Recyclable deep eutectic solvent for the production of cationic nanocelluloses

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are potential green systems that can be used as reagents, extraction agents and reaction media. DESs are often biodegradable, easy to prepare and have low toxicity. In this work, a recyclable DES formed from aminoguanidine hydrochloride and glycerol (AhG) was used as a reaction medium and reagent (aminoguanidine hydrochloride) for the production of cationic nanocelluloses. Under mild conditions (i.e., a reaction time of 10 min at 70 °C), dialdehyde celluloses (DACs) with two different aldehyde contents (2.18 and 3.79 mmol g−1) were cationized by AhG DES to form cationic dialdehyde celluloses (CDACs). Both CDACs achieved a similar high charge density of approximately 1.1 mmol g−1. At 80 °C (for 10 min), a very high cationic charge density of 2.48 mmol g−1 was obtained. The recyclability of AhG DES was demonstrated by reusing it five times without decreasing the reaction efficiency. In particular, due to the low consumption of amoniguanidine hydrochloride, high recycling efficiency could be achieved without the use of any additional chemicals. The cationized celluloses, CDACs, were further mechanically disintegrated to obtain cationic nanocelluloses. According to the initial aldehyde content of DACs, the morphology of the nanocellulose could be tailored to produce highly cationic cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that individual CNFs and CNCs with an average width of 4.6 ± 1.1 nm and 5.7 ± 1.3 nm, respectively, were obtained. Thus, the results presented here indicate that the AhG DES is a promising green and recyclable way of producing cationized CNFs and CNCs.