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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Structure and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #287082
Title: Characterization of cellulose II nanoparticles regenerated from ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride

Author
item HAN, JINQUAN - Louisiana State University Agcenter
item ZHOU, CHENGJUN - Louisiana State University Agcenter
item French, Alfred - Al
item ZHANG, YANG - Nanjing Forestry University
item WU, QUINLIN - Louisiana State University Agcenter

Submitted to: Carbohydrate Polymers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2013
Publication Date: 2/13/2013
Citation: Han, J., Zhou, C., French, A.D., Zhang, Y., Wu, Q. 2013. Characterization of cellulose II nanoparticles regenerated from ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. Carbohydrate Polymers. 94(2):773-781.

Interpretive Summary: Cotton fibers consist in large part of very small crystals of cellulose, and physical performance properties of the fibers depend on various properties of these fibers. This is true of many other plant materials as well, such as those proposed for use in production of cellulose-based biofuels. Research on these very small crystalline particles is therefore of benefit to several disciplines. In the present work, the small crystals, or nanoparticles are isolated from the plants by dissolving the cellulose in ionic liquids and then regenerating the cellulose from the solution to create new nanoparticles. These new nanoparticles were found to have a crystal structure that is similar to that of mercerized cotton. The nanoparticles are of practical significance as they have uses in the pharmaceutical industry and can be used to reinforce plastic films that would be more biodegradable. The paper provides basic information about the size, shape and internal structure of these building blocks of cellulose structure, and is primarily of interest to scientists studying ways to utilize cellulose.

Technical Abstract: Regenerated cellulose nanoparticles (RCNs) including both elongated fiber and spherical structures were prepared from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)and cotton using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride followed by high-pressure homogenization. The crystalline structure of RCNs was cellulose II in contrast to the cellulose I form of the starting materials. Also, the RCNs have decreased crystallinity and crystallite size. The elongated RCNs produced from cotton and MCC had average lengths of 123± 34 and 112 ± 42 nm, and mean widths of 12± 5and 12 ± 3 nm, respectively. The average diameter of spherical RCNs from MCC was 118±32 nm. The dimensions of the various RCNs were all well fitted with an asymmetrical log-normal distribution function. The RCN has a two-step pyrolysis, different from raw MCC and cotton that have a one-step process.