Ionic liquids as solvents for making composite materials from cellulose

Abstract

© 2016 Authors. Some imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) are able to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose to form 10 wt% solutions. This allows easy production of cellulose composite materials by mixing the respective solutions. The purpose of this work was to make an environmentally friendly novel material using cellulose as a binder to be an alternative for classical binders in electrically conductive materials. Eleven ILs were used to dissolve cellulose. The ILs included two ILs previously untested for this application. Monofilaments composed of three types of cellulose and carbon aerogels were prepared. Solutions of cellulose and carbon aerogels were made into electrically conducting materials. Regeneration of cellulose and composites from ILs was performed using water, ethanol, and acetone. From those antisolvents water proved to be the most effective. The solutions were made into films and fibre extrusions. The used ILs were successfully recovered and reused after regeneration of cellulose. This further strengthened the belief that dissolving cellulose with ionic liquids is a ‘green process’.