Polypropylene is the trade name of polypropylene fiber. It is a fiber made from propylene as raw material by polymerization and melt spinning. Polypropylene officially began its industrial production in 1957 and is a rising star in synthetic fibers. Because polypropylene has the advantages of simple production process, low cost, high strength, and relatively light density, polypropylene is rapidly developed. At present, polypropylene is the fourth largest variety of synthetic fibers.
Polypropylene production includes short fibers, filaments, and split fibers. Polypropylene membrane fibers are made by first forming polypropylene into a film and then stretching the film to make it split into a fibril network. Polypropylene is widely used in the manufacture of industrial fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, and the like. Such as carpets, industrial filter cloth, ropes, fishing nets, building reinforcements, oil absorption blankets, and decorative fabrics. In civil use, polypropylene can be made purely by spinning or blended with wool, cotton, or viscose, to make various kinds of cloth. In addition, polypropylene film fibers can be used as packaging materials.
The main physical and chemical properties of polypropylene
1. Morphology Polypropylene’s vertical surface is smooth and its cross section is circular.
2. Density The biggest advantage of polypropylene is its light texture. Its density is only 0.91g/cm3. It is the lightest density among common chemical fibers, so polypropylene with the same weight can get higher coverage than other fibers.
3. Strength and elongation Polypropylene has high strength, large elongation, high initial modulus and excellent elasticity. Therefore, polypropylene wear resistance is good. In addition, the wet strength of polypropylene is basically equal to dry strength, so it is an ideal material for making fishing nets and cables.
4. Hygroscopicity and dyeability Polypropylene’s hygroscopicity is very small, almost no hygroscopicity, and the regain rate under normal atmospheric conditions is close to zero. However, it has a wicking effect and can transmit water vapor through the capillary in the fabric, but does not exert any absorption by itself. Polypropylene has poor dyeability and incomplete chromatograms, but it can be used to make up for deficiencies.
5. Acid and Alkali Resistance Polypropylene has good chemical resistance. In addition to concentrated nitric acid and strong caustic soda, polypropylene has good resistance to acids and bases, so it is suitable for use as a filter material and packaging material.
6. Lightfastness, etc. Polypropylene has poor light resistance, poor thermal stability, aging, and resistance to ironing. However, anti-aging properties can be improved by adding anti-aging agents during spinning. In addition, polypropylene has good electrical insulation, but static electricity is easily generated during processing.
Customers need to understand their needs and choose when choosing a model.