Cellulose Fibers from Solutions of Bacterial Cellulose in N-Methylmorpholine N-Oxide

Abstract

Fibers of bacterial cellulose were obtained for the first time from solutions in N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) by using the concept of solid-phase dissolution of bacterial cellulose. The mechanism of solid-phase dissolution of bacterial cellulose in NMMO is examined with due regard to the structural and morphological characteristics of native bacterial cellulose. By investigating the structure of the fibers it was possible to reveal the different orientation of the main diffraction planes of the outer shell and inner part of the fiber reflecting the structural aspect of the shell–core morphology. The fibrillar morphology of the fiber was established by scanning electron microscopy. The thermal characteristics of the fibers of bacterial cellulose differ radically from the characteristics of fibers of plant origin in the preponderance of condensation processes that produce exo effects on the thermograms and lead to increase of the carbon residue. The mechanical characteristics of the obtained fibers were characterized.