A luminescent cellulose ether with a regenerated crystal form obtained in tetra(n-butyl)ammonium hydroxide/dimethyl sulfoxide

Abstract

Cellulose-based luminescent materials are usually formed via either covalent attachment or combination with luminogens. In this work, three luminescent cellulose ethers without conventional luminophores have been homogeneously synthesized in a mixed solvent of tetra(n-butyl)ammonium hydroxide (TBAH)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The one obtained by etherifying microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with 4-bromomethylbenzoic acid (BBA), i.e., MCC-BBA, exhibits a regenerated crystal form of IVII, whereas the other two are amorphous. The large difference of crystalline properties might be due to the formation of a new hydrogen bond network in MCC-BBA derived from the intermolecular interactions of COOH and their adjacent C2/C3OH groups. Such structural deviations might result in luminescence variations. Indeed, MCC-BBA can give brighter luminescence, which might be derived from crystallization-induced luminescence as well as photo-induced charge transfer effect. The presented work provides new insights into the rational synthesis of cellulose ethers, paving the way toward the design of non-conventional cellulose-based luminescent materials.