Lyocell blend fibers with cationic starch: potential and properties

The regeneration of cellulose from solution state offers opportunities for blending with a secondary polymer. Cellulose/cationic starch blends were spun into fibers from β-methylmorpholine-β oxide solution, and the fibers were characterized by moisture absorption, dye absorption, and enzymatic hydrolysis. Cellulose/starch-blend fibers with up to 30% starch content were found to retain up to three times as much water, take up to five times as much dye, and be degradable much faster by cellulase hydrolysis compared with control lyocell fiber. ID addition to starch content, the fiber's performance depended on the degree of substitution of the starch by cationic substituents.