High-performance mono-material hybrid yarns and textiles

A yarn, comprising:

• at least one elastic core filament;
• and
• at least one continuous sheath filament distinct from the at least one continuous elastic core filament, the at least one continuous sheath filament comprising a polyethylene homopolymer or copolymer having a tensile strength of at least 0.3 GPa;
• wherein the at least one continuous elastic core, filament comprises an olefin block copolymer having a block structure with at least one soft segment and at least one hard segment,
• wherein the yarn exhibits a Poisson ratio approximately in a range from about −0.1 to about −20 when uniaxially stretched,
• wherein the at least one continuous sheath filament is helically wound around the at least one continuous elastic core filament to form a core sheath yarn, and
• wherein a ratio of the Young's modulus of the at least one continuous elastic core filament to the Young's modulus of the at least one continuous sheath filament is between 8 and 35, and
• wherein, after the yarn is melt-reprocessed to obtain a reprocessed material, the melt-reprocessing occurring without separating the at least one continuous elastic core filament and the at least one continuous sheath filament from one another prior to melt-reprocessing, the reprocessed material is capable of being re-extruded into a yarn that retains at least 80% of the first tensile strength value.

A method of making a recyclable elastic yarn, comprising:

• melt-spin processing at least one continuous elastic core filament from an olefin block copolymer having a block structure with at least one soft segment and at least one bard segment;
• melt-spin processing at least one continuous sheath filament from a polyethylene homopolymer or copolymer having a tensile strength of at least 0.3 GPa;
• and
• feeding the at least one continuous elastic core filament, under tension, to reach at least 100% elongation, and releasing the tension after the elastic van is formed, and
• feeding the at least one continuous sheath filament, without tension, and helically winding it around the core filament to form a core-sheath yarn in which the at least one continuous sheath filament is helically wound around the at least one continuous elastic core filament;
• wherein the at least one continuous elastic core filament and the at least one sheath filament are non-cross-linked all-hydrocarbon polyolefin polymers.