Electrospinning of ultrafine cellulose acetate fibers: Studies of a new solvent system and deacetylation of ultrafine cellulose acetate fibers

Electrospinning of cellulose acetate (CA) in a new solvent system and the deacetylation of the resulting ultrafine CA fibers were investigated. Ultrafine CA fibers (∼2.3 μm) were successfully prepared via electrospinning of CA in a mixed solvent of acetone/water at water contents of 10–15 wt %, and more ultrafine CA fibers (0.46 μm) were produced under basic pH conditions. Ultrafine cellulose fibers were regenerated from the homogeneous deacetylation of ultrafine CA fibers in KOH/ethanol. It was very rapid and completed within 20 min. The crystal structure, thermal properties, and morphology of ultrafine CA fibers were changed according to the degree of deacetylation, finally to those of pure cellulose, but the nonwoven fibrous mat structure was maintained. The activation energy for the deacetylation of ultrafine CA fibers was 10.3 kcal/mol. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 5–11, 2004     

Behavior of cellulose in NaOH/Urea aqueous solution characterized by light scattering and viscometry

Cellulose was dissolved in 6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution, which was proven by a ¹³C NMR spectrum to be a direct solvent of cellulose rather than a derivative aqueous solution system. Dilute solution behavior of cellulose in a NaOH/urea aqueous solution system was examined by laser light scattering and viscometry. The Mark–Houwink equation for cellulose in 6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution at 25 °C was [η] = 2.45 × 10^?2 weight‐average molecular weight (M_w)^0.815 (mL g^?1) in the M_w region from 3.2 × 10⁴ to 12.9 × 10⁴. The persistence length (q), molar mass per unit contour length (M_L), and characteristic ratio (C_∞) of cellulose in the dilute solution were 6.0 nm, 350 nm^?1, and 20.9, respectively, which agreed with the Yamakawa–Fujii theory of the wormlike chain. The results indicated that the cellulose molecules exist as semiflexible chains in the aqueous solution and were more extended than in cadoxen. This work provided a novel, simple, and nonpollution solvent system that can be used to investigate the dilute solution properties and molecular weight of cellulose. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 347–353, 2004     

Rapid and reproducible capillary electrophoretic separation of double-stranded DNA fragments in a simple methyl cellulosic sieving system

Summary A rapid, robust and reproducible method providing excellent separation performance and simplicity using a 0.5% MC-4000 methyl cellulosic sieving medium in DB-1 coated capillaries has been developed. The method is suitable for qualitative comparison of DNA restriction profiles for fragments in the size range 100–1000 base pairs (bp). Efficiencies up to 8.5 million plates/m (1057 bp fragment) were recorded. Peak resolution of 6 bp (291/297 bp, 335/341 bp) and 4 bp (238/242 bp, 341/345 bp) was achieved. In addition, 1 bp partial resolution of 123/124 bp and 298/297 bp was obtained. Run-to-run (n=15), day-to-day (n=4), and capillary-to-capillary (n=3) variations of 0.1–0.2% RSD, 0.3–0.5% RSD, and 0.1–0.3% RSD, respectively, were observed. The MC-4000 sieving matrix was found to be better than hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose, in terms of both performance and stability in the DB-1 coated capillaries. The efficiency and resolution in DB-WAX capillaries were inferior to those obtained in DB-1 capillaries. The commercially available DB-1 capillaries were stable for months in the sieving medium at pH 8.3 and could be regenerated to provide high efficiency after accidental current breaks.     

Controlled/living polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and its block copolymer with tert‐butyl methacrylate by atom transfer radical polymerization

Polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) via homogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization under various reaction conditions is described. The effects of the initiators and solvents were examined. With 1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyl triethylenetetramine/copper(I) chloride/p‐toluenesulfonyl chloride as the ligand/catalyst/initiator system in methanol, poly(DEAEMA) with a polydispersity index as low as 1.07 was synthesized. Kinetic studies demonstrated the polymerization was very well controlled and exhibited the living characteristic of the process. Well‐defined block copolymers of DEAEMA and tert‐butyl methacrylate (tBMA) were successfully synthesized. The copolymers could be synthesized with equally good results by starting with either p(DEAEMA) or p(tBMA) as the macroinitiators. However, only the macroinitiators terminated with chlorine should be used. The corresponding macroinitiators with bromine as a transferable group did not yield well‐defined copolymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2688–2695, 2003     

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis transitions of partially and fully substituted cellulose fatty esters

The main transitions of cellulose fatty esters with different degrees of substitution (DSs) were investigated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Two distinct main relaxations were observed in partially substituted cellulose esters (PSCEs). They were attributed to the glass‐transition temperature and to the chain local motion of the aliphatic substituents. The temperatures of both transitions decreased when DS or the number of carbon atoms (n) of the acyl substituent increased. Conversely, all the transitions of fully substituted cellulose esters occurred within a narrow temperature range, and they did not vary significantly with n. This phenomenon was explained by the formation of a crystalline phase of the fatty substituents. The presence of few residual OH groups in PSCEs was responsible for a large increase in the storage bending modulus, and it eliminated the effect of n on damping. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 281–288, 2003     

Preparation of Phosphoric-Carboxylic Cation Exchangers from Wood Cellulose

Phosphorus-containing cellulose cation exchangers were synthesized by reaction of wood cellulose with orthophosphoric acid and the ternary polymer from glycidylmethacrylate, styrene, and maleic anhydride. The effects of the ratio of reactants, temperature, and duration of the reaction on the phosphorylation and exchange capacity of the modified cellulose material were studied.     

Size exclusion chromatographic determination of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol 400 in an ophthalmic solution

Summary Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) content in HypoTears™ Daily Dose ophthalmic solution are determined simultaneously by size exclusion chromatography. The retention times of HPMC and PEG 400 are 10.6 and 15.4 minutes, respectively. The method requires minimal sample pretreatment and is accurate and reproducible. The peak area response from a refractive index detector versus HPMC and PEG 400 concentration is linear over the range of 50–150 % of their label claims of 2.5 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL, respectively. The mean absolute recoveries of HPMC and PEG 400 at their label claim using the described method are 98.9±1.3 % and 100.4±1.2 % (mean±SD, n=12), respectively.     

A thermoanalytical study of the formation and activation of novel copper-carbon catalysts

Simultaneous DSC-TG and DTA-TG were used to investigate the calatytic effect of the metal on the thermal decomposition of a cellulose matrix containing small copper particles. The techniques were also used to demonstrate the effect of the metal particles on the subsequent activation of the carbon matrix, a process which develops the pore structure necessary to expose the metal particles to the gas phase. Temperature programmed desorption was used to study the initial mass loss found on activation. To quantify the catalytic effect of the copper particles on the activation process an estimate was made of the activation energy of the catalysed and uncatalysed reactions. The work gives valuable information on the processes involved in the preparation of a new range of metal-carbon catalysts. In celebration of the 60^th birthday of Dr. Andrew K. Galwey     

Cellulose-polyamide 66 blends. Part II: Mechanical behavior

Blends of the natural polymer cellulose with a synthetic polymer, polyamide 66, are studied in order to determine if the expected strong interaction between them, due to hydrogen bonds, could improve their mechanical properties such as strength and elongation at break. In a previous work {Part I, J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Phys., 32 , 1437 (1994)}, the preparation technique and the characterization of cellulose-polyamide 66 (PA66) blends were described in detail. Several samples in the composition range between 0 to 70 wt % of PA66 were carefully dried and examined using dynamic mechanical and tensile tests. Based on previous work a new percolation model has been developed. It takes both linear and nonlinear mechanical behaviors into account and allows for the effect of adhesion between material domains. From comparison between experimental and predicted data, it is concluded that a partial miscibility between the amorphous phases of cellulose and PA66 exists and is responsible for a strong adhesion at their interface. Solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance has also been used to study these samples and supports the existence of strong interactions between both homopolymers. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cellulose-based fibers from liquid–crystalline solutions. II. Processing and morphology of acetate/butyrate esters

Fibers were spun from isotropic and anisotropic dimethylacetamide solutions of cellulose esters. Take-up speeds of the dry jet/wet spinning process varied. Water served as the coagulant. The mechanical properties of the fibers increased as spinning progressed from the isotropic to the anisotropic state of the solution. A trade-off in solubility and fiber properties was noted as the butyryl acetyl ratio decreased. Whereas high butyryl content enhances both overall solubility and the formation of liquid–crystalline solutions at lower concentration, it results in lower fiber modulus and strength. Morphology of the fibers depended on the coagulation rate which was influenced by the concentration of the sppinning solution. The level of orientation and crystallinity of the fibers increased somewhat when they were spun from liquid-crystalline solutions. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.