Lyotropic mesophase of cellulose in ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solution

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Abstract
Solutions of cellulose in a mixture of 27:73 (w/w) of liquid ammonia and ammonium thiocyanate become liquid crystalline at room temperature above a certain critical concentration which depends on the degree of polymerization of the dissolved cellulose. The high optical rotations of the solution suggest that the cellulose mesophase is cholesteric in nature. In the two‐phase region, the cellulose solutions exhibit negatively birefringent spherulites that possess both ringed and nonringed internal structures. The anisotropic solutions can be oriented by shear, indicating high potential for spinning them into useful fibers.