Facile dissolution of cellulose by superbase-derived ionic liquid using organic solvents as co-solvents at mild temperatures

Yuhui Ci; Yunqian Ma; Tianying Chen; Feiyun Li; Yanjun Tang

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121836

Facile dissolution of cellulose by superbase-derived ionic liquid using organic solvents as co-solvents at mild temperatures

Carbohydr Polym. 2024 Apr 15:330:121836. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121836. Epub 2024 Jan 20.

Authors

Yuhui Ci¹, Yunqian Ma², Tianying Chen¹, Feiyun Li¹, Yanjun Tang³

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Laboratory of Textile Fiber Materials and Processing Technology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhengzhou Institute of Emerging Industrial Technology, Zhengzhou 450000, China.
³ National Engineering Laboratory of Textile Fiber Materials and Processing Technology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China. Electronic address: tangyj@zstu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38368113
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121836

Abstract

Dissolving cellulose at low temperatures is a key step in its efficient utilization as a renewable resource to produce high-value-added platform chemicals and high-performance materials. Here, the potential of four aprotic organic solvents was investigated for use as co-solvents with a sustainable DBU-derived ionic liquid (SIL) for the low-temperature dissolution and regeneration of cellulose. Combined experiments, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamic simulations were performed. The type and amount of co-solvent were found to have a significant impact on the solubility of cellulose, the dissolution process, and the structure of regenerated cellulose. The addition of organic solvents can significantly reduce the cellulose dissolution temperature and increase the solubility. Among the solvents assessed, 40 wt% DMSO exhibited the most effective synergistic interaction with SIL, where the solubility of cellulose was 14.6 wt% at 75 °C. Subsequently, the effects of the different types and amounts of co-solvents on the microscopic morphology and chemical structure of regenerated cellulose were thoroughly explored. The results showed that different types of organic solvents had different effects on the microstructure of regenerated cellulose. The results may guide the manufacturing specifications of high-performance regenerated fiber materials.

Keywords: Biorefining; Cellulose dissolution; Computational chemistry; Hydrogen bonds; Superbase-based solvents.