Effectively Controlling the Dispersion of Fluorescent Agents in Polyethylene (PE) Matrix to Obtain Thermally Stable Fluorescent Composite Fabrics

Abstract

Fluorescent materials, as the core of flexible sensing, safety warning, and intelligent wearable fabrics, have attracted much attention for their synergistic improvement in functionality and stability. In response to the issues of inferior compatibility between fluorescent molecules and matrix materials and insufficient environmental stability of fluorescent fibers, heat-resistant fluorescent polymers were used to blend with linear low-density polyethylene via melt spinning. The effects of fluorescent polymers on the rheological characteristics of melts and the crystallization behavior of fibers were explored. As a result, the dispersion and retention of fluorescent substances in the matrix were effectively controlled. The fiber that formed at a low draft ratio exhibits superior fluorescence properties. Thermofluorescence performance shows that the photoluminescence emission intensity of fibers could maintain 80% as the temperature increased from 323 to 383 K. In addition, at pH 2–6, the sample presents a significant fluorescence enhancement response due to the pyridine group in the fluorescent molecule interacting with H+. The polyethylene composite fibers prepared in this work display excellent optical properties and environmental adaptability. This provides the theoretical basis and technical support for the industrial production of optical functional fibers and applications in the field of flexible intelligent displays.