Influence of process parameters on the structure formation of man-made cellulosic fibers from ionic liquid solution

The influence of dry-jet wet spinning parameters on the production of man-made cellulosic fibers from 13 wt % cellulose/1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene acetate solutions was investigated. The spinneret nozzle diameter, extrusion velocity, draw ratio, and coagulation bath temperature were the studied parameters. The production of highly oriented fibers was favored by selecting higher extrusion velocity and lower spinneret diameter. A spinneret size of 100 µm and a draw ratio of 6 were sufficient to highly orient the cellulose macromolecules and achieve tenacities above 40 cN/tex (600 MPa). Total orientation assessed via birefringence measurement, tenacity, and Young's modulus values reached a plateau at a draw of 6 and no further development in properties was observed. A temperature of the aqueous coagulation bath of 15 °C slightly promoted greater orientation of the fibers by hampering structural changes of the cellulose macromolecules in the nascent solid fibers. Furthermore, the determination of the elongational viscosity of the liquid thread via the measurement of radial force tensor was tested and showed promising results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43718.