As one of the environmentally friendly fibers

the development of Lyocell fiber is based on the discovery of aqueous N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) solution as a good solvent for cellulose. Although at the early stage

the dissolution of cellulose in aqueous NMMO solution has been confirmed to be an entirely physical process by destroying the hydrogen bonds between cellulose macromolecules based on the dissolving phenomenon and experimental data

the understanding of the dissolving mechanism of cellulose in aqueous NMMO solution is still a long process. With the development of computer technology

the molecular simulation method has filled the field of weak interactions between cellulose molecule and solvent molecule

which makes the dissolution mechanism of cellulose get a new understanding

for example

the discovery of the amphiphilic of the solvent and cellulose molecules and the hydrophobic association interactions. The further understanding of cellulose dissolution mechanism can not only improve the stability of Lyocell process and solvent recovery efficiency

but also lay a theoretical foundation for the development of new solvents. In this paper

the dissolution mechanism of cellulose in aqueous NMMO solution is comprehensively summarized from the aspects of the cognition process of NMMO

experimental discovery and molecular simulation of the dissolution process.