CO2 chemistry – an overlooked green asset of the aqueous alkaline cellulose solutions

A completely overlooked CO2-chemistry of the scientifically and industrially important aqueous alkaline cellulose solutions was recently discovered by our group: CO2 from air is readily incorporated into cellulose dissolved in NaOH(aq) through formation of an intermediate cellulose carbonate, capable of further reacting and decisively affecting interactions among the dissolved cellulose chains.

This completely new insight paves a way towards new means of tailoring re-assembly of dissolved cellulose in this widely used system.

With new cellulose material concepts in mind, we will in this project comprehensively explore this so far unexploited asset of the cellulose/NaOH(aq) aiming for fundamental mechanistic understanding on both moecular and colloida level.

Initially, structure and thermodynamics of the cellulose/NaOH(aq) will be revisited taking into account the newly found CO2-dimension.

In situ spectroscopis monitorig, calorimetry and molecula modelling will be combined to identify critical cellulose-NaOH(aq)-CO2 interactions, prior to investigating mechanisms of cellulose re-assembly as mediated by cellulose carbonate chemistry.

Here, in situ X-ray scattering and rheometry will be combined with light scattering and NMR-methods to probe supramolecular effects of these interactions.

Mechanistic revelations will be interpreted in terms of network formation and processability opening up for new material routes from sustainable cellulose solutions.