Rayon fibre is a manufactured fibre composed of regenerated cellulose in purified form. Rayon is probably the first manmade fibre that was commercialized as early as 1895. The probability of making an artificial fibre just like silk had been predicted by Robert Hooke in 1664. The credit of inventing rayon fibre goes to Count Hilaire de Chardonnet who is regarded as “Father of Rayon’
The first rayon was produced from nitrocellulose. Commercially viscose rayon became successful by 1919 and many factories mushroomed around the globe.