Method of spinning fibres or extrusion, and the products obtained

Abstract

The invention relates to a continuous, scalable and parallelizable method for preparing strong and stiff fibres (filaments) or films. The fibre or film is prepared by utilizing hydrodynamically induced alignment of the constituents of a dispersion in combination with surface-charge controlled gel transition to produce fibres with a high degree of alignment of the constituents (polymer(s), fibrils etc.). The invention also relates to the fibres or films so formed.

1 . An oriented fibre or oriented sheet comprising long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles, wherein the oriented fibre or oriented sheet was manufactured by a method of spinning fibres or extrusion comprising steps of:
 (a) Injection of a central flow dispersion comprising long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles into a central flow channel of one or more reaction chambers;   (b) Acceleration of the central flow in the one or more reaction chambers by at least two opposite, aligning flow streams, essentially perpendicular to the central flow, whereby the long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles are aligned in the flow direction; and   (c) Gelling of the aligned long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles, through diffusion of salt, chelating agent or acid contained in the aligning flow streams, into the aligned long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles, followed by coagulation of the gel string obtained, and/or   (d) Polymerization of a polymerizable component contained in the central flow dispersion; and   (e) Drying of the oriented fibre or oriented sheet obtained.   
     
     
         2 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the central flow is constituted by multiple streams. 
     
     
         3 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the one or more reaction chambers comprise at least two reaction chambers in parallel. 
     
     
         4 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 3 , wherein the number of reaction chambers in parallel is 3-30. 
     
     
         5 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the long chained polymer(s) or nonspherical particles in (a) are nanocellulose, a polymeric protein, or carbon nano tubes. 
     
     
         6 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the flow dispersion in (a) additionally comprises nano clay or graphene. 
     
     
         7 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the flow dispersion in (a) has a concentration of 0.01-10% (w/w) of long-chained polymer(s) or non-spherical particles. 
     
     
         8 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the aligning flow streams are constituted by water, and the central flow comprises a polymerizable component. 
     
     
         9 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein in (c) the gelling salt, chelating agent or acid is chosen from the group consisting of organic acids, inorganic acids, water soluble complexing agents, organic salts, and inorganic salts. 
     
     
         10 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the diffusion of salt, chelating agent or acid contained in the aligning flow streams comprises diffusion of ions of the salt, chelating agent or acid contained in the aligning flow streams. 
     
     
         11 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein in (c) the coagulation proceeds inside the reaction chamber by addition of a coagulating agent or outside of the reaction chamber in a separate coagulating bath. 
     
     
         12 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the coagulation is effected by immersion of the gel string into acetone or alcohol. 
     
     
         13 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein in (d) the polymerization is effected in the reaction chamber through light, radiation, ultrasound, or heat. 
     
     
         14 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the reaction chamber(s) have rectangular cross section(s). 
     
     
         15 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the central flow dispersion is swirled or oscillated, either before step (b), or in step (b) by additional, oblique flow(s). 
     
     
         16 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 15 , wherein the flow dispersion is swirled or oscillated by a change of geometry in the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the fibre obtained is carbonized. 
     
     
         18 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the oriented fibre or oriented sheet is void free and has a uniform orientation distribution radially. 
     
     
         19 . The oriented fibre or oriented sheet according to  claim 1 , wherein the oriented fibre or oriented sheet has different orientations in different layers.