Ionic liquids (ILs) are recyclable, non-volatile, and can dissolve cellulose, a natural polymer that is insoluble in versatile solvents. Therefore, ILs have been used to modify cellulose. However, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimOAc), a commercially available IL often used to dissolve and modify cellulose to prepare cellulose-based materials, causes the undesired introduction of an acetyl group derived from the acetate anion of EmimOAc onto the hydroxy group of cellulose during esterification. In this study, for cellulose esterification, we prepared aryloxy ILs as non-carboxylate-type and basic ILs, which can theoretically prevent the undesired introduction of an acyl group from the IL onto the hydroxy group of cellulose. The optimized 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium 2-pyridinolate (Emim2OPy) and mixed solvent system achieved rapid cellulose esterification (within 30 min) with an excellent degree of substitution (DS) value (up to >2.9) derived from the employed low-reactive vinyl esters and bio-based unsaturated aldehydes, without any undesired substituent introduction from side reactions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.