Oriented polymers from solution. II. Fibers and films of polyethylene/polypropylene blends

A version of the surface growth method by Zwijnenburg and Pennings is being used to produce blended fibers of polyethylene and polypropylene under conditions where polypropylene does not yield to this fiber growth technique but would grow films. The blended fiber contains intimately mixed crystalline regions of each pure component and combines thermal and mechanical properties of both. The growth method itself underlines the part played by adsorbed surface layers and entanglements within such layers which can involve the entanglement of chemically different species. This feature suggests a potentially new method for blend production.