Kao Corporation

Yutaka Yoshida

Yoshiaki Kumamoto

Shotaro Shibata

Takuma Tsuboi

Kyohei Yamato

Shunsuke Fukui

Motoi Konishi

Yoichiro Imori

Eisuke Miyoshi

Ryo Miyasato

Tadanori Yoshimura

Kenichi Shiba

Toru Nishioka

Rui Takahashi

Junnosuke Saito

Takuya Morioka

Ryohta Yamamoto

Rinako Hano

Minato Nakamura

The invention relates to [1] a cellulose fiber composite excellent in dispersion stability, in which at least one amine selected from a polyamine and a monoamine having a reactive functional group bonds to anion-modified cellulose fibers, and which satisfies at least one of amine introduction ratio of 60% or less (requirement 1) and average polymerization degree of anion-modified cellulose fibers of 300 or less (requirement 2), [2] a dispersion in which the cellulose fiber composite is dispersed in a medium, [3] a resin composition produced by blending the cellulose fiber composite and a resin, [4] a molded article produced by molding the cellulose fiber composite or the resin composition, and [5] a method for producing the cellulose fiber composite.

Cellulose fiber composite

The present invention relates to an adhesive composition containing (a) modified cellulose fibers having a cellulose I crystal structure, an average fiber length of 1000 nm or less, and an average fiber diameter of 1 nm or more and 300 nm or less; and (b) a resin. According to the present invention, an adhesive composition having excellent mechanical strength such as shearing adhesive strength can be provided. The adhesive composition of the present invention described above can be utilized in structural adhesion of vehicle assembly products and the like.

Adhesive composition

The present invention relates to a method for producing fine hydrophobically modified cellulose fibers wherein anionic group-containing anionically modified cellulose fibers are bound to a modifying group, the method including subjecting hydrophobically modified cellulose fibers having an average fiber length of 1 μm or more and 1,000 μm or less to a finely pulverizing treatment in an organic solvent. The fine hydrophobically modified cellulose fibers obtained by the method for production of the present invention can be suitably used in various resin manufactured articles for daily sundries, household electric appliance parts, wrapping materials for household electric appliance parts, and various industrial applications such as automobile parts.

Method for producing micronized hydrophobically modified cellulose fiber

A method for producing shortened anionically modified cellulose fibers having an average fiber length of 1 μm or more and 500 μm or less, the method including cleaving sugar chains of anionically modified cellulose fibers by thermal decomposition under temperature conditions of 50° C. or higher and 230° C. or lower, wherein the average fiber length of the anionically modified cellulose fibers is 700 μm or more and 10000 μm or less. By the use of shortened anionically modified cellulose fibers or the like obtained by the method for production of the present invention, a dispersion containing fine cellulose fibers having a low viscosity and excellent handling property can be prepared while at a high concentration, so that the dispersion can be suitably used in various industrial applications such as daily sundries, household electric appliance parts, packaging materials for household electric appliances, automobile parts, and materials for three-dimensional modeling.

Method for producing shortened anionically modified cellulose fibers

A rubber composition containing a rubber and modified cellulose fibers, wherein one or more substituents selected from substituents represented by the following general formulas (1) and (2): &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;R(1), &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;CH&#x2014;(OA)&#x2014;O&#x2014;R(2), wherein each Rin the general formulas (1) and (2) is independently a linear or branched alkyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms and 30 or less carbon atoms; n in the general formula (2) is a number of 0 or more and 50 or less; and A is a linear or branched, divalent saturated hydrocarbon group having 1 or more carbon atoms and 6 or less carbon atoms are bonded to cellulose fibers via an ether bond, wherein the modified cellulose fibers have a cellulose I crystal structure. The rubber composition of the present invention can be suitably used for machine tool parts, household electric appliance parts, automobile parts, and the like.

Rubber composition

A water-based composition containing: (A) fine cellulose fibers having a number-average fiber diameter of 0.5 nm or more and 200 nm or less, and having a carboxy group content of 0.1 mmol/g or more, wherein the carboxy group forms a salt with an alkali metal; and (B) an additive containing one or more compounds having carbon atoms and nitrogen atom or atoms, wherein a ratio thereof per molecule of the compound (number of carbon atoms/number of nitrogen atoms) is 3 or more and 45 or less, wherein the content of the component (A) is 0.2% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less, and wherein the content of the component (B) is 3 parts by mass or more and 150 parts by mass or less, based on 100 parts by mass of the component (A), and wherein the water-based composition has a viscosity at 80&#xb0; C. at a rotational speed of 30 rpm of 80 mPa&#xb7;s or more. Since the fine cellulose fibers or a salt composite thereof of the present invention retains a high viscosity even under high temperatures, the fine cellulose fibers or a salt composite thereof can be suitably used in various industrial applications represented by thickening agents during gas and oil drilling, cosmetic applications, and other applications requiring manufactured article stability at high temperatures.

Viscous water-based composition

Modified cellulose fibers, wherein each of (A) one or more substituents selected from substituents represented by the following general formula (1) and substituents represented by the following general formula (2): &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;R(1); &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;CH&#x2014;(OA)-O&#x2014;R(2), wherein each Rin the general formula (1) and the general formula (2) is independently a linear or branched alkyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms and 30 or less carbon atoms; n in the general formula (2) is a number of 0 or more and 50 or less; and A is a linear or branched, divalent saturated hydrocarbon group having 1 or more carbon atoms and 6 or less carbon atoms, and (B) a substituent represented by the following general formula (3): &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;R(3), wherein Rin the general formula (3) is an alkyl group having 1 or more carbon atoms and 2 or less carbon atoms, is independently bonded to cellulose fibers via an ether bond, wherein the modified cellulose fibers have a cellulose I crystal structure. The resin composition blended with the modified cellulose fibers of the present invention can be suitably used in various industrial applications such as daily sundries, household electric appliance parts, wrapping materials for household electric appliance parts and automobile parts.

Modified cellulose fibers

A resin composition containing: (A) one or more resins selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic resin, and a curable resin selected from an epoxy resin, a (meth)acrylic resin, a phenolic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, or a polyimide resin; and (B) modified cellulose fibers wherein one or more substituents selected from substituents represented by the following general formulas (1) and (2): &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;R(1), &#x2014;CH&#x2014;CH(OH)&#x2014;CH&#x2014;(OA)-O&#x2014;R(2), wherein each Rin the general formulas (1) and (2) is independently a linear or branched alkyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms and 30 or less carbon atoms; n in the general formula (2) is a number of 0 or more and 50 or less; and A is a linear or branched, divalent saturated hydrocarbon group having 1 or more carbon atoms and 6 or less carbon atoms are bonded to cellulose fibers via an ether bond, wherein the modified cellulose fibers have a cellulose I crystal structure. The resin composition of the present invention can be suitably used in various applications such as daily sundries, household electric appliance parts, wrapping materials for household electric appliance parts, automobile parts, and resins for three-dimensional modeling.

Resin composition

The present invention relates to a method for producing an alkali cellulose with suppressed decrease in the degree of polymerization as well as with small use amount of a basic compound, and to a method for producing a cellulose ether by using the alkali cellulose thus obtained. Provided by the present invention are: (A) a method for producing an alkali cellulose, comprising Step 1 wherein a cellulose-containing raw material (I) is treated by a pulverizing machine thereby obtaining a cellulose-containing raw material (II) which contains a cellulose having crystallinity in the range of 10 to 55% and Step 2 wherein the cellulose-containing raw material (II) obtained in Step 1 is added by a basic compound with the amount thereof being in the range of 0.6 to 1.5 mol relative to 1 mol of an anhydroglucose unit that constitutes the said cellulose as well as by water with the amount thereof being in the range of 20 to 100% by mass relative to the said cellulose thereby obtaining the alkali cellulose; and (B) a method for producing a cellulose ether by reacting the alkali cellulose produced by the foregoing production method with an etherification agent.

Method for producing alkali cellulose

The present invention relates to a method for producing an alkali cellulose with suppressed decrease in the degree of polymerization as well as with small use amount of a basic compound, and to a method for producing a cellulose ether by using the alkali cellulose thus obtained. Provided by the present invention are: (A) a method for producing an alkali cellulose, comprising Step 1 wherein a cellulose-containing raw material is pulverized in the presence of 0.6 to 1.5 mol of a basic compound relative to 1 mol of an anhydroglucose unit that constitutes a cellulose in the said cellulose-containing raw material and under the condition in which the water content therein relative to the cellulose in the cellulose-containing raw material is 10% or less by mass thereby obtaining a cellulose powder mixture having the median diameter of the cellulose-containing raw material made 150 &#x3bc;m or less and Step 2 wherein water content therein is adjusted in the range of 30 to 100% by mass relative to the cellulose by adding water to the cellulose powder mixture thereby obtaining the alkali cellulose in the powder form; and (B) a method for producing a cellulose ether by reacting the alkali cellulose produced by the foregoing production method with an etherification agent.

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Wakayama, Japan

Yutaka Yoshida