| abstract |
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a polyethylene powder excellent in terms of solubility and dispersibility and a shaped object (e.g., a microporous film, high-strength fiber, or porous sintered object) comprising the polyethylene powder, the shaped object having high quality (for example, the shaped object is even and has a low insoluble content and excellent dimensional accuracy). The polyethylene powder has an intrinsic viscosity [ƞ], as measured in 135°C decalin, of 2.0 dl/g or higher but less than 20.0 dl/g and has a decrease of the specific surface area B determined by the BET method after 5-hour heating at 120°C with respect to the specific surface area A determined by the BET method before 5-hour heating at 120°C, (A-B)/A×100, of 0.1% or greater but less than 35%. |