Understanding the Dissolution of Cellulose and Silk Fibroin in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate and Dimethyl Sulphoxide for Application in Hybrid Films.

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the dissolution of two biopolymers, cellulose and silk fibroin, in a mixture of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc) and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). EmimAc is a promising environmentally friendly solvent currently in wide use but can be limited by its high viscosity, which inhibits the speed of dissolution. To mediate this, DMSO has been used as a cosolvent and has been shown to significantly lower the solution viscosity and aid mass transport. Dissolution experiments are carried out separately for both cellulose and silk fibrion with a range of EmimAc:DMSO ratios from 100 wt% EmimAc to 100 wt% DMSO. Interestingly, the optimal EmimAc:DMSO ratio (in terms of dissolution speed) is found to be very different for the two biopolymers. For cellulose, a mixture of

SUBMITTER: King JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11547638 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature