Fabric Friday: Rayon continued, plus acetate

Rayon is sometimes called a semi-synthetic. It is made from plants, but it differs from other natural plant fibres, such as cotton, because it's made by a chemical process. Cotton or linen are spun using only mechanical, (or even purely manual) processes. I find rayon breathable, which is what I love about natural fibres.

 

The term "manufactured" is most accepted for this list of fabrics. All of these are made of polymers, but rayon/viscose and acetate are most natural in that they are manufactured from biopolymers. The rest are made of synthetic polymers.


1905 rayon in the U.K.
1910 rayon in the U.S.
1918 acetate in the U.K. (called celanese)
1924 acetate in the U.S. (trademarked Celanese)
1939 nylon
1939 vinyon
1950 acrylic
1953 polyester
1953 acetate and rayon given separate groupings by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
1954 triacetate
Late 50s Modal
1959 Spandex
1960 Antron nylon (trademarked name)
1961 Olefin
1968 Qiana (trademarked name)
1970 Antron Nylon III (trademarked name)
1993 Lyocell

 

I have always though that modal/tencel/lyocell were bio based as well.
https://www.tencel.com/fiber-story
Do they occupy a space somewhere between biopolymer and synthetic polymer?

 

They are bio based because they are all forms of rayon—just different processes in manufacturing.