Spinnability and characteristics of polyoxymethylene-based core–sheath bicomponent fibers
In this work, the spinning abilities of polyoxymethylene-based core–sheath bicomponent fibers were investigated. Bicomponent fibers were prepared using polyoxymethylene as the core material and poly(lactic acid) blended with polyoxymethylene or pure polyoxymethylene as sheath materials, and their characteristics were investigated and compared. Fiber properties such as elongation are important because they directly relate to the spinning performance during fiber processing. This work reports the impact of the composition designation of the core–sheath bicomponent fibers on the controllable stability of poly(lactic acid) in polyoxymethylene–poly(lactic acid) blends in the fibers, as well as the influence of the core–sheath material on the structure, fiber diameter and distribution, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the core–sheath bicomponent fibers. It was found that the selection of core and sheath materials affected the structural characteristics of the fibers. The polyoxymethylene core–polyoxymethylene sheath (FV) fiber showed dimensional stability. However, the polyoxymethylene core–poly(lactic acid)/polyoxymethylene sheath (FT30) fiber provided the optimum limit of poly(lactic acid) content for controlling the stable properties of the core–sheath bicomponent fibers.