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Optimizing crystal transitions in low-temperature, low-concentration NaOH solutions to prepare cellulose I and II composite materials

Polymer Journal volume 56, pages 939–943 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cellulose II exhibits exceptional attributes, including flexibility, high stainability, and gloss. However, its strength is lower than that of cellulose I due to reduced crystallinity during the crystal transition. In this study, we devised a novel method to regulate the proportion and distribution of cellulose I and II crystals. This was achieved by employing a low-concentration alkaline solution and liquid nitrogen, resulting in a high-strength composite material that retained the excellent properties of cellulose II. When cellulose powder was immersed in an 8 wt% NaOH solution and quenched with liquid nitrogen, the crystal transition from cellulose I to II occurred outward from the sample periphery to its center. The percentage of cellulose II increased proportionally with treatment time. This technique was extended to cellulose I-rich cotton fibers, facilitating the creation of a composite fiber with cellulose I at the core and cellulose II on the surface. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the composite fiber were greater than those of the mercerized cellulose II fiber. Additionally, the elongation at break and toughness of these fibers surpassed those of conventional cotton fibers. This innovative method allows for the preparation of cellulose I and II composite materials with diverse properties.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Dr. Toshifumi Hiraoki and Mr. Naoya Nakagawa, Instrumental Analysis Support Office, Frontier Chemistry Center, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, for allowing us to conduct the NMR measurements. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Shuichiro Seno, Industrial Research Institute, Industrial Technology and Environment Research Department, Hokkaido Research Organization, for cooperation in the tensile tests of the fiber samples. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Kenji Okubo, High-voltage Electron Microscope Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, for cooperation in SEM observation. We wish to thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan

    Yuki Kugo

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan

    Takuya Isono, Masashi Fujiwara, Toshifumi Sato, Hirofumi Tani, Tomoki Erata & Kenji Tajima

  3. ICReDD List-PF, Hokkaido University, N21W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Toshifumi Sato

Authors
  1. Yuki Kugo
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  2. Takuya Isono
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  3. Masashi Fujiwara
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  4. Toshifumi Sato
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  5. Hirofumi Tani
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  6. Tomoki Erata
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  7. Kenji Tajima
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Contributions

Yuki Kugo: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, and writing—original draft preparation. Takuya Isono: supervision. Masashi Fujiwara: supervision. Toshifumi Sato: supervision. Hirofumi Tani: supervision. Tomoki Erata: supervision, writing, reviewing, and editing. Kenji Tajima: supervision, writing, reviewing, and editing.

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Correspondence to Kenji Tajima.

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Kugo, Y., Isono, T., Fujiwara, M. et al. Optimizing crystal transitions in low-temperature, low-concentration NaOH solutions to prepare cellulose I and II composite materials. Polym J 56, 939–943 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-024-00928-3

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