges for melt-spinning. As a semi-crystalline polymer with slow crystallization rate and low thermal stability, PHBV remains tacky during the drawing of the fibers. This tacky behavior hinders the processability in the melt spinning line. It is possible to address these limitations enhancing the material by compounding with processing aids, or by using different production methods such as bicomponent fiber spinning. A very important advantage of the bicomponent spinning is that it could help a material that could not be spun into a fiber single form. In this study, two biodegradable polymers were coaxially combined in a spinneret for bicomponent fiber production with islands-in-the-sea geometry. The co-extrusion of a PHBV as the island polymer and a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the sea polymer having a higher thermal stability and faster crystallization enabled the stable winding of filaments. Following the filament production, the filaments were soaked in distilled water to remove the PVA sea polymer and PHBV micro fibers were obtained. Thermal analysis revealed that the complete removal of PVA was possible. Microscopic analysis showed that PHBV microfilaments have been successfully melt-spun.