Patented Sept. 7, 1937 2,092,677 UNITED STATEs 2,092,677PATENT office CELLULose ACETATE coMirosTION Louis E. Lovett, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assign Ohio,or to Industriala corporation Rayon of Delaware Corporation, Cleveland, No Drawing. Application August 30, 1934, Serial No. 742,155 6 Cain. (C. 108-40) This invention relates to filaments, ribbons, tles to the articles formed therefrom other ob sheets and other articles formed from solu jects will in part be obvious and will in part tions or other dispersions of cellulose acetate, appear more fully hereinafter. . as well as to the compositions and methods of Among the acetates of polysaccharides other 6 making the compositions from which such ar than cellulose that may be incorporated in solu ticles are formed. The invention involves, tions or other dispersions of cellulose acetate among other things, the incorporation in solu may be mentioned the various acetates of the tions or other dispersions of cellulose acetate polysaccharide sugars, such, for example, as of various proportions of acetates of polysac Sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides, 10 charides other than cellulose; for example, ace the acetates of the trisaccharides raffinose, and tates of sucrose. Such acetates may be mixed the acetates of the tetrasaccharide stachyose. 0. or otherwise combined in a common liquid ve Acetates of still other polysaccharides than those hicle with the cellulose acetate, being in general mentioned may also be used, such, for example, perfectly compatible therewith, and when so as the acetates of cellobiose, starch, inulin, dex l6 mixed or combined give rise to compositions trin, gums and the like. Thus, among others, having the capability of being formed, in much maltose octaacetate, lactose octaacetate and cel 5 the same manner as solutions of cellulose ace lobiose octacetate may be incorporated in the tate, into flaments, ribbons, sheets, and other Solution or other dispersion of the cellulose ace articles having high tensile strengths and other tate. Preferably, however, the acetates of 20 desirable properties. s. sucrose are used, including both the fully acet- 20 Cellulose acetate has been formed hereto ylated Sucrose octaacetate and the less fully fore into flaments, ribbons, sheets and other acetylated esters such as sucrose monoacetate, articles similar to those made from viscose, but diacetate, triacetate, and so on. Good results , inasmuch as cellulose acetate is a more expen can also be obtained by mixing or otherwise 25 sive material than viscose, the regenerated cel combining with the cellulose acetate in a liquid 25 lulose articles formed from the latter have in vehicle the mixture of acetates of sucrose ob general been preferred on account of cheapness tained by acetylating cane or beet sugar, such despite certain advantages inherent in cellulose mixture, termed "acetylated sugar", including acetate such, for example, as its relative in various acetates of sucrose in various propor 30 permeability to moisture. It has now been found tions. - 30 that the cost of flaments, ribbons, sheets and The compositions to which the invention re other articles made from solutions or other dis-, lates may be formed by adding the cellulose ace persions of cellulose acetate may be greatly re tate, which may be any of the cellulose acetates duced and the physical properties thereof in commonly made, such as the monoacetate, the 35 many cases considerably improved by the incor diacetate, or even the triacetate, to a liquid ve poration in the solution or other dispersion of hicle, preferably acetone, together with an acet 35 cellulose acetate of various proportions of ace ylated polysaccharide other than cellulose and tates of polysaccharides other than cellulose, the any other ingredients, usually plasticizers or the same having been found to be compatible with . like, that it may be desired to include in the COm-, 40 the cellulose acetate and to give rise to com position. All of the constituents are thoroughly 40 positions from which may be formed articles of dissolved or otherwise dispersed in the acetone uniform characteristics. and the mass is then extruded through appro It is accordingly an object of the present in priate apparatus to form flaments, ribbons, vention to provide articles of improved physical sheets, etc., or otherwise manipulated as may 45 characteristics formed from solutions or other be found desirable. The composition is then set 45 dispersions containing cellulose acetate. An by evaporation of the acetone. Upon examina other object of the invention is to provide com tion, the resulting products will be found in positions capable of being extruded and set to many instances to have greater tensile strength form flaments, ribbons, sheets and other ar than heretofore obtainable by the manipulation 50 ticles, such compositions containing not only cel of solutions containing only cellulose acetate and 50 lulose acetate but also acetates of polysaccharides plasticizers; i. e., without the addition of acet other than cellulose. A further object of the in ylated polysaccharides other than cellulose. vention is to provide a method of preparing less The exact composition used may be varied with costly solutions or other dispersions of cellulose in widelimits and many different plasticizers and acetate capable of imparting desirable proper other substances may be, included in the mix 2 2,092,877 Crose octaacetate may be added to the solution in without departing from the spirit of the inven the form of the pure crystals, which have a bitter tion. taste, but it is observed that a cellulose acetate As illustrative of dispersions that may be made sheet containing sucrose octaacetate is neverthe up in accordance with the invention, the ac less free from the taste of sucrose octaacetate, companying examples are given; but it should thus permitting its use in the wrapping of food be understood that the invention is not limited stuffs and confections. Sucrose tetraacetate, un thereto, procedurally or otherwise. like sucrose octaacetate, is not a crystalline mate Eacample 1 rial, but a viscous substance; this, however, con Stitutes no objection to its use in lieu of or in con 0 10 The following are dissolved in 5,500 cc. of ace junction with Sucrose Octaacetate, since it is read tOne: ily incorporated in the solution and forms a uni Grams form mass with the other ingredients thereof. Medium viscosity cellulose acetate------1,000 The Sucrose mono-, tri-, penta-, hexa-, and hep Sucrose octaacetate------100 taacetates are also suitable, both alone and to 5 Diethyl phthalate------300 gether with other sucrose acetates, Glyptal resin------300 Warious plasticizing agents, such as glycerine, All the ingredients are added to the acetone glycerine-phthalic acid resins, polyglycerol, di gradually, with constant stirring, until com ethyl phthalate, tricresyl phosphate, etc., may pletely dissolved. also be added to the composition, as may also 20 20 Eacample 2 appropriate pigments, dyes and the like. It is obvious that numerous changes may be, In 540 cc. of acetone are dissolved the follow made in the invention as herein described, such ing: changes extending, for example, to the liquid ve Grams hicle employed, the amount of cellulose acetate 25 25 Medium viscosity cellulose acetate------90 used, the nature of the added acetylated polysac Sucrose Octaacetate ------40 charides, the kind of plasticizer, etc. Among Diethyl phthalate ------O other things, it is not necessary that all of the in These ingredients are brought into solution in the gredients employed in preparing the composition 30 acetone with constant stirring, as in Example 1. be completely soluble in the liquid vehicle em 30 Flexible transparent films may be formed from ployed: homogeneous dispersions thereof may be the solutions described in the foregoing illustra used to, good advantage in the practice of the in tive examples, as also from other dispersions pre vention. Numerous modifications of the proced pared in a similar manner, by placing the compo ure employed in forming the final product may sition in a hopper having a narrow slotted open also be made; thus instead of forming a sheet, 35 ing and causing the composition to flow through as in the examples given herein, the composition the opening onto a large drum placed immediately may be used in the production of flaments, rib thereunder. As the drum is revolved, the compo bons, etc., as well as in other ways obvious to sition is deposited thereon in the form of a thin those skilled in the art. It is intended that the 40 film from which the liquid vehicle is evaporated patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the 40 either by heat supplied from within the drum or appended claims, whatever features of patentable by heat from the surrounding atmosphere. Even novelty reside in the invention. tually there is left on the drum a thin transparent What I claim is: sheet that may be stripped of continuously. The 1. A thin, transparent film comprising, in in 45 composition may, if desired, be extruded through timate solid admixture, cellulose acetate and su 45 a spinneret to form flaments capable of being crose octaacetate, said film being characterized combined into a thread of artificial silk in the by homogeneity, flexibility and relative imperme usual manner. The composition may also be ability to moisture. manipulated by various other methods. to form 2. A thin, transparent film comprising, in in 50 articles of any desired shapes. timate Solid admixture, cellulose acetate and an 50 As mentioned, the cellulose acetate used may be acetylated polysaccharide sugar, said film being the mono-, di-, or triacetate, but the lower ace characterized by homogeneity, flexibility and rel tates produce stronger sthan the higher ace ative3. A impermeability thin, transparent to moisture, film comprising, in in tates and consequently are preferred for that timate solid admixture, cellulose acetite and an 55 55 reason. In the foregoing illustrative examples, acetylated disaccharide, said film being charac an acetone-soluble cellulose acetate is used, as in iterized by homogeneity, flexibility and relative dicated by the use of acetone. The sucrose octa impermeability to moisture. acetate employed in the illustrative examples may 4. A thin, transparent film comprising, in in be incorporated in the composition to the extent timate solid admixture, cellulose acetate and 80 60 of 50% of the composition of the final set article acetylated cane, or beet sugar, said film being after the solvent has been removed and this pro characterized by homogeneity, flexibility and rel portion may be further increased where the lower ative impermeability to moisture, sucrose acetates are used. It will be apparent 5. A thin, transparent film comprising, in in that the incorporation of such acetylated poly timate solid admixture, cellulose acetate and a 65 65 saccharides as sucrose acetate which are less ex mixture of acetates of sucrose, said film being pensive to make than cellulose acetate greatly characterized by homogeneity, flexibility and rel reduces the cost of films and other articles made ative impermeability to moisture. therefrom. At the same time, the tensile strength 6. A thin, transparent film comprising, in in of Thethe productsucrose acetateis much of increased. the foregoing examples is timate solid admixture, cellulose acetate and a su 70... not soluble in the-cellulose acetate but is compati Crose acetate, said film being characterized by ble therewith, so that a clear, uniform film is ob homogeneity, flexibility and relative imperme tainable from mixtures thereof, with or without ability to moisture. * . . other ingredients such as plasticizers, The Su LOUIS E. LOVETT.