Starch Fibers Production by Wet Spinning in Rotational Coagulation Bath

Due to polymer chains spatial and complexities arising in spinning dope preparations there has not been much effort made on production of starch fibers. In this study, a new procedure based on wet spinning is introduced for dope spinning in a rotational coagulation bath by choosing a suitable solvent. Wheat starch solubility was tested in different solvents including water, water/alkaline, water/DMSO and DMSO. Then, suitable spinning dopes were injected into a rotating coagulation bath containing water/alcohol and ready staple fibers were collected by filtration. As-spun fibers were evaluated by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile mechanical tests. The results showed that among all solvents, DMSO was the most suitable solvent. Staple fibers of fine (3-5 μm) and amorphous morphology were obtained by using wet spinning method in a rotational coagulation bath, which have potential application in paper and medical industries considering thelengths and small diameters of the fibers obtained.