Study of molecular orientation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers by fluorescence polarization

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Abstract
Molecular orientation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers was studied by polarized fluorescence. The observed amorphous orientation of the spun as fiber was not random but uniaxial along the fiber axis. This orientation increased with draw ratio up to about 2 and then remained fairly constant. The amorphous regions of PET fibers were disoriented when the fibers were heated while unconstrained. The fluorescence data obtained were correlated with shrinkage measurements. Fluorescence data indicated that spin drawing had more effect upon orientation than subsequent drawing of the fiber, whereas birefringence data indicated the opposite. The reason for this behavior is discussed.