Green chemical preparation of cellulose/high performance elastomer blend fibers by melt-spinning method

With ionic liquid namely 1-N-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) as reaction medium in cellulose modification, maleic anhydride/glycidyl methacrylate-grafted ethylene-octene copolymer (POE-g-(MA/GMA)) was blended with cellulose by a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. Cellulose/POE-g-(MA/GMA) blend was examined by FTIR, ¹³C-NMR, WAXD, DSC, TGA, rheology and tensile properties. Owing to the reaction between functional groups of POE-g-(MA/GMA) and hydroxyl groups of cellulose and the high mobility of POE-g-(MA/GMA), hydrogen bond network in cellulose was destructed and cellulose-b-POE-g-(MA/GMA) copolymer was synthesized in-situ. As a result, the reduction in intermolecular force of cellulose improved the melt flowability and spinnability of cellulose blend. The formation of long-chain branches hindered the crystallization and increased the thermal stability of cellulose on one hand and obtained much more chemical bond fracture under stress action and increased the tensile strength and elongation at break of the blend fibers on the other. However, the addition of 15 wt% POE-g-(MA/GMA) led to the formation of crosslined structure, so a high degree of chain entanglement increased the dynamic viscosity and decreased the spinnability of cellulose/POE-g-(MA/GMA) blend.