Cellulose is the most abundant naturally occurring biopolymer on earth. However, most conventional organic solvents cannot dissolve cellulose efficiently due to its high degree of polymerization and abundance of hydrogen bonding. Ionic liquids (IL’s) are a special class of solvents which can dissolve cellulose effectively while preserving the structural integrity of the polymer. IL’s possess favorable characteristics, such as negligible vapor pressure, low flammability, high thermal stability, process sustainability, and ease of storage. During our studies, a novel series of phosphonate-based ionic liquids were successfully synthesized in high yields, and fully characterized using spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized ILs will be used to perform cellulose dissolution (5% w/w) studies by using microcrystalline cellulose. The dissolution behavior of microcrystalline cellulose in each IL will be discussed based on physico-chemical properties and cellulose-IL interactions. After the dissolution, regeneration of cellulose is performed using an anti-solvent such as water. Our studies aim at generating novel cellulose-based biomaterials including beads, fibers, and thin films. Biomaterials have various applications in different fields. Some of them are in bio and tissue engineering, biological diagnostics, and therapeutic processing fields. Our findings will expand the utilization of biomaterials in these various applications.

Cellulose dissolution in phosphonate-based ionic liquids

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.