GRAFTING METHOD OF FLUORINATED COMPOUNDS TO CELLULOSE AND CELLULOSE ACETATE: CHARACTERIZATION AND BIODEGRADATION STUDY

Abstract

Cellulose (Cell) and cellulose acetate (CA) are attractive durable materials; they can acquire various properties through modification in order to obtain valuable industrial products. First, a series of novel fluorinated cellulose carbamate and fluorinated CA carbamate have been synthesized. The introduction of fluoro-groups onto cellulose and CA chain backbone was achieved by the one-pot grafting method using diisocyanate as a coupling agent, which can be considered as a green procedure. The compounds prepared were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) measurements. The results obtained from these analytical techniques confirm that modification occurs successfully. Second, the solubility behavior and biodegradation process of these new fluorinated materials have been studied. The results show that these new materials exhibit better solubility compared to cellulose, but this solubility decreases compared to that of CA. The phenomenon of biodegradation was studied using two methods, the rate of biodegradability was determined. The results of this part show that the biodegradation of fluorinated materials decreases compared to that of the starting materials. These novel materials are biodegradable, can substitute currently used industrial non-biodegradable products and be promising agents for several uses, such as bioplastics, drug carriers, etc. A sustainable development and an increased use of green chemistry principles are among the essential objectives of this work.