Patent ID: 7938993

Claim:
A method for making cellulose fibres, filaments or films which comprises the steps of: i) activating cellulose in a mixture containing said cellulose, tertiary amine oxide solvent activator and water for a period sufficient to allow a swelling of the cellulose by introduction therein of Polyalkylene Glycol Ether (PAGE) and water present in said mixture, the temperature of said activation step and concentration of solvent being such that the solvent is not converted into its monohydrate state during the step of activation; ii) the cellulose mixture, which has been activated with PAGE, being subjected to the steps of dissolution of cellulose in the solvent by heating for removal of water so as to convert the solvent into at least its monohydrate form so as to cause a dissolution; iii) the cellulose-Amine oxide solution contains from about 7% to about 28% by weight dry cellulose, from about 65% to about 80% by weight NMMO, from 5% to 15% by weight water, and from 0.5% to 3% by weight PAGE; iv) extruding the PAGE containing cellulose solution as fibres, filaments or film using dry jet-wet spinning, which is stretched in an air gap of 5-1000 mm to develop molecular orientation; and v) regenerating the spun filaments in an aqueous spin bath containing from about 1% to about 40% by weight of NMMO at temperature of 5-60 deg. C.