Facile preparation of regenerated cellulose film from cotton linter using organic electrolyte solution (OES)

Abstract

Regenerated cellulose (RC) film is an important cellulose-based product with a wide range of applications in the packaging industry and drug delivery. In this study, RC film was prepared using an organic electrolyte solution (OES)/ionic liquid (IL) system consisting of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to dissolve cotton linter at room temperature. Results showed that OES with EmimAc molar fraction in the range from 0.2 to 0.4 could rapidly dissolve cotton linter at room temperature, in contrast to 80 °C for EmimAc solution (control). The cellulose degradation was therefore much less than for the control, resulting in significant improvement in the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the RC film. In addition, the presence of DMSO significantly decreased the viscosity of the cellulose/OES system, being advantageous for casting of the RC film.