Fine structure and physical properties of polyethylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) bicomponent fibers in high‐speed spinning. I. Polyethylene sheath/poly(ethylene terephthalate) core fibers

The high‐speed melt spinning of sheath/core type bicomponent fibers was performed and the change of fiber structure with increasing take‐up velocity was investigated. Two kinds of polyethylene, high density and linear low density (HDPE, LLDPE) with melt flow rates (MFR) of 11 and 50, [HDPE(11), LLDPE(50)], and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were selected and two sets of sheath/core combinations [HDPE(11)/PET and LLDPE(50)/PET bicomponent fibers] were studied. The fiber structure formation and physical property effects on the take‐up velocities were investigated with birefringence, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, thermal analysis, tensile tests, and so forth. In the fiber structure formation of PE/PET, the PET component was developed but the PE components were suppressed in high‐speed spinning. The different kinds of PE had little affect on the fine structure formation of bicomponent fibers. The difference in the mechanical properties of the bicomponent fiber with the MFR was very small. The instability of the interface was shown above a take‐up velocity of 4 km/min, where the orientation‐induced crystallization of PET started. LLDPE(50)/PET has a larger difference in intrinsic viscosity and a higher stability of the interface compared to the HDPE(11)/PET bicomponent fibers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2254–2266, 2000     

Effects of spinning speed and heat treatment on the mechanical properties and biodegradability of poly(lactic acid) fibers

We undertook this study to suggest the optimal spinning process conditions that provide a proper range of tenacity and biodegradability in textile fibers. The effect of melt‐spinning speed and heat treatment on the mechanical properties and biodegradability of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers were investigated. PLA was spun at a high spinning speed of 2000–4000 m/min, and each specimen was heat‐treated. Mechanical properties were estimated by measurement of the breaking stress, and the degree of crystallinity was evaluated with wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. Biodegradability was estimated from the decreases in breaking stress, weight loss, and degree of crystallinity after soil burial. The results of the experiment reveal that heat treatment of the PLA fibers increased the breaking stress and crystallinity. With increasing spinning speed, breaking stress and crystallinity also increased. An increase in spinning speed was more effective than an increase in heat treatment for enhancing the breaking stress within the range of this study. From the soil burial test, it was revealed that an increase in spinning speed and heat treatment decreased the biodegradability of the fibers. X‐ray analysis of the soil‐buried fibers showed that fibers with higher crystallinities began to degrade more slowly. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3099–3104, 2007     

Effect of orientation and crystallinity on the photodegradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers

In this research, photodegradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers was investigated with emphasis on the morphological state of yarns. Two kinds of yarns, FDY (Fully Drawn Yarn) and POY (Partially Oriented Yarn), with different molecular orientation and crystallinity were applied in this research. FDY is spun in the same way as POY and subsequently drawn at high speed and then entangled before winding up. This sample has higher molecular orientation and crystallinity than the POY sample. Several analytical methods were applied in this study: viscometry, X‐ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, UV–Visible spectrophotometry, and mechanical testing. Viscometry was used to determine molecular weight as a monitoring factor for degradation. X‐ray diagrams showed higher crystallinity for FDY samples during weathering process by irradiation. Results of mechanical testing indicated that the tenacity of the FDY fibers had less deterioration in comparison with the POY ones. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Properties of high‐speed spun high molecular weight poly(ethylene terephthalate) filaments

High‐speed spinning of high molecular weight poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.98 dL/g was performed at the take‐up velocity range of 2.5–5.5 km/min. The structure of the as‐spun filaments was analyzed by density, birefringence, WAXS, DSC, boiling water shrinkage, and tensile properties. Stress‐induced crystallization takes place above 3 km/min, which is confirmed by the steep increase in density, the growth of the crystal size, melting point increase, and the decrease in boiling water shrinkage. The plot of crystallinity versus birefringence shows that crystallinity increases drastically after birefringence reaches the value of about 0.075. A comparison with the data of other researchers will clearly present the effects of molecular weight on the properties of PET filaments spun at high speed, for example, the take‐up velocity range of the steep increase in density for high molecular weight PET is lower than that for low molecular weight PET by about 1 km/min. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 1283–1291, 1999     

Antielectrostatic poly(ether ester) block copolymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate)–poly(ethylene glycol)

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber has a low moisture regain, which allows it to easily gather static charges, and many investigations have been carried out on this problem. In this study, a series of poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate) (PEIT)–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block copolymers were prepared by the incorporation of isophthalic acid (IPA) during esterification and PEG during condensation. PEG afforded PET with an increased moisture affinity, which in turn, promoted the leakage of static charges. However, PET also then became easier to crystallize, even at room temperature, which led to decreased antistatic properties and increased manufacturing inconveniences. IPA was, therefore, used to reduce the crystallinity of the copolymers and, at the same time, make their crystal structure looser for increased water absorption. Moreover, PET fibers with incorporated IPA and PEG showed good dyeability. In this article, the structural characterization of the copolymers and antistatic and mechanical properties of the resulting fibers are discussed. At 4 wt % IPA, the fiber containing 1 mol % PEG with a molecular weight of 1000 considerably improved antistatic properties and other properties. In addition, the use of PEIT–PEG as an antistatic agent blended with PET or modified PET fibers also benefitted the antistatic properties. Moreover, PEIT–PEG could be used with another antistatic agent to produce fibers with a low volume resistance. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1696–1701, 2003     

Structural investigations of poly(ethylene terephthalate)‐graft‐polystyrene copolymer films

Structural investigations of poly(ethylene terephthalate)‐graft‐polystyrene (PET‐g‐PS) films prepared by radiation‐induced grafting of styrene onto commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films were carried out by FTIR, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The variation in the degree of crystallinity and the thermal characteristics of PET films was correlated with the amount of polystyrene grafted therein (i.e., the degree of grafting). The heat of melting was found to be a function of PET crystalline fraction in the grafted films. The grafting is found to take place by incorporation of amorphous polystyrene grafts in the entire noncrystalline (amorphous) region of the PET films and at the surface of the crystallites. This results in a decrease in the degree of crystallinity with the increase in the degree of grafting, attributed to the dilution of PET crystalline structure with the amorphous polystyrene, without almost any disruption in the inherent crystallinity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1949–1955, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10515     

Highly crystalline and oriented high‐strength poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers by using low molecular weight polymer

High‐strength poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers were obtained using low molecular weight (LMW) polymervia horizontal isothermal bath (hIB), followed by postdrawing process. We investigated the unique formations of different precursors, which differentiated in its molecular orientation and crystalline structures from traditional high‐speed spinning PET fibers. Sharp increase in crystallinity was observed after drawing process even though the fibers showed almost no any crystallinity before the drawing. Properties of as‐spun and drawn hIB and control filaments at different process conditions were compared. As would be expected, performances of resulted treated undrawn and drawn fibers have dramatically improved with developing unique morphologies. Tenacities more than 8 g/d for as‐spun and 10 g/d for drawn treated fibers after just drawn at 1.279 draw ratio were observed. These performances are considerably higher than that of control fibers. An explanation of structural development of high‐strength fibers using LMW polymer spun with hIB is proposed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42747.     

Effect of winding speed on the physical structure of as-spun poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers,including orientation-induced crystallization

As-spun fibers of poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, made at winding speeds ranging from 2000 to 6000 m/min exhibit quite different physical structures. Yarns wound at relatively low speeds are amorphous, whereas those spun at high speeds contain well-developed crystals of closely packed molecules. In this study the structures have been characterized by means of various techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry, x-ray diffraction, density, and pulse propagation measurements. Based on the results obtained, an arrangement of the molecules in the various yarns is proposed. It is shown that these arrangements can account for the extreme wide variety in contraction behavior found experimentally. Finally, the results obtained are compared with those of other investigations into orientation-induced crystallization.     

Melt spinning and drawing of 2‐methyl‐1,3‐propanediol‐substituted poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The structure and properties of fibers prepared from copolymers of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in which 2‐methyl‐1,3‐propanediol (MPDiol® Glycol is a registered trademark of Lyondell Chemical Company) at 4, 7, 10, and 25 mol% was substituted for ethylene glycol were studied and compared with those of PET homopolymer. Filaments were melt spun over a range of spinning conditions, and some filaments that were spun at relatively low spinning speeds were subjected to hot drawing. The filaments were characterized by measurements of birefringence, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) crystallinity, melting point, glass transition temperature, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction patterns, boiling water shrinkage, tenacity, and elongation to break. Filaments containing 25 mol% MPDiol did not crystallize in the spinline at any spinning speed investigated, whereas the other resins did crystallize in the spinline at high spinning speeds. However, compared with PET homopolymer, increasing substitution of MPDiol reduced the rate at which the crystallinity of the melt spun filaments increased with spinning speed and reduced the ultimate crystallinity that could be achieved by high‐speed spinning. The rate of development of molecular orientation, as measured by birefringence, also decreased somewhat with increasing MPDiol content. Shrinkage in boiling water decreased at high spinning speeds as the amount of crystallinity increased; however, the shrinkage decreased more slowly with increase in spinning speed as MPDiol content increased. Tenacity also decreased slightly at any given spinning speed as MPDiol content increased, but there was no significant effect on elongation to break. The addition of MPDiol in amounts up to 7 mol% increased the maximum take‐up velocity that could be achieved at a given mass throughput. This result indicates that the use of higher spinning speeds could potentially increase the productivity of melt spun yarns. Copolymer filaments spun at low speeds were readily drawn to produce highly oriented fibers with slightly less birefringence, crystallinity, and tenacity than similarly processed PET homopolymer. Preliminary dyeing experiments showed that the incorporation of MPDiol improved the dyeability of the filaments. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2598–2606, 2003     

Spinning the supercooled PET to obtain highly oriented and crystallized PET fibers at low speeds

An attempt has been made to investigate the feasibility for a novel concept of supercooled spinning to obtain orientation‐induced crystallization at speeds lower than that for the high‐speed spinning technology. This is achieved by setting the nozzle temperature lower than the melting point for PET, making the polymer a supercooled fluidic liquid, and then spinning the supercooled. The experimental results show that high orientation and high crystallinity can be achieved at a spinning speed of 2500 m/min, which is in good comparison with a speed of 5000–6000 m/min to obtain similar degree of orientation and crystallinity in the high‐speed spinning. The properties of the as‐spun fibers obtained by supercooled spinning were analyzed, and a rational theoretical account for the supercooled spinning is explored. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3078–3082, 2006     

Surface hydrolysis of filaments based on poly(trimethylene terephthalate) spun at high spinning speeds

The surface alkaline hydrolysis of fibers made from poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) was studied after extruding the polymer at high spinning speeds from 2000 to 6000 m/min and heat setting in the range of temperatures from 100 to 180°C. Fiber weight loss increased with an increasing heat‐setting temperature but it was also dependent on the spinning speed. Some of the partially hydrolyzed fibers had a well‐developed, hydrophilic surface, and pore size in the range of 0.69 to 1.20 μm. The optimum reaction and morphological conditions for increasing porosity in PTT fibers depends on spinning speed and heat‐setting temperature. A temperature of 180°C is the upper limit for heat‐setting PTT filaments but seems to be the most effective for making porous fibers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1724–1730, 2004     

Structure development of poly(L‐lactic acid) fibers processed at various spinning conditions

Poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLA) filaments were spun by melt‐spinning at 500 and 1850 mm^?1, and further drawn and heat‐set to modify the morphology of these PLA filaments. PLA yarns were characterized by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and sonic method. WAXD reveals that PLA yarns spun at 500 mm^?1 are almost amorphous while the PLA filaments spun at 1850 mm^?1 have about 6% crystallinity. This is different from PET filaments spun at the same speed that have almost no crystallinity. Both drawn‐ and heat‐set PLA filaments showed much higher crystallinity (60%) than do as‐spun fibers produced at 500 and 1850 mm^?1 speed, which is also higher than the usual heat‐set PET yarns. It appears that crystalline orientation rapidly reaches a value in the order of 0.95 at 1850 mm^?1 and that drawn‐ and heat‐set yarns have almost the same crystalline orientation values. Molecular orientation is relatively low for as‐spun PLA yarn, and molecular orientation increased to ～0.5 after drawing or heat–setting or both. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1210–1216, 2006     

Novel bioresource-based poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-4-Hydroxybutyrate)/poly(LacticAcid) blend fibers with high strength and toughness via melt-spinning

Novel biodegradable blend fibers based on the biomaterials poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB4HB) and poly(lacticacid) (PLA) were successfully prepared by combining melt spinning and hot drawing. The results showed that the commixture could continuous and stable spin for a P3HB4HB ratio of 30–35 wt% and winding speed of 20–30 m/min. The thermal stability of the P3HB4HB/PLA blend fiber was increased, as determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The crystallinity degree of the P3HB4HB/PLA blend fibers increased with increasing the P3HB4HB content. The addition of PLA resulted in a low cold crystallization temperature and diminutive size of the lamellar stacks, which would be favorable for the enhancement of the mechanical properties of the blend fiber, when the P3HB4HB content was 30–35 wt%. The P3HB4HB/PLA composite fiber was one type of high-strength and high-toughness fiber, with 1 GPa breaking stress and over 80% strain at break. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48956.     

A modified method for processing and characterization of organoclay‐based poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposite fibers

In the current study, in order to prepare poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/organoclay nanocomposite fibers, a slurry‐compounding method (SCM) was applied and compared to conventional melt‐compounding method (CMM) in terms of the dispersion of organoclays and the performance of the spun and or drawn fibers. The organoclays were synthesized by using three different alkyl phosphonium salts and compared with commercially available alkyl ammonium‐modified organoclays in terms of thermal stability and basal spacing. It was found that the alkyl phosphonium salts exhibited higher thermal stability and basal spacing with respect to commercial alkyl ammonium organoclays. Among them, tributylhexadecylphosphonium bromide resulted in superior properties; therefore, it was used to prepare the nanocomposite PET fibers. The organoclay content of 0.1–1 wt% was taken as the material parameter. It was demonstrated that the SCM yielded better dispersion of organoclays with respect to CMM. The drawn nanocomposite fibers prepared via SCM exhibited improved tensile strength and modulus in comparison to the neat‐PET. The maximum tensile properties for fibers were obtained at 0.5% organoclay loading in SCM. The thermal properties and the percentage of crystallinity were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry analysis. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to obtain the percentage of crystallinity of the fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:887–896, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Characterization of poly(L‐lactic acid) fibers produced by melt spinning

Biodegradable poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers were processed by a two‐step melt‐spinning method (melt extrusion and hot draw) from PLLA with three different viscosity‐average molecular weights (494,600, 304,700, and 262,800). Before spinning, the polymer flakes were first milled into powders and dried under vacuum. Viscosity‐average molecular weight of PLLA following the fabrication process was monitored. Tensile properties of as‐spun and hot‐drawn fibers were investigated. Morphology of the PLLA fibers was viewed under a scanning electron microscope. Crystallinity of these fibers was assessed by thermogram analysis of differential scanning calorimetry. Results showed that the extent of decrease in the viscosity‐average molecular weight of PLLA dropped sharply by 13.1–19.5% during pulverization and by 39.0–69.0% during melt‐extrusion. The hot‐draw process in this study had a little effect on the viscosity‐average molecular weight of PLLA. Smoother fibers could be obtained for the die temperature at least 230°C for raw materials with higher crystallinity (more than 75%) and at least 220°C for raw materials with lower crystallinity (about 60%). The as‐spun fibers showed crystallinity of 16.5–22.8% and the value increased to 50.3–63.7% after hot draw. Tensile moduli of the as‐spun fibers were in the range of 1.2–2.4 GPa, which were raised to 3.6–5.4 GPa after hot draw. The final PLLA fibers with 110–160 μm diameters showed tensile strengths of 300–600 MPa. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 251–260, 2001     

Analysis of the tensile modulus of poly(p‐hydroxybenzoate)/poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) ternary polyester composite fibers

Liquid crystalline polymer reinforced plastics were prepared by compounding (PHB/PEN/PET) blends. A fibrillar PHB structure was formed in situ in the PEN/PET matrix under a high elongational flow field during melt‐spinning of the composite fibers. The formation of PHB microfibrils in the composite fiber with different PHB contents and winding speeds was observed. The PHB microfibril reinforced PEN/PET composite fibers exhibited an unexpectedly low tensile modulus. We have evaluated the tensile modulus of the fibers using the non‐modified 22 and a modified 23 Halpin–Tsai model. From the analysis of both models, large differences were found between the theoretical and experimental values of the tensile modulus, and the low value of the tensile modulus of the composite fiber could not adequately be explained by either model. Thus, we analyzed the observed modulus values using the Takayanagi model, 24 which describes the concept of mechanical discontinuities in semi‐crystalline polymers. Using the Takayanagi model, the effective fraction of continuous or discontinuous microfibrils was evaluated. Consequently, we could successfully explain the very low modulus of the PHB/PEN/PET composite fiber, having a large number of PHB microfibrils, using the Takayanagi model. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

New functional bicomponent fibers with core/sheath‐configuration using poly(phenylene sulfide) and poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Bicomponent fibers using the high‐performance polymer poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) together with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were melt‐spun. Both possibilities of using PPS, either as core or as sheath material, were realized to provide special functionalities like improved thermobonding capability, flame retardancy, or chemical resistance. Parameters that guarantee stable processing of PPS and PET during coaxial extrusion with different core/sheath volume ratios were explored. Microscopic studies of the cross‐sections showed holes and cavities, which were formed at the interface between PPS and PET. Possible mechanisms for cavity formation were evaluated. Results of thermal and mechanical characterization by means of TGA, DSC, and tensile testing revealed a strong influence of the processing parameters, namely draw ratio and core/sheath volume ratio, on the crystallization and the tensile strength of the drawn fibers. By changing the core/sheath volume ratio from 2 to 0.5 in the PPS/PET fiber, the crystallinity of the PET‐component was switched from 10 to 50%, whereas the crystallinity of the PPS dropped from 68 to 7%. It was determined that bicomponent fibers can exceed the strength of monocomponent fibers up to 28%. The flammability and chemical resistance of the new developed fibers were characterized. In contrary to what was expected, the encasing of PET with PPS reduced the flame retardancy, though PPS has a higher flame resistance than PET. The chemical resistance of the PET core against hydrolysis was imparted by coextruding a PPS sheath. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Crystallization behavior of melt-spun poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers during drawing process

The crystallization behavior of melt-spun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers during hot drawing process was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and computer controlled electronic universal testing machine. The effects of drawing temperature and drawing speed on the crystallinity and the stress induced crystallization of PVA fibers were discussed. The results showed that the crystallization process of PVA fibers during hot drawing presented three stages: initial stage, stress induced crystallization stage and slowly increasing stage. And PVA fibers with high crystallinity can be obtained by properly increasing the drawing temperature and drawing speed, especially when the drawing temperature and speed were 453 K and 100 mm/min respectively. The stress induced crystallinity of PVA fibers during drawing process was the difference between the crystallinity of PVA fibers after drawing and after only heat treatment. At the low drawing speed, i.e. 50 mm/min, due to the strong molecular movement and orientation relaxation under high temperature, the effect of stress induced crystallization weakens with the increase of drawing temperature, the ratio between stress induced crystallinity and thermal induced crystallinity changed from 8.7%:0%(393 K) to 1.7%:5% (453 K). While at the high drawing speeds, i.e. 100 mm/min and 500 mm/min, with the decrease of available orientation relaxation time, the stress induced crystallization plays an important role during the drawing process, the ratio between stress induced crystallinity and thermal induced crystallinity were 8%:2.9% and 10.2%:0.5% at 453 K respectively.     

Improvement in mechanical properties of poly(p‐phenylene sulfide) fibers by high‐tension multiannealing method

High‐tension multiannealing (HTMA) was applied to improve the tensile properties of poly(p‐phenylene sulfide) fibers, which was furthermore applied to the fibers produced and improved with the zone‐drawing and zone‐annealing treatments. The HTMA treatment was repeatedly applied to the fibers under the conditions of a 250°C temperature and an applied tension of between 201.0 and 188.0 MPa. As a result, at the 13th treatment the degree of crystallinity increased to 40%. On the other hand, the orientation factor of crystallites increased dramatically to 0.982 during the zone‐drawing treatment, but increased only slightly during the subsequent treatments of zone annealing and HTMA. The finally obtained fiber had a tensile modulus of 10.4 GPa and a tensile strength of 0.73 GPa. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 1569–1576, 2000     

Thermal behavior and morphological characteristics of cationic dyeable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (CD‐PET)/metallocene isotactic polypropylene (m‐iPP) conjugated fibers

Cationic dyeable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (CD‐PET) and metallocene isotactic polypropylene (m‐iPP) polymers were extruded (in the proportions of 75/25, 50/50, 25/75) from two melt twin‐screw extruders to prepare CD‐PET/m‐iPP (and m‐iPP/CD‐PET)‐conjugated fibers of the island‐in‐sea type. This study investigated the thermal behavior and mechanical and morphological characteristics of the conjugated fibers using DSC, TGA, WAXD, melting viscosity rheometer, density indicator, tenacity measurement, and a polarizing microscope. Melting behavior of CD‐PET/m‐iPP polyblended polymers exhibited negative‐deviation blends (NDB) and the 50/50 blend showed a minimum value of the melt viscosity. Experimental results of the DSC indicated CD‐PET and m‐iPP molecules formed a partial miscible system. The tenacity of CD‐PET/m‐iPP‐conjugated fibers decreased initially and then increased as the m‐iPP content increased. Crystallinities and densities of CD‐PET/m‐iPP‐conjugated fibers presented a linear relation with the blend ratio. On the morphological observation, it was revealed that the blends were in a dispersed phase structure. In this study, the CD‐PET microfibers were successfully produced with enhanced diameters (from 2.2 to 2.5 μm). Additionally, m‐iPP colored fibers (m‐iPP fibers covered with CD‐PET polymer) were also successfully prepared. Meanwhile, the presence of PP‐graft‐MA compatibilizer improved the tenacity considerably. Blends with 10 wt % compatibilizer exhibited maximum improvement in the tenacity for m‐iPP colored fibers. The dye exhaustions of various fabrics followed the order: m‐iPP colored fibers > conventional CD‐PET fibers > CD‐PET microfibers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5396–5405, 2006