13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of cellulose acetate

In situ monitoring of cellulose etherification in solution: probing the impact of solvent composition on the synthesis of 3-allyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl-cellulose in aqueous hydroxide systems

Cellulose etherification can be affected by tuning the solvent composition as indicated by monitoring the reaction using in situ IR spectroscopy and rheology measurements together with NMR characterisation.

Per-O-acetylation of cellulose in dimethyl sulfoxide with catalyzed transesterification

Cellulose acetylation was investigated in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with isopropenyl acetate (IPA) as acetylating reagent and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as catalyst at 70-130 °C for 3-12 h. The degree of substitution (DS) of acetylated cellulose was comparatively determined by titration and ¹H NMR and confirmed by FT-IR analysis. The results indicated that per-O-acetylation was achieved at >90 °C for a relatively long duration. The three well-resolved peaks of carbonyl carbons in ¹³C NMR spectra also provided evidence of per-O-acetylation. The solubility of cellulose acetates in common organic solvents was examined, and the result showed that chloroform can be an alternative choice as a solvent for fully acetylated cellulose formed in this study besides DMSO. The intrinsic viscosity of acetylated cellulose solution implied almost no degradation of cellulose during acetylation in DMSO except at higher temperature (130 °C) for a long time.

Posidonia oceanica as a Renewable Lignocellulosic Biomass for the Synthesis of Cellulose Acetate and Glycidyl Methacrylate Grafted Cellulose

High-grade cellulose (97% α-cellulose content) of 48% crystallinity index was extracted from the renewable marine biomass waste Posidonia oceanica using H₂O₂ and organic peracids following an environmentally friendly and chlorine-free process. This cellulose appeared as a new high-grade cellulose of waste origin quite similar to the high-grade cellulose extracted from more noble starting materials like wood and cotton linters. The benefits of α-cellulose recovery from P. oceanica were enhanced by its transformation into cellulose acetate CA and cellulose derivative GMA-C. Fully acetylated CA was prepared by conventional acetylation method and easily transformed into a transparent film. GMA-C with a molar substitution (MS) of 0.72 was produced by quenching Fenton’s reagent (H₂O₂/FeSO₄) generated cellulose radicals with GMA. GMA grafting endowed high-grade cellulose from Posidonia with adsorption capability. GMA-C removes β-naphthol from water with an efficiency of 47%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. After hydrolysis of the glycidyl group to glycerol group, the modified GMA-C was able to remove p-nitrophenol from water with an efficiency of 92%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. α-cellulose and GMA-Cs from Posidonia waste can be considered as new materials of potential industrial and environmental interest.

The synthesis of biodegradable graft copolymer cellulose-graft-poly(L-lactide) and the study of its controlled drug release

According to the concept of green chemistry and sustainable development, a new biodegradable copolymer comprised of hydrophobic poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) segments and hydrophilic cellulose segment (cellulose-g-PLLA) was designed and synthesized. The structure of the copolymer was characterized by (1)H NMR, FT-IR, (13)C NMR, DSC and WAXD. The cytotoxicity study shows that cellulose-g-PLLA exhibits good biocompatibility. The copolymer can self-assemble into micelles in water with the hydrophobic PLLA segments at the cores of micelles and the hydrophilic cellulose segments as the outer shells. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the micelles exhibit nanospheric morphology within a size range of 30-80nm. The drug loaded micelles formed by the copolymer in aqueous media show sustained drug release which indicates their potential applicability in drug carrier.

Biocidal efficacy, biofilm-controlling function, and controlled release effect of chloromelamine-based bioresponsive fibrous materials

In this study, 2-amino-4-chloro-6-hydroxy-s-triazine (ACHT) was synthesized through controlled hydrolysis of 2-amino-4,6-dichloro-s-triazine (ADCT). A simple pad-dry-cure approach was employed to immobilize ACHT onto cellulosic fibrous materials. After treatment with diluted chlorine bleach, the covalently bound ACHT moieties were transformed into chloromelamines. The structures of the samples were fully characterized with NMR, UV/VIS, DSC, TG, iodometric titration and elemental analyses. The chloromelamine-based fibrous materials provided potent, durable, and rechargeable biocidal functions against bacteria (including multi-drug resistant species), yeasts, viruses, and bacterial spores. SEM studies demonstrated that the new fibrous materials could effectively prevent the formation of biofilms, and controlled release investigations in vitro suggested that the biocidal activities were bioresponsive. Biocidal mechanisms of the chloromelamine-based fibrous materials were further discussed.

Synthesis and characterization of highly substituted deoxyfluorocellulose acetate

Deoxyfluorocellulose acetates were prepared from cellulose acetate (CA, degree of substitution by acetyl groups: 2.2 and 1.7) by using diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST) in 1,4-dioxane or diglyme. The maximum degree of substitution of fluorine of the products was approximately 0.60, and depolymerization was not significant during fluorination. The replacement of hydroxyl groups by fluorine atoms occurred exclusively at C-6, as confirmed by carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy. In the presence of pyridine, an N-pyridinium derivative of CA was obtained instead of a deoxyfluoro derivative of cellulose.