| Abstract Scope |
Over the past several decades, much of what had been a thriving US fiber production industry has moved to countries with developing economies and large populations. This has led to a diminution of fiber R&D in US (and western European), Universities, Corporations and Government Laboratories. While some work persists, mainly in the areas of biomedically relevant fiber constructs and nanofiber production, little R&D remains in the understanding and optimization of large scale production of fibers for textile, industrial or medical applications.
Fiber formation from crystalline and liquid crystalline polymers provides a unique area for understanding the impact of process variables, especially stress and cooling rates, on the properties and performance of polymer extrudates.
In addition, new work on high performance PE fibers and 2D polymers will be presented. |