Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts that have melting points below 100 <sup>o</sup>C and represent an intriguing class of “green” solvents for cellulose dissolution and processing in a sustainable manner. In this presentation, we reported a new type of 1,3,4-trisubstituted 1,2,3-triazolium (TTr) ILs that demonstrated facile synthesis, high solubility of celluloses, and high chemical stability in alkaline environment. Within the investigation, nine non-reactive and reactive TTr ILs were designed to explore their applications as solvents and reactive monomers for cellulose dissolution and functionalization. Among them, 1,4-dibutyl-3-methyl-1,2,3-triazolium acetate IL exhibited the highest cellulose solubility at about 15.7 wt% at 80 <sup>o</sup>C. The cellulose-dissolved solutions were applied for subsequent cellulose functionalization reactions, including cellulose acetylation, sulfonation and carboxymethylation with high conversions. In addition, a polymerizable TTr IL carrying a C4-vinyl group was used for the first time to prepare hybrid celluloses with grafted polytriazoliums. These results demonstrated TTr ILs as alternative solvents for cellulose dissolution and functionalization and a new approach was developed to obtain cellulose-synthetic polymer materials.

Developing a 1,2,3-triazolium ionic liquid for cellulose dissolution and functionalization

ACS Spring 2022

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