Synthesis of Cellulose Long-Chain Esters in 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate: Structure-Property Relations

In this study, we prepared cellulose long-chain esters homogeneously in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, using cotton linter as the raw material, long-chain fatty acid as the esterification agent and paratoluensulfonyl chloride as the co-reactant. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the product. The maximum degree of substitution was found to be 1.53 when the molar ratio of cellulose, lauric acid and paratoluensulfonyl chloride was 1 : 6 : 6, provided that the reaction temperature was 60°C and the reaction time was 24 h. The mechanical property of the free-film made of cellulose laurate was also tested. It was found that the toughness of cellulose laurate was much better than that of cellulose acetate.