Improving Cellulose Dissolution in Ionic Liquids by Tuning the Size of the Ions: Impact of the Length of the Alkyl Chains in Tetraalkylammonium Carboxylate

Fully Bio-Based Ionic Liquids for Green Chemical Modification of Cellulose in the Activated-State

Biopolymers, especially cellulose, are vital to transitioning to a circular economy and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. However, for many applications a high degree of cellulose hydroxyl modification is necessary. The challenge is that the chemical features of the hydroxyls of cellulose and water are similar. Therefore, chemical modification of cellulose is often explored under non-aqueous conditions with systems that result in high hydroxyl accessibility and reduce cellulose aggregation. Unfortunately, these systems depend on hazardous and complex solvents from fossil resources, which diverge from the initial sustainability objectives. To address this, we developed three new betaine-based ionic liquids that are fully bio-based, scalable, and green. We found that a specific ionic liquid had the perfect chemical features for the chemical activation of cellulose without disturbing its crystalline ordering. The high activation in heterogeneous conditions was exemplified by reacting cellulose with succinic anhydride, resulting in more than 30 % conversion of all hydroxyls on cellulose. Overall, this work opens new perspectives for the derivatization of cellulosic materials while simultaneously "keeping it green".

Efficacy of Novel Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts Differing in Cation Type and Alkyl Chain Length against Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Antibacterial resistance poses a critical public health threat, challenging the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. The search for innovative antibacterial agents has spurred significant interest in quaternary heteronium salts (QHSs), such as quaternary ammonium and phosphonium compounds as potential candidates. In this study, a library of 49 structurally related QHSs was synthesized, varying the cation type and alkyl chain length. Their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic-resistant strains, were evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory/bactericidal concentrations (MIC/MBC) ≤ 64 µg/mL. Structure-activity relationship analyses highlighted alkyl-triphenylphosphonium and alkyl-methylimidazolium salts as the most effective against S. aureus CECT 976. The length of the alkyl side chain significantly influenced the antibacterial activity, with optimal chain lengths observed between C10 and C14. Dose-response relationships were assessed for selected QHSs, showing dose-dependent antibacterial activity following a non-linear pattern. Survival curves indicated effective eradication of S. aureus CECT 976 by QHSs at low concentrations, particularly compounds 1e, 3e, and 5e. Moreover, in vitro human cellular data indicated that compounds 2e, 4e, and 5e showed favourable safety profiles at concentrations ≤ 2 µg/mL. These findings highlight the potential of these QHSs as effective agents against susceptible and resistant bacterial strains, providing valuable insights for the rational design of bioactive QHSs.

Investigation of cellulose dissolution in morpholinium-based solvents: impact of solvent structural features on cellulose dissolution

A series of N-methylmorpholinium salts with varying N-alkyl chains and Cl-, OAc- and OH- as counter ions have been synthesized and investigated for their ability to dissolve cellulose, aiming at elucidating solvent structural features affecting cellulose dissolution. Synthesis procedures have been developed to, to a high extent, rely on conversions in water and microwave-assisted reactions employing a reduced number of work-up steps and ion-exchange resins that can be regenerated. Water solutions of morpholinium hydroxides proved capable of dissolving cellulose, with those of them possessing alkyl chains longer than ethyl showing surprising dissolution ability at room-temperature. Morpholinium acetates behaved as ionic liquids, and were also capable of dissolving cellulose when combined with DMSO. The obtained cellulose solutions were characterized according to their chemical and colloidal stability using 13C NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography and flow sweep measurements, while the ethanol coagulates were investigated in terms of crystallinity using solid state NMR. In contrast, the morpholinium chlorides obtained were hygroscopic with high melting points and low solubility in common organic solvents e.g., acetone, DMSO and DMAc, thus lacking the ability to swell or dissolve cellulose.

Cellulose ionogels, a perspective of the last decade: A review

Cellulose ionogels have been extensively studied due to the variability of their properties and applications. The capability of trapping an ionic liquid in a biodegradable solid matrix without losing its properties makes this type of material a promising substitute for fossil fuel-derived materials. The possibility to formulate ionogels chemically or physically, to choose between different ionic liquids, cellulose types, and the possibility to add a wide range of additives, make these ionogels an adaptable material that can be modified for each target application in many fields such as medicine, energy storage, electrochemistry, etc. The aim of this review is to show its versatility and to provide a summary picture of the advances in the field of cellulose ionogels formulation (chemical or physical methods), as well as their potential applications, so this review will serve as a stimulus for research on these materials in the future.

Robust superbase-based emerging solvents for highly efficient dissolution of cellulose

The development of robust solvent systems for cellulose dissolution is of significant importance for cellulose utilization and transformation. Herein, six kinds of novel superbase-based solvents were designed by a combination of 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN) with pyridine N-oxide (PyO) or 2-picoline-N-oxide (PiO) for dissolution of cellulose. It was observed that the prepared superbase-based solvents (denoted as DBN-PyO-x and DBN-PiO-4) could efficiently dissolve cellulose at mild temperatures (<80 °C). The chemical structure of the prepared superbase-based solvents and the molar ratio of the components significantly affected the solubility of cellulose, and DBN-PyO-4 showed the best performance with a cellulose solubility of 14.1 wt% 70 °C. The systematic study revealed that the good performance of the prepared superbase-based solvents on cellulose dissolution resulted from the synergistic effect of their ability to form hydrogen bonds and their polarizability.

Fast Track to Acetate-Based Ionic Liquids: Preparation, Properties and Application in Energy and Petrochemical Fields

Acetate-based ionic liquids (AcILs), as a kind of typical carboxylate-based ILs, display excellent structure tunability, non-volatility, good solubility to biomass, and favorable adsorption capacity, etc. These unique characteristics of AcILs make them important candidates for a range of applications in the field of energy and in the petrochemical industry. This paper intends to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in AcILs, including pure AcILs, AcIL-based multi-solvents, and AcIL-based composites, etc. Preparation methods, with one- and two-step synthesis, are reviewed. The relationship between properties and temperature is discussed, and some physical and thermodynamic properties of different AcILs are summarized and further calculated. The applications of AcILs in the fields of biomass processing, organic synthesis, separation, electrochemistry, and other fields are reviewed based on their prominent properties. Thereinto, the dual functions of AcILs as solvents and activators for biomass dissolution are discussed, and the roles of AcILs as catalysts and reaction mediums in clean organic synthesis are highlighted. Meanwhile, the reaction mechanisms of AcILs with acid gases are posed by means of molecular simulation and experimental characterization. Moreover, AcILs as electrolytes for zinc batteries, supercapacitors, and electrodeposition are particularly introduced. Finally, the future research challenges and prospects of AcILs are presented.

Insight into the interaction between arabinoxylan and imidazolium acetate-based ionic liquids

Herein, six ionic liquids (ILs) with different cations and the same anion of acetate (Ac^-) were used to dissolve arabinoxylan. These ILs included N-methylimidazolium acetate (HmimAc), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc), 1-hydroxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (HOemimAc), 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (PrmimAc), 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (AmimAc), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BmimAc). The solubilities of arabinoxylan in these ILs were determined, and the dissolution mechanism was explained using ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. The solubilities of arabinoxylan in the ILs were in the order: BmimAc > EmimAc > AmimAc > PrmimAc > HOemimAc > HmimAc. Both the cation and Ac^- played an important role in the solubilization of arabinoxylan, but Ac^- performed the major factor. The structure of cation greatly affected the hydrogen bond accepting ability of Ac^-. Increasing the mass ratio of arabinoxylan to ILs resulted in stronger hydrogen bond between arabinoxylan and the ILs. Both the solubility and the strength of hydrogen-bonding interaction between arabinoxylan and the ILs decreased in the recycled ILs because of the impurities remained.

Cellulose dissolution in diallylimidazolium methoxyacetate + N-methylpyrrolidinone mixture

The utilization of cellulose in industrial applicat is of great significance to sustainable development of human society and reducing dependence on dwindling fossil resources. Nevertheless, this utilization of cellulose has actually been limited due to its insolubilization. Here, novel solvents consisting of diallylimidazolium methoxy acetate ([A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO]) and N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) were developed. The solubility of cellulose in [A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO]/NMP was determined, and the influence of [A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO]/NMP molar ratio on cellulose dissolution was systematically investigated. Meanwhile, we also presented the affecting factors of the cellulose material fabrication including preparation approach, [A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO] and cellulose solution concentration. Attractively, the [A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO]/NMP solvents display much powerful dissolution capacity for cellulose even at 25 °C (25.4 g 100 g⁻¹). This is mainly ascribed to the combined factors: The hydrogen bond interactions of the H2, H4 and H6 in [A₂im]⁺ and carboxyl O atom in [CH₃OCH₂COO]⁻ with the hydroxyl H atom and O atom in cellulose; the dissociation of NMP towards [A₂im][CH₃OCH₂COO]; the stabilization of NMP towards the dissolved cellulose chains. In addition, the thermostability and chemical structure of the regenerated cellulose from the solvents was also estimated.

Effect of Alkyl Chain Length in Anions on the Physicochemical Properties of Cellulose-Dissolving Protic Ionic Liquids

A protic ionic liquid (PIL) composed of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene (DBU) and acetic acid can dissolve cellulose under mild conditions and catalyse its transesterification. To investigate the relationship between physicochemical properties and chemical structures, PILs composed of DBU and carboxylic acids with varying alkyl chain lengths were prepared as cellulose-dissolving solvents. The thermal behaviours of the PILs were analysed by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, and their viscosities, ionic conductivities, and cellulose-dissolution abilities were determined. The effect of the alkyl chain length in the carboxylate ion on the physicochemical properties of the PILs was investigated. With increasing chain length, the thermal stability and ionic conductivity increased, whereas the melting point (Tm), glass-transition temperature (Tg), cellulose solubility, and viscosity decreased. The cellulose solubility increased as the difference between the pKa values of the DBU and carboxylic acid (ΔpKa) increased. In addition, the cellulose solubility increased with the increasing density of the PIL. It was revealed that PILs with a high ΔpKa value and a carboxylate ion with a short alkyl chain are suitable for cellulose dissolution.

Recent Advances in Solvents for the Dissolution, Shaping and Derivatization of Cellulose: Quaternary Ammonium Electrolytes and their Solutions in Water and Molecular Solvents

There is a sustained interest in developing solvents for physically dissolving cellulose, i.e., without covalent bond formation. The use of ionic liquids, ILs, has generated much interest because of their structural versatility that results in efficiency as cellulose solvents. Despite some limitations, imidazole-based ILs have received most of the scientific community’s attention. The objective of the present review is to show the advantages of using quaternary ammonium electrolytes, QAEs, including salts of super bases, as solvents for cellulose dissolution, shaping, and derivatization, and as a result, increase the interest in further investigation of these important solvents. QAEs share with ILs structural versatility; many are liquids at room temperature or are soluble in water and molecular solvents (MSs), in particular dimethyl sulfoxide. In this review we first give a historical background on the use of QAEs in cellulose chemistry, and then discuss the common, relatively simple strategies for their synthesis. We discuss the mechanism of cellulose dissolution by QAEs, neat or as solutions in MSs and water, with emphasis on the relevance to cellulose dissolution efficiency of the charge and structure of the cation and. We then discuss the use of cellulose solutions in these solvents for its derivatization under homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions. The products of interest are cellulose esters and ethers; our emphasis is on the role of solvent and possible side reactions. The final part is concerned with the use of cellulose dopes in these solvents for its shaping as fibers, a field with potential commercial application.

Efficiency of hydrophobic phosphonium ionic liquids and DMSO as recyclable cellulose dissolution and regeneration media

Hydrophobic, long-chain tetraalkylphosphonium acetate salts (ionic liquids) were combined with DMSO and the feasibility of these solvent systems for cellulose dissolution and regeneration was studied.