Polypropylene yarns with multifunctional coating based on polytetrafluoroethylene

The article is devoted to the issue of producing yarns based on thermoplastic polymers with properties comparable to those of yarns made of fluoropolymers. A simple and effective method is proposed for producing textile polypropylene (PP) yarns with a stable coating based on polytetrafluoroethylene (fluoroplastic). The method is implemented at the stage of forming polypropylene yarns from the melt. It is based on the formation of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating on the surface of each filament that makes up the yarns. The purpose of this article is to study the morphology of the formed coating, determine the main properties of PP yarns with PTFE coating and compare them with the characteristics of yarns made entirely of fluoropolymers. Using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis, and IR spectroscopy, it was shown that the resulting coating is uniform, ultra-thin, and continuous. It has been established that PP yarns with PTFE coating can be subjected to orientation drawing at temperatures exceeding standard ones. This yarn has increased strength, a very low coefficient of friction and extremely high resistance to the effects of chemically aggressive liquids. The applied coating has high resistance to operational influences. According to the specified characteristics, PP yarns with PTFE coating are not inferior to yarns made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and the cost of the new materials is tens of times lower.