Rayon - Class Notes

Question 1 Name the man-made fibre prepared from natural material?

Question 2 Name the man-made fibre which is regarded as artificial silk and why?

Question 3 Name the fibre which is obtained by chemical treatment of wood pulp?

Question 4 What is rayon?

Question 5 How is rayon made?

Question 6 Give few uses of rayon?

Rayon

Silk is a natural fibre obtained from silkworms. The fabric made from silk are very costly. Attempts were made to make silk artificially which would be cheaper than natural silk.

Rayon is a man-made fibre prepared from a natural raw material called cellulose by chemical treatment. The cellulose required for making rayon is obtained from wood pulp. Rayon is obtained by the chemical treatment of wood pulp.

1) Wood pulp is dissolved in an alkaline solution to form sticky liquid called viscose.

2) Viscose is forced to pass through the tiny holes of metal cylinder into a solution of sulphuric acid when a silk like thread of rayon is formed.

Rayon is made from naturally occurring polymer present in wood pulp, therefore rayon is neither a fully synthetic nor a fully natural fibre. It is a semi-synthetic fibre.

Rayon is different from truly synthetic fibres because it is obtained from a natural material(wood pulp)

Rayon fibre is chemically identical to cotton but it has shine like silk. Since rayon resembles silk in appearance therefore rayon is also called artificial silk.

Rayon is cheaper than natural silk and can be woven like silk fibres.

Uses of Rayon

1) Rayon is used in textile industry for making clothing like sarees, blouses, dresses, socks.

2) It is used to make furnishing such as bed-sheets, curtains, blankets etc.

3) It is used to make carpets.

4) It is used in medical field for making bandages and surgical dressing.

5) It is used in tyre industry for the manufacture of tyre cod.

Other Notes from Chapter 3 Synthetic Fibres and Plastics