Are clothes with spandex elastic? The answer is yes. Spandex is a polyurethane fiber. It is also called elastic fiber because of its excellent elasticity. Because of its unparalleled elasticity, it has been widely used in elastic clothing fabrics. There is even a saying that cloth cannot be made without ammonia.
Spandex stretch fabric is elastic, has no sense of oppression, is dimensionally stable, has good recovery, is soft in texture, and is comfortable to move. It can perfectly reflect the natural beauty of the human body, and is suitable for swimsuits and sportswear. Its best proof.
Then why does spandex have such excellent elasticity? The main reason is that spandex is a polymer compound, and the performance of polymer materials is determined by its structure. The polymer structure includes a single molecular structure and an aggregated structure of multiple molecules.
In the microstructure of a single macromolecule of spandex, the spandex macromolecular chain is a linear structure composed of alternating polyether (soft segment) and urethane, isocyanate, and urea bonds (hard segment) Block copolymers. The soft segments can stretch and are connected to each other by the hard segments. The alternating soft and hard segments are equivalent to forming a series of small springs.
Spandex macromolecular chain
In the aggregate structure of multiple spandex molecules, the hard segment is an easily crystallized urethane and urea group structure, and the molecular chain The imino and carbonyl groups between them can form strong hydrogen bonds. The soft chain segment can move freely after being stressed at room temperature, and the force between molecular chains is very weak. The hard segments form crystalline entanglements and cross-links after stretching and orientation, and the soft segments can move like springs, which is equivalent to weaving many small springs into a fishing net. It not only has stretch elasticity, but also can use the crystallized nodes of the hard segments to pull back and shrink.
So the spandex yarn formed from a spring-like fishnet structure has unparalleled ultra-high elasticity. Spandex can be woven into clothing to perfectly reflect the natural beauty of the human body.
