Abstract
The determination of molecular weight of natural cellulose remains a challenge nowadays, due to the difficulty in dissolving cellulose. In this work, tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) aqueous solution (THDS) were used to dissolve cellulose in a few minutes under room temperature into true molecular solutions. That is to say, the cellulose was dissolved in the solution in molecular level, and the viscosity of the solution is linearly dependent on the concentration of cellulose. The relationship between the molecular weight of cellulose and the intrinsic viscosity tested in such dilute solutions has been established in the form of the Mark–Houwink equation, . The value of 1.21 indicates that the cellulose molecules dissolve in THDS quite well. The cellulose dispersion in the THDS was proved to be in molecular level by atomic force microscope (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The reliability of the established Mark–Houwink equation was cross-checked by the gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and traditional copper (II) ethylenediamine (CED) method. No considerate degradation was observed by comparing the intrinsic viscosity and the degree of polymerization (DP) values of the original with and the regenerated cellulose samples. The natural cellulose can be molecularly dispersed in the multiple-component solvent (THDS), and kept stable for a certain period. A time efficient and reliable method has been supplied for determination of the degree of polymerization and the molecular weight of cellulose.
Highlights
Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer in the Earth, which is widely produced by various plants, bacteria, and algae [1]
The line was extrapolated to zero concentration to obtain the intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of the cellulose solution in THDS
This work reports a convenient and reliable method for determining the molecular weight of cellulose via the intrinsic viscosity, and discloses the cellulose dispersed in THDS at a molecular level by atomic force microscope (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) characterization
Summary
Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer in the Earth, which is widely produced by various plants, bacteria, and algae [1]. The increasingly serious environmental and energy issues have prompted the development of natural polymer materials [2,3]. Cellulose are widely used in our daily life and modern industrial production as renewable materials [4], composite materials [5], and cellulose derivatives [6,7,8]. The molecular weight (M) of cellulose affects the processing conditions, as well as the performance of the final cellulose products. The accurate determination of molecular weight is one of the key issues for the development of cellulose-based materials in laboratory research, as well as industry. There are three methods for determination of molecular weight of cellulose.
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