Nano-Structural Investigation on Cellulose Highly Dissolved in Ionic Liquid: A Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study

Ionic Liquids as Designed, Multi-Functional Plasticizers for Biodegradable Polymeric Materials: A Mini-Review

Measures to endorse the adoption of eco-friendly biodegradable plastics as a response to the scale of plastic pollution has created a demand for innovative products from materials from Nature. Ionic liquids (ILs) have the ability to disrupt the hydrogen bonding network of biopolymers, increase the mobility of biopolymer chains, reduce friction, and produce materials with various morphologies and mechanical properties. Due to these qualities, ILs are considered ideal for plasticizing biopolymers, enabling them to meet a wide range of specifications for biopolymeric materials. This mini-review discusses the effect of different IL-plasticizers on the processing, tensile strength, and elasticity of materials made from various biopolymers (e.g., starch, chitosan, alginate, cellulose), and specifically covers IL-plasticized packaging materials and materials for biomedical and electrochemical applications. Furthermore, challenges (cost, scale, and eco-friendliness) and future research directions in IL-based plasticizers for biopolymers are discussed.

Revolutionizing lignocellulosic biomass: A review of harnessing the power of ionic liquids for sustainable utilization and extraction

The potential for the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into valuable commodities is rapidly growing through an environmentally sustainable approach to harness its abundance, cost-effectiveness, biodegradability, and environmentally friendly nature. Ionic liquids (ILs) have received considerable and widespread attention as a promising solution for efficiently dissolving lignocellulosic biomass. The fact that ILs can act as solvents and reagents contributes to their widespread recognition. In particular, ILs are desirable because they are inert, non-toxic, non-flammable, miscible in water, recyclable, thermally and chemically stable, and have low melting points and outstanding ionic conductivity. With these characteristics, ILs can serve as a reliable replacement for traditional biomass conversion methods in various applications. Thus, this comprehensive analysis explores the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass using ILs, focusing on main components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. In addition, the effect of multiple parameters on the separation of lignocellulosic biomass using ILs is discussed to emphasize their potential to produce high-value products from this abundant and renewable resource. This work contributes to the advancement of green technologies, offering a promising avenue for the future of biomass conversion and sustainable resource management.

A force field for bio-polymers in ionic liquids (BILFF) - part 2: cellulose in [EMIm][OAc]/water mixtures

We present the extension of our force field BILFF (Bio-Polymers in Ionic Liquids Force Field) to the bio-polymer cellulose. We already published BILFF parameters for mixtures of ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm][OAc]) with water. Our all-atom force field focuses on a quantitative reproduction of the hydrogen bonds in the complex mixture of cellulose, [EMIm]⁺, [OAc]^- and water when compared to reference ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. To enhance the sampling, 50 individual AIMD simulations starting from different initial configurations were performed for cellulose in solvent instead of one long simulation, and the resulting averages were used for force field optimization. All cellulose force field parameters were iteratively adjusted starting from the literature force field of W. Damm et al. We were able to obtain a very good agreement with respect to both the microstructure of the reference AIMD simulations and experimental results such as the system density (even at higher temperatures) and the crystal structure. Our new force field allows performing very long simulations of large systems containing cellulose solvated in (aqueous) [EMIm][OAc] with almost ab initio accuracy.

Understanding the Dynamics of Cellulose Dissolved in an Ionic Liquid Solvent Under Shear and Extensional Flows

Ionic liquids (ILs) hold great potential as solvents to dissolve, recycle, and regenerate cellulosic fabrics, but the dissolved cellulose material system requires greater study in conditions relevant to fiber spinning processes, especially characterization of nonlinear shear and extensional flows. To address this gap, we aimed to disentangle the effects of the temperature, cellulose concentration, and degree of polymerization (DOP) on the shear and extensional flows of cellulose dissolved in an IL. We have studied the behavior of cellulose from two sources, fabric and filter paper, dissolved in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C₂C₁Im][OAc]) over a range of temperatures (25 to 80 °C) and concentrations (up to 4%) that cover both semidilute and entangled regimes. The linear viscoelastic (LVE) response was measured using small-amplitude oscillatory shear techniques, and the results were unified by reducing the temperature, concentration, and DOP onto a single master curve using time superposition techniques. The shear rheological data were further fitted to a fractional Maxwell liquid (FML) model and were found to satisfy the Cox-Merz rule within the measurement range. Meanwhile, the material response in the non-LVE (NLVE) regime at large strains and strain rates has special relevance for spinning processes. We quantified the NLVE behavior using steady shear flow tests alongside uniaxial extension using a customized capillary breakup extensional rheometer. The results for both shear and extensional NLVE responses were described by the Rolie-Poly model to account for flow-dependent relaxation times and nonmonotonic viscosity evolution with strain rates in an extensional flow, which primarily arise from complex polymer interactions at high concentrations. The physically interpretable model fitting parameters were further compared to describe differences in material response to different flow types at varying temperatures, concentrations, and DOP. Finally, the fitting parameters from the FML and Rolie-Poly models were connected under the same superposition framework to provide a comprehensive description within the wide measured parameter window for the flow and handling of cellulose in [C₂C₁Im][OAc] in both linear and nonlinear regimes.

A force field for bio-polymers in ionic liquids (BILFF) - part 1: [EMIm][OAc]/water mixtures

We present BILFF, a novel force field for bio-polymers in ionic liquids. In the first part of our study, we introduce optimized force field parameters for mixtures of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm][OAc]) with water. This imidazolium-based IL is of particular practical importance as it can dissolve significant amounts of cellulose even at room temperature. An understanding of this dissolution process via molecular dynamics simulations requires a quantitative description of the microscopic structure and the strong hydrogen bonds with a method able of simulating at least several dozen nanoseconds, which is the main aim of our novel force field. To reach this goal, we optimize the force field parameters to reproduce radial, spatial, and combined distribution functions, hydrogen bond lifetimes, diffusion coefficients, and several other quantities from reference ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. Non-trivial effects such as dispersion interactions between the side chains and π-π stacking of the cations are reproduced very well. We further validate the force field by comparison to experimental data such as thermal expansion coefficients, bulk modulus, and density at different temperatures, which yields good agreement and correct trends. No other force field with optimized parameters for mixtures of [EMIm][OAc] and water has been presented in the literature yet. Optimized force field parameters for cellulose and other ILs will be published in upcoming articles.

Glycerin/NaOH Aqueous Solution as a Green Solvent System for Dissolution of Cellulose

Dissolving cellulose in water-based green solvent systems is highly desired for further industrial applications. The green solvent glycerin-which contains hydrogen-bonding acceptors-was used together with NaOH and water to dissolve cellulose. This mixed aqueous solution of NaOH and glycerin was employed as the new green solvent system for three celluloses with different degree of polymerization. FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared), XRD (X-ray diffractometer) and TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) were used to characterize the difference between cellulose before and after regenerated by HCl. A UbbeloHde viscometer was used to measure the molecule weight of three different kinds of cellulose with the polymerization degree of 550, 600 and 1120. This solvent system is useful to dissolve cellulose with averaged molecule weight up to 2.08 × 10⁵ g/mol.

Towards a molecular understanding of cellulose dissolution in ionic liquids: anion/cation effect, synergistic mechanism and physicochemical aspects

This perspective summarizes mechanistic studies on cellulose dissolution in ionic liquids, highlighting the synergistic mechanism, physicochemical aspects and future research trends.

Cellulose is one of the most abundant bio-renewable materials on the earth and its conversion to biofuels provides an appealing way to satisfy the increasing global energy demand. However, before carrying out the process of enzymolysis to glucose or polysaccharides, cellulose needs to be pretreated to overcome its recalcitrance. In recent years, a variety of ionic liquids (ILs) have been found to be effective solvents for cellulose, providing a new, feasible pretreatment strategy. A lot of experimental and computational studies have been carried out to investigate the dissolution mechanism. However, many details are not fully understood, which highlights the necessity to overview the current knowledge of cellulose dissolution and identify the research trend in the future. This perspective summarizes the mechanistic studies and microscopic insights of cellulose dissolution in ILs. Recent investigations of the synergistic effect of cations/anions and the distinctive structural changes of cellulose microfibril in ILs are also reviewed. Besides, understanding the factors controlling the dissolution process, such as the structure of anions/cations, viscosity of ILs, pretreatment temperature, heating rate, etc., has been discussed from a structural and physicochemical viewpoint. At the end, the existing problems are discussed and future prospects are given. We hope this article would be helpful for deeper understanding of the cellulose dissolution process in ILs and the rational design of more efficient and recyclable ILs.