Wet spinning of cellulose from ionic liquid solutions–viscometry and mechanical performance

A series of regenerated cellulose fibers was produced from dopes prepared by mixing and dissolving cellulose of two different degrees of polymerization in different ratios in the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium acetate. Viscoelastic properties of the spin dopes were characterized by controlled stress rheometry. The cellulose solutions were solidified in pure water by the traditional wet spinning technique. The resulting fibers were characterized by means of wet and dry tensile testing and scanning electron microscopy. The characterization revealed a compact and homogeneous fiber. A nonlinear relationship between degree of polymerization and fiber properties was observed with a moderate difference in mechanical properties in a broad interval of fibers while fibers composed of polymers with the highest degree of polymerization stood out as stronger and stiffer.