The role of salt on cellulose dissolution in ethylene diamine/salt solvent systems

Ethylene diamine (EDA)/salt solvent systems can dissolve cellulose without any pretreatment. A comparison of the electrical conductivity of different salts in EDA was made at 25 °C, and conductivity decreased in the order of KSCN>KI>NaSCN at the same molar concentration. Among the salts tested, potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) was capable of dissolving both high molecular weight (DP>1000) and low molecular weight (DP = 210) cellulose, and this was confirmed by polarized light microscopy. ³⁹K and ¹⁴N NMR experiments were conducted at 70 °C as a function of cellobiose concentration with EDA/KSCN as the solvent. The results showed that the K⁺ ion interacts with cellobiose more than the SCN⁻ ion does. Recovered cellulose was studied by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Changes in the FTIR absorption bands at 1,430 and 1,317 cm⁻¹ were associated with a change in the conformation of the C-6CH₂OH group. The changes in positions and/or intensities of absorption bands at 2,900, 1,163, and 8,97cm⁻¹ were related to the breaking of hydrogen bonds in cellulose. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that cellulose, recovered by precipitating cellulose solutions with water, underwent a polymorphic transformation from cellulose I to cellulose II.