Advances in the Production of Poly(ethylene naphthalate) Fibers

Recently with the availability of monomers for poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) at a large scale and low cost, much attention has been paid to develop PEN fibers, based on their superior mechanical and thermal properties, to compete with the most commercially important poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers, especially in some performance‐driven markets. In this review, technical papers, product reports, and patents are reviewed to summarize the developments in the production of PEN fibers via melt‐spinning. Mechanical properties of PEN fibers are presented as a function of spinning and drawing parameters. Morphology of PEN fibers are also discussed to understand factors controlling the fiber properties.

Keywords:

• poly(ethylene naphthalate)
• high performance fibers
• spin‐draw
• high‐speed spinning
• mechanical properties
• morphology