In Situ Modification of Alginate Fibers by Nano-montmorillonite for Enhancing the Mechanical Properties

Aimed at the current problems of low strength and poor toughness in alginate fibers, which limits its large-scale application in the textile field, nano-montmorillonite (MMT) suspension was added into sodium alginate spinning solution during the wet spinning process with CaCl₂ solution as the coagulation and the modified alginate fibers were obtained. The structure of the fibers was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and TGA. The mechanical properties and water regain rate of the fibers were tested, and the mechanism of intermolecular interaction between sodium alginate and MMT was analyzed. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of MMT-modified alginate fibers were significantly improved. The fracture strength of the modified alginate fibers was increased from 1.32 cN/dtex to 3.01 cN/dtex. The elongation at break increased from 9.11% to 16.05%. The preparation of alginate/MMT fibers provides a feasible reinforcement and toughening strategy for alginate fibers, which improves toughness while achieving an increase in fracture strength. The preparation of alginate fibers with high strength and good toughness is beneficial for expanding the application of textiles.