Modified sodium alginate (mSA) fiber is prepared through the wet spinning process using poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE, the molecular weight of PEGDE is 400) as the crosslinking agent to improve the mechanical and hygroscopic properties. Flowing property of the spinning solution and properties of the mSA fiber are characterized by DV-C digital viscometer, single fiber electronic tensile strength tester and other instruments. Results show that viscosity of the spinning solution dropped firstly, then increased and decreased lastly with increasing PEGDE content in mSA fiber. The optimal value of the tensile strength of mSA fiber is 2.47 cN/dtex increasing by 64.67% compared to pure SA fiber. Both the crosslinking degree and crystallinity of mSA fiber rise first and then descended with the increase of PEGDE content. The hydroscopicity of mSA fiber increase from 30.5% to 70.9% at 20 wt % PEGDE in mSA fiber.
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