Dissolution of cellulose in tetrabutylammonium acetate/dimethyl sulfoxide

• The dissolution of cellulose in tetrabutylammonium acetate (TBAAc)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was studied combining experimental and simulation techniques. It was found that the dissolution limit at 40 °C corresponded to a molar ratio close to one acetate per cellulose anhydroglucose units. MD simulations suggested that the acetate ions bind to cellulose by dual hydrogen bonds. This effectively turns cellulose into a polyelectrolyte, attracting the bulky tetrabutylammonium (TBA+) counter ions, which prevent close contact between chains in the dissolved state. This hypothesis was tested by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, which confirmed that acetate forms hydrogen bonds to cellulose, and by diffusion NMR spectroscopy, which demonstrated a strong dynamic correlation between bound acetate and tetrabutylammonium in near-quantitative agreement with simulation. The present results suggest that offering hydrogen bonding to the acetate ions is the main driving force for dissolving cellulose and that the TBA+ counter ions form a diffuse layer around the acetate-decorated cellulose chains.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Annan kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Other Chemistry Topics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Pappers-, massa- och fiberteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Paper, Pulp and Fiber Technology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

cellulose

dissolution

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