Synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of cellulose sulfates with regulable total degrees of substitution and sulfation patterns via 13C NMR and FT Raman spectroscopy

Sulfonic acid functionalized cellulose-derived (nano)materials: Synthesis and application

The preparation/application of heterogeneous (nano)materials from natural resources has currently become increasingly fascinating for researchers. Cellulose is the most abundant renewable polysaccharide on earth. The unique physicochemical, structural, biological, and environmental properties of this natural biopolymer have led to its increased application in many fields. The more desirable features of cellulose-based (nano)materials such as biodegradability, renewability, biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, simplicity of preparation, environmentally friendly nature, and widespread range of applications have converted them into promising compounds in medicine, catalysis, biofuel cells, and water/wastewater treatment processes. Functionalized cellulose-based (nano)materials containing sulfonic acid groups may prove to be one of the most promising sustainable bio(nano)materials of modern times in the field of cellulose science and (nano)technology owing to their intrinsic features, high crystallinity, high specific surface area, abundance, reactivity, and recyclability. In this review, the developments in the application of sulfonated cellulose-based (nano)materials containing sulfonic acid (-SO3H) groups in catalysis, water purification, biological/biomedical, environmental, and fuel cell applications have been reported. This review provides an overview of the methods used to chemically modify cellulose and/or cellulose derivatives in different forms, including nanocrystals, hydrogels, films/membranes, and (nano)composites/blends by introducing sulfonate groups on the cellulose backbone, focusing on diverse sulfonating agents utilized and substitution regioselectivity, and highlights their potential applications in different industries for the generation of alternative energies and products.

Cellulose sulfate lithium as a conductive binder for LiFePO4 cathode with long cycle life

Polysaccharides can be potential binders for lithium-ion batteries due to their strong adhesion through numerous hydroxyl groups. As a novel waterborne lithiated polysaccharide derivative, cellulose sulfate lithium (CSL) is successfully synthesized and used as the binder for LiFePO₄ (LFP) cathode. The chemical structure of CSL is verified by FTIR-ATR, XRD, C¹³-NMR, GPC, EA, ICP and TGA. Compared to LFP cathode using polyvinylidene difluoride binder, electrochemical measurements show that the LFP cathode using CSL (LFP-CSL) has lower polarization and better rate performance owing to higher lithium-ion conductivity of CSL. The result of morphological analysis indicates that CSL binder can maintain an integrated LFP cathode structure during hundreds of cycles. As a result, the LFP-CSL cathode exhibits a discharge capacity of 133.4 mAh g^-1 and maintains remarkable cycle stability with retention of 93.1 % after 300 cycles at 1C. These findings provide novel insights into the rational design of the binders for the LFP cathode.

Sulfated Cellulose Nanofibrils from Chlorosulfonic Acid Treatment and Their Wet Spinning into High-Strength Fibers

This paper presents the proof of concept for a facile sulfation-disintegration approach toward generating sulfated cellulose nanofibrils (SCNF) via direct sulfation of rice straw cellulose with chlorosulfonic acid (HSO₃Cl) followed by blending. The direct sulfation of cellulose with chlorosulfonic acid (HSO₃Cl) was optimized at acid ratios of 1-1.5 HSO₃Cl per anhydroglucose unit (AGU) and short reaction times (30-60 min) at ambient temperature to produce SCNF with tunable charges of 1.0-2.2 mmol/g, all in impressively high yields of 94-97%. SCNF were characterized via AFM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. SCNF lengths (L: 0.75-1.24 μm) and widths (W: 3.9-5.9 nm) decreased with harsher sulfation, while heights (H: 1.23-1.32 nm) remained relatively static. The SCNF had uniquely anisotropic cross sections (W/H: 3.0-4.7) and high aspect ratios (L/H: 568-984) while also exhibiting amphiphilicity, thixotropy, and shear thinning behaviors that closely followed a power law model. Aqueous SCNF dispersions could be wet spun into organic and mixed organic/ionic coagulants, producing continuous fibers possessing an impressively high tensile strength and Young's modulus of up to 675 ± 120 MPa and 26 ± 5 GPa, respectively.

Glycopolymer based LbL Multilayer Thin Films with Embedded Liposomes

Layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly emerged as an efficient technique for fabricating coating systems for, e.g., drug delivery systems with great versatility and control. In this work, we describe protecting group free and aqueous-based syntheses of bioinspired glycopolymer electrolytes. Thin films of the glycopolymers are fabricated by LbL self-assembly and function as scaffolds for liposomes, which potentially can encapsulate active substances. We investigate the adsorbed mass, pH stability and integrity of glycopolymer coatings as well as the embedded liposomes via whispering gallery mode (WGM) technology and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring, which enable label-free characterization. Glycopolymer thin films, with and without liposomes, are stable in the physiological pH range. QCM-D measurements verify the integrity of lipid vesicles. Thus, we present the fabrication of glycopolymer-based surface coatings with embedded and intact liposomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Facile Preparation and Characteristic Analysis of Sulfated Cellulose Nanofibril via the Pretreatment of Sulfamic Acid-Glycerol Based Deep Eutectic Solvents

A deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of sulfamic acid and glycerol allowed for the sustainable preparation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) with simultaneous sulfation. The reaction time and the levels of sulfamic acid demonstrated that fibers could be swelled and sulfated simultaneously by a sulfamic acid-glycerol-based DES and swelling also promoted sulfation with a high degree of substitution (0.12). The DES-pretreated fibers were further nanofibrillated by a grinder producing CNF with diameters from 10 nm to 25 nm. The crystallinity ranged from 53–62%, and CNF maintained the original crystal structure. DES pretreatment facilitated cellulose nano-fibrillation and reduced the energy consumption with a maximum reduction of 35%. The films prepared from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and CNF showed good UV resistance ability and mechanical properties. This facile and efficient method provided a more sustainable strategy for the swelling, functionalization and nano-fibrillation of cellulose, expanding its application to UV-blocking materials and related fields.

Catalyst-Free Vitrimer Cross-Linked by Biomass-Derived Compounds with Mechanical Robustness, Reprocessability, and Multishape Memory Effects

Vitrimerization of thermoset polymers plays an important role in addressing resource recovery and reuse. Vitrimer elastomers with good mechanical properties often require well-designed crosslinking agents or fillers, but this increases processing complexity or reduces vitrimer dynamic properties. In this report, a simple green strategy to build a strong vitrimer elastomer is designed. Commercially available epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) is cross-linked with biomass-derived D-Fructose 1,6-bisphosphoric acid to get a vitrimer elastomer cross-linked by β-hydroxy phosphate ester bonds and has abundant hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds can preferentially break and dissipate energy under external forces, which makes the sample robust. The topological network can be reformed at high temperatures through the dynamic exchange of β-hydroxy phosphate ester bonds, which gives the material malleability and recyclability. In addition, through the strategy of combining reprocessing and welding, multiple shape memory effects can be achieved in one postprocessing step. Considering that a variety of commercially available epoxy polymers are easily available, it is believed that this strategy can be a simple and versatile way to enable commercial epoxy polymers to achieve green crosslinking through biomass crosslink agents, which results in robust and recyclable vitrimers based on β-hydroxy phosphate bonds.

Sulfation of Diethylaminoethyl-Cellulose: QTAIM Topological Analysis and Experimental and DFT Studies of the Properties

Sulfated cellulose derivatives are biologically active substances with anticoagulant properties. In this study, a new sulfated diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose derivative has been obtained. The effect of a solvent on the sulfation process has been investigated. It is shown that 1,4-dioxane is the most effective solvent, which ensures the highest sulfur content in DEAE-cellulose sulfate under sulfamic acid sulfation. The processes of sulfamic acid sulfation in the presence of urea in 1,4-dioxane and in a deep eutectic solvent representing a mixture of sulfamic acid and urea have been compared. It is demonstrated that the use of 1,4-dioxane yields the sulfated product with a higher sulfur content. The obtained sulfated DEAE-cellulose derivatives have been analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, and the degree of their polymerization has been determined. The introduction of a sulfate group has been confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data; the absorption bands corresponding to sulfate groups have been observed in the ranges of 1247-1256 and 809-816 cm-1. It is shown that the use of a deep eutectic solvent leads to the side carbamation reactions. Amorphization of DEAE-cellulose during sulfation has been demonstrated using X-ray diffractometry. The geometric structure of a molecule in the ground state has been calculated using the density functional theory with the B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) basis set. The reactive areas of DEAE-cellulose and its sulfated derivatives have been analyzed using molecular electrostatic potential maps. The thermodynamic parameters (heat capacity, entropy, and enthalpy) of the target sulfation products have been determined. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap, Mulliken atomic charges, and electron density topology of the title compound have been calculated within the atoms in molecule theory.

Proton Conductive, Low Methanol Crossover Cellulose-Based Membranes

This work describes the development of sulfated cellulose (SC) polymer and explores its potential as an electrolyte-membrane for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The fabrication of our membranes was initiated by the preparation of the novel sulfated cellulose solution via controlled acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Ion-conductive crosslinked SC membranes were prepared following a chemical crosslinking reaction. SC solution was chemically crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) and cured at 30 °C to produce the aforementioned membranes. Effects of GA concentration on methanol permeability, proton conductivity, water uptake and thermal stabilities were investigated. The crosslinking reaction is confirmed by FTIR technique where a bond between the primary OH groups of cellulose and the GA aldehyde groups was achieved, leading to the increased hydrophobic backbone domains in the membrane. The results show that the time of crosslinking reaction highly affects the proton conduction and methanol permeability. The proton conductivity and methanol crossover (3M) of our GA crosslinked SC membranes are 3.7 × 10-2 mS cm-1 and 8.2 × 10-9 cm2 s-1, respectively. Crosslinked sulfated cellulose films have lower ion conductivity than the state-of-the-art Nafion (10.2 mS cm-1); however, the methanol crossover is three orders of magnitude lower than Nafion membranes (1.0 × 10-5 cm2 s-1 at 1 M). Such biofilms with high methanol resistivity address the major hurdle that prevents the widespread applications of direct alcohol fuel cells.

Conformational and rheological properties of bacterial cellulose sulfate

In this study, a water-soluble bacterial cellulose sulfate (BCS) was prepared with sulfur trioxide pyridine complex (SO3· Py) in a lithium chloride (LiCl)/dimethylacetamide (DMAc) homogeneous solution system using bacterial cellulose (BC). The structural study showed that the value for the degrees of substitution of BCS was 1.23. After modification, the C-6 hydroxyl group of BC was completely substituted and the C-2 and C-3 hydroxyl groups were partially substituted. In an aqueous solution, the BCS existed as a linear polymer with irregular coil conformation, which was consistent with the findings observed using atomic force microscopy. The steady-state shear flow and dynamic viscoelasticity were systematically determined over a range of BCS concentrations (1 %-4 %, w/v) and temperature (5 °C-50 °C). Steady-state flow experiments revealed that BCS exhibited shear thinning behavior, which increased with an increase in concentration and a decrease in temperature. These observations were quantitatively demonstrated using the cross model. Moreover, based on the dynamical viscoelastic properties, we confirmed that BCS was a temperature-sensitive and weak elastic gel, which was somewhere between a dilute solution and an elastic gel. Therefore, considering the special synthetic strategy and rheological behavior, BCS might be used as a renewable material in the field of biological tissue engineering, especially in the manufacture of injectable hydrogels, cell scaffolds, and as a drug carrier.

Investigation of glycosaminoglycan mimetic scaffolds for neurite growth

Spinal cord injury can lead to severe dysfunction as a result of limited nerve regeneration that is due to an inhibitory environment created at the site of injury. Neural tissue engineering using materials that closely mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) during neural development could enhance neural regeneration. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are sulfated polysaccharides, have been shown to modulate axonal outgrowth in neural tissue depending upon the position and degree of sulfation. Cellulose sulfate (CelS), which is a GAG mimetic, was evaluated for its use in promoting neurite extension. Aligned fibrous scaffolds containing gelatin blended with 0.25% partially sulfated cellulose sulfate (pCelS), having sulfate predominantly at the 6-carbon position of the glucose monomer unit, and fully sulfated cellulose sulfate (fCelS), which is sulfated at the 2-, 3-, and 6-carbon positions of the glucose monomer unit, were fabricated using the electrospinning method. Comparisons were made with scaffolds containing native GAGs, chondroitin sulfate-A (CS-A) and chondroitin sulfate-C (CS-C), which were obtained from commercial sources. CS-A and CS-C are present in neural tissue ECM. The degree of sulfation and position of sulfate groups was determined using elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman microspectroscopy, and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In vitro studies examined both nerve growth factor (NGF) binding on scaffolds and neurite extension by dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. NGF binding was highest on scaffolds containing pCelS and fCelS. Neurite extension was greatest for scaffolds containing fCelS followed by pCelS, with the lowest outgrowth on the CS-A containing scaffolds, suggesting that the degree and position of sulfation of CelS was permissible for neurite outgrowth. This study demonstrated that cellulose sulfate, as a GAG mimetic, could be used for future neural tissue regeneration application. STATEMENT OF SIGNFICANCE: Scaffolds that closely mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) during development may be a promising approach to enhance neural regeneration. Here, we reported a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) mimetic derived from cellulose that promotes neurite extension over native GAGs, chondroitin sulfate-A (CS-A) and chondroitin sulfate-C (CS-C), which are present in neural ECM. Depending upon the degree and position of sulfation, the GAG mimetic can impact nerve growth factor binding and permissive neurite outgrowth.

Spectroscopic and Physicochemical Characterization of Sulfonated Cladophora Cellulose Beads

The work presents a full physicochemical characterization of sulfonated cellulose beads prepared from Cladophora nanocellulose intended for use in biological systems. 2,3-Dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) beads were sulfonated, and transformation of up to 50% of the aldehyde groups was achieved, resulting in highly charged and porous materials compared to the compact surface of the DAC beads. The porosity could be tailored by adjusting the degree of sulfonation, and a subsequent reduction of the aldehyde groups to hydroxyl groups maintained the bead structure without considerable alteration of the surface properties. The thermal stability of the DAC beads was significantly increased with the sulfonation and reduction reactions. Raman spectroscopy also showed to be a useful technique for the characterization of sulfonated cellulose materials.

Facile one-pot fabrication of cellulose nanocrystals and enzymatic synthesis of its esterified derivative in mixed ionic liquids

As an important cellulose derivative, esterified cellulose nanocrystals (E-CNCs) could be applied in biomedical and chemical industries.

One-pot tandem reactions for the preparation of esterified cellulose nanocrystals with 4-dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst

Esterified cellulose nanocrystals were manufactured via one-pot tandem reactions with DMAP as a catalyst. During the process cellulose nanocrystallization and acetylation occurred simultaneously.

Surface chemistry, morphological analysis and properties of cellulose nanocrystals with gradiented sulfation degrees

The process of sulfuric acid-hydrolysis of cellulose fibers for the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) includes an esterification reaction between acid and cellulose molecules, which induces the covalent coupling of sulfate groups on the surface of prepared CNs. Negatively charged sulfate groups play an important role in both surface chemistry and physical properties of CNs. This study explored the strategy of introducing a gradient of sulfate groups on the surface of CNs, and further investigated the effect of the sulfation degree on surface chemistry, morphology, dimensions, and physical properties of different CN samples. Based on the discussion of their surface chemistry, the selection of different cross-section models was reported to significantly affect the calculation of the degree of substitution of sulfate groups on CNs. A new ellipsoid cross-section model was proposed on the basis of AFM observations. The effect of sulfate groups on crystal properties and thermal stability was discussed and validated, and the birefringence behavior of nanocrystal suspensions was observed.

Study on multilayer structures prepared from heparin and semi-synthetic cellulose sulfates as polyanions and their influence on cellular response

Multilayer coatings of polycationic chitosan paired with polyanionic semi-synthetic cellulose sulfates or heparin were prepared by the layer-by-layer method. Two different cellulose sulfates (CS) with high (CS2.6) and intermediate (CS1.6) sulfation degree were prepared by sulfation of cellulose. Multilayers were fabricated at pH 4 and the resulting films were characterized by several methods. The multilayer 'optical' mass, measured by surface plasmon resonance, showed little differences in the total mass adsorbed irrespective of which polyanion was used. In contrast, 'acoustic' mass, calculated from quartz crystal micro balance with dissipation monitoring, showed the lowest mass and dissipation values for CS2.6 (highest sulfation degree) multilayers indicating formation of stiffer layers compared to heparin and CS1.6 layers which led to higher mass and dissipation values. Water contact angle and zeta potential measurements indicated formation of more distinct layers with using heparin as polyanion, while use of CS1.6 and CS2.6 resulted into more fuzzy intermingled multilayers. CS1.6 multilayers significantly supported adhesion and growth of C2C12 cells where as only few cells attached and started to spread initially on CS2.6 layers but favoured long term cell growth. Contrastingly cells adhered and grew poorly on to the layers of heparin. This present study shows that cellulose sulfates are attractive candidates for multilayer formation as potential substratum for controlled cell adhesion. Since a peculiar interaction of cellulose sulfates with growth factors was found during previous studies, immobilization of cellulose sulfate in multilayer systems might be of great interest for tissue engineering applications.

Effect of molecular composition of heparin and cellulose sulfate on multilayer formation and cell response

Here, the layer-by-layer method was applied to assemble films from chitosan paired with either heparin or a semisynthetic cellulose sulfate (CS) that possessed a higher sulfation degree than heparin. Ion pairing was exploited during multilayer formation at pH 4, while hydrogen bonding is likely to occur at pH 9. Effects of polyanions and pH value during layer formation on multilayers properties were studied by surface plasmon resonance ("dry layer mass"), quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring ("wet layer mass"), water contact angle, and zeta potential measurements. Bioactivity of multilayers was studied regarding fibronectin adsorption and adhesion/proliferation of C2C12 myoblast cells. Layer growth and dry mass were higher for both polyanions at pH 4 when ion pairing occurred, while it decreased significantly with heparin at pH 9. By contrast, CS as polyanion resulted also in high layer growth and mass at pH 9, indicating a much stronger effect of hydrogen bonding between chitosan and CS. Water contact angle and zeta potential measurements indicated a more separated structure of multilayers from chitosan and heparin at pH 4, while CS led to a more fuzzy intermingled structure at both pH values. Cell behavior was highly dependent on pH during multilayer formation with heparin as polyanion and was closely related to fibronectin adsorption. By contrast, CS and chitosan did not show such dependency on pH value, where adhesion and growth of cells was high. Results of this study show that CS is an attractive candidate for multilayer formation that does not depend so strongly on pH during multilayer formation. In addition, such multilayer system also represents a good substrate for cell interactions despite the rather soft structure. As previous studies have shown specific interaction of CS with growth factors, multilayers from chitosan and CS may be of great interest for different biomedical applications.

Ultrasonication-assisted manufacture of cellulose nanocrystals esterified with acetic acid

Esterified cellulose nanocrystals (E-CNCs) are cellulose derivatives that could be applied in biomedical and chemical industries. E-CNCs were prepared with cellulose pulp using a mixture of 17.5M acetic and 18.4M sulfuric acid with the aid of ultrasonication. The effects of esterification time (3-7h), ultrasonication time (with a frequency of 40 kHz, 0 to 6h) and temperature (68-75 °C) on the yield and degree of substitution (DS) of E-CNCs were evaluated. The sample obtained without ultrasonication had the lowest yield and DS value of 48.16% and 0.22, respectively, whereas ultrasonication for 5h at 70 °C resulted in a yield of 85.38% and a DS value of 0.46. Characterization indicated the successful esterification of hydroxyl groups of cellulose, and the width of rod-shaped E-CNCs was from 10 to 100 nm. The study provides a simple and convenient method to manufacture E-CNCs.

Regioselective esterification and etherification of cellulose: a review

Deep understanding of the structure-property relationships of polysaccharide derivatives depends on the ability to control the position of the substituents around the monosaccharide ring and along the chain. Equally important is the ability to analyze position of substitution. Historically, both synthetic control and analysis of regiochemistry have been very difficult for cellulose derivatives, as for most other polysaccharide derivatives. With the advent of cellulose solvents that are suitable for chemical transformations, it has become possible to carry out cellulose derivatization under conditions sufficiently mild to permit increasingly complete regiochemical control, particularly with regard to the position of the substituents around the anhydroglucose ring. In addition, new techniques for forming cellulose and its derivatives from monomers, either by enzyme-catalyzed processes or chemical polymerization, permit us to address new frontiers in regiochemical control. We review these exciting developments in regiocontrolled synthesis of cellulose derivatives and their implications for in-depth structure-property studies.