High‐Strength and Transparent Ultrahigh‐Molecular‐Weight Polyethylene via Die Drawing: Effect of Drawing Ratio

Le résumé fourni par la source

Ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an engineering polymer renowned for its excellent wear resistance, impact toughness, and low friction. However, products obtained by conventional melt processing are typically opaque and exhibit limited improvements in strength, which restricts their application in high‐performance structural and optical‐related fields. In this study, solid‐state die drawing was employed to fabricate UHMWPE sheets with different drawing ratios, aiming to achieve simultaneous enhancements in optical transparency and mechanical performance. The influence of the drawing ratio on the structural evolution of UHMWPE, along with the associated changes in thermal behavior, optical transmittance, and mechanical properties, was systematically investigated through multiscale characterization. The results demonstrate that increasing the drawing ratio effectively suppresses spherulitic structures and promotes the formation of a highly oriented microfibrillar morphology. Consequently, internal light‐scattering centers are significantly reduced, leading to markedly enhanced optical transparency. Concurrently, tensile strength and modulus are substantially improved due to enhanced molecular chain orientation and more efficient load transfer. This work highlights the dominant role of drawing ratio in governing the structure–property relationships of UHMWPE during solid‐state die drawing, providing a practical strategy for the fabrication of highly transparent and high‐strength UHMWPE sheets for advanced engineering applications.

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