Effects of take‐up speed on the structure and properties of melt‐spun poly(L‐lactic acid) fibers

Poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) filament fibers were prepared by one‐step melt spinning process and the effects of variations in take‐up speed on their thermal properties, mechanical properties, and crystalline structures were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results revealed that the PLLA fibers showed multiple melting peaks and that the melting peak appearing at a lower temperature moved lower while that at a higher temperature moved higher with increasing take‐up speed. The glass transition temperature (T_g) obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) increased with increasing take‐up speed. The tenacity increased and the boiling water shrinkage (BWS) decreased with increasing take‐up speed. However, these mechanical and thermal properties were stabilized at take‐up speeds over 3500 m/min. The melt‐spun PLLA fibers of this study showed an α‐form crystal structure which was not affected by the take‐up speed. The change in the tendency of the thermal and mechanical properties at around 3500 m/min did not appear to result from the change in crystal form but rather from the change in crystallite size and crystallite orientation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.