Preparation and characterization of cellulose carbamate membrane with high strength and transparency

Abstract

Abstract In this study, cellulose carbamate was synthesized from alkali cellulose and urea by a low‐cost solid–liquid phase method. Cellulose carbamate was dissolved in cuprammonium solution to form a regenerated cellulose membrane with high strength and high transparency. The mass fraction of cellulose dissolved was greatly increased (up to 17%), and the thermal stability of cellulose was retained. The surface of the membrane is compact and there are regular microchannels in it. The factors influencing the transparency and mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose membrane were discussed by the range analysis of orthogonal experiment. The light transmittance is 95.50%, the breaking strength is 98.35 MPa, the elongation at break is 21.74%. The ability of heat preservation and moisture preservation of regenerated cellulose membrane was tested, and the effect was close to that of conventional polyethylene membrane. The membrane material has broad application prospects in packaging, food preservation, agriculture, and other fields.