Solvent infusion processing of all-cellulose composite laminates using an aqueous NaOH/urea solvent system

Abstract All-cellulose composites are high performing green materials and solvent infusion processing makes their upscaled manufacturing possible. This study explored the use of aqueous 7 wt.% NaOH/12 wt.% urea solution as cost effective and environmentally friendly cellulose solvent for solvent infusion processing. A short dissolution time of 5 min led to all-cellulose composite laminates with a tensile strength of 114 ± 1.9 MPa and a Young’s modulus of 7.8 ± 0.5 GPa. A decrease of tensile strength and Young’s modulus with increasing dissolution time from 5 to 60 min was linked to changes in composite microstructure and fine structure of the reinforcing rayon fibres. It was shown that aqueous NaOH/urea solution is a promising alternative solvent, as it offers the advantages of shorter processing times and reduced solvent costs by 97%, while resulting in 25% stronger laminates, when compared to using ionic liquids.