All-cellulose composites from woven fabrics

A method of creating all-cellulose composites from woven fabrics is introduced. Cellulosics when treated with mixtures of polyethylene glycol, urea and salt undergo carbamation. Cellulose carbamate is alkali-soluble. When the carbamated fabrics are immersed in alkali solutions and passed through pressure rolls, there is a limited dissolution of cellulose. On subsequent neutralization, the dissolved cellulose is regenerated as a matrix in the fabric and binds together the fibrous elements – thus creating a composite. In the paper we describe the process, characterize the composites, discuss advantages of the method and highlight challenges that remain to be addressed. The substrate is a woven fabric, but the method may be applied on other two-dimensional assemblies of cellulosic fibers such as non-wovens and paper.