2020 年 58 巻 p. 51-54
All-cellulose materials called vulcanized fibers, in which cellulose fibers are adhered with each other by zinc chloride solution, were investigated in terms of cellulose nano-materials and then their preparing process, properties and applications were discussed. The production process of the all-cellulose material is quite simple. Several sheets of base paper are chemically treated with zinc chloride solution, followed by washing and drying and finally a boardlike tough material is prepared. The dry and wet tensile strength of the all-cellulose materials was greatly increased by the zinc chloride treatment. The SEM observation of the freeze-dried samples revealed the existence of threedimensionally entangled cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) between the cellulose microfibers. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the original crystal structure of cellulose I was preserved even after the zinc chloride treatment. Recently a new composite material was created from carbon fibers and the all-cellulose materials. The composite materials will be able to compensate for the shortcomings of the existing all-cellulose materials.