Preparation of single-polytetrafluoroethylene composites by the processes of compression molding and free sintering

This paper describes a novel method of producing single-polymer composites (SPCs) by combining compression molding and free sintering. By using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers as reinforcing phase and PTFE powder as continuous phase, PTFE SPCs can be produced. The tensile and flexural properties of PTFE SPCs were investigated with variable sintering time, mass fraction of PTFE fibers, and filament diameter. Based on the orthogonal experimental method, the PTFE SPC prepared with a sintering time of 60 min, mass fraction of fibers of 5% and filament diameter of 40 μm has the best tensile performance. The PTFE PC prepared with a sintering time of 30 min, mass fraction of fibers of 5% and filament diameter of 30 μm has the best flexural performance. The mechanical properties of PTFE SPCs are better than those of pure PTFE.