Solutions of mixtures of cellulose and synthetic polymers in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide

Phase state and morphological features of solutions of cellulose blends with rigid-chain thermotropic LC copolyesters and isotropic poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) in the highly polar donor solvent N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide are studied by DSC and polarization microscopy. The ternary phase diagram for the cellulose-copolyesters-N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide system is constructed. Rheological characteristics of the prepared solutions are studied using capillary and rotary rheometers under the regimes of continuous and periodic shear deformation. Rheological characteristics of cellulose solutions with copolyesters in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide with their different phase states are shown to change in accordance with the traditional mechanism of flow for solutions with high specific interactions between their components. However, the character of the rheological behavior of mixtures of cellulose with poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide primarily stems from structural-morphological transformations in solutions taking place upon deformation.