Structure and properties of cellulose fibers from ionic liquids

Abstract

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) was used as a solvent for cellulose, the rheological behavior of the cellulose/[BMIM]Cl solution was studied, and the fibers were spun with a dry-jetwet-spinning process. In addition, the structure and properties of the prepared cellulose fibers were investigated and compared with those of lyocell fibers. The results showed that the cellulose/[BMIM]Cl solution was a typical shear-thinning fluid, and the temperature had little influence on the apparent viscosity of the solution when the shear rate was higher than 100 s À1 . In addition, the prepared fibers had a cellulose II crystal structure just like that of lyocell fibers, and the orientation and crystallinity of the fibers increased with the draw ratio increasing, so the mechanical properties of the fibers improved. Fibers with a tenacity of 4.28cN/dtex and a modulus of 56.8 cN/dtex were prepared. Moreover, the fibers had a smooth surface as well as a round and compact structure, and the dyeing and antifibrillation properties of the fibers were similar to those of lyocell fibers; however, the color of these dyed fibers was brighter than that of lyocell fibers. Therefore, these fibers could be a new kind of environmentally friendly cellulose fiber following lyocell fibers.

Ionic Liquids for the Production of Man-Made Cellulosic Fibers: Opportunities and Challenges

“…The solution quality, which is crucial for the spin stability, is related to the amount of undissolved particles in the range 1-100 μm, expressed as particle size distribution or so-called filter index [79][80][81]. Viscoelastic properties of [bmim]Cl-pulp solutions were also studied by Cai et al [73]. Solutions (8 wt%) were spun at different draw ratios and the resulting fibers analyzed in terms of strength properties, crystallinity, and -for the first time for IL-spun fibers -in terms of their dyeing properties, which again reflected the [76].…”

The changes of crystalline structure of cellulose during dissolution in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride

“…These have motivated research and led to various applications in many fields, for example as solvents in electrochemistry, organic synthesis, catalysis, photochemistry and so on (Plechkova and Seddon 2008). Since Swatloski et al (2002) in 2002 disclosed that ILs are the nonderivitizing solvents for cellulose, the research interesting was aroused both in scientific and industrial fields of dissolution, solution properties and fiber spinning of cellulose (Kosan et al 2008;Cao et al 2009;Cai et al 2010). Several ionic liquids were found to be good solvents for dissolving cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin (Fort et al 2007;Pu et al 2007).…”

Dissolution of cellulose with a novel solvent and formation of regenerated cellulose fiber

“…The novel cellulose fibers had a smooth surface without obvious crevices or flaws. In addition, the novel fibers had a circular cross section, which was similar to that of Lyocell fibers and ionicell fibers [4]. A crack was can be seen in the cross section of novel fibers, this turn of phenomenon is caused by the brittle fracture.…”

“…Biopolymers from various natural resources such as cellulose, starch and proteins have been taken for alternative materials to solve the widespread dependence on fossil fuel [2,3] owing to they are abundant, renewable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly. According to the Technology Road Map for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020, sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), it has the target to achieve 10 % of the basic chemical building blocks by 2020, and to 50 % by 2050 [3,4]. From the present point of view, cellulose is the most common abundant renewable organic polymer and has a wide range of applications in fibers, films and plastics [5][6][7].…”