PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MELT SPUN POLY (Ԑ-CAPROLACTONE) FIBERS HAVING DIFFERENT CROSS SECTIONS

Abstract: Poly (ԑ-caprolactone) (PCL) is a member of petrochemical raw material based biodegradable polyesters. Numerous studies have applied electrospinning, wet spinning and melt spinning techniques for processing fibers from PCL and its copolymers. The thermoplastic nature, low melting point and high extensibility of PCL makes it a good candidate for processing with melt-spinning method which is an economic and environment friendly fiber production process. Several studies have investigated the production of PCL fibers via melt-spinning; however, there is still significant room for improvement in process parameters and fiber properties. Therefore, in this study, we used different spin pack designs, extrusion and drawing parameters for the melt spinning of neat PCL filaments. Melt-spun solid and hollow multifilaments having smooth surfaces were successfully produced by using a lab-scale melt spinning device. Crystallinity of multifilaments remained unchanged in terms of production parameters. Tensile test results suggest that PCL filaments can be produced using various types of spin packs with decent mechanical properties by means of melt spinning. Hollow structure can extend the field of application of fibers in medical appicatios by taking the advabtage of its carrier properties.