Simple synthesis of cellulose hydrogels based on the direct dissolution of cellulose in tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide followed by crosslinking

Abstract Cellulose‐based hydrogels are valuable sustainable materials with significant potential applications in biomedical fields such as cell therapy, hemostasis, wound healing, tissue transplantation, regeneration technology, and drug delivery carrier to cells. In contrast to previous studies, the standard synthesis procedure needs high temperature, low cellulose concentration, and many additives. Here cellulose‐based hydrogels with a high cellulose concentration are produced at room temperature. The one‐pot preparation of chemical hydrogels involves the dissolution of cellulose in tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide followed by epichlorohydrin crosslinking. The effects of the wide range of microcrystalline cellulose concentrations and the crosslinker ratio on swelling properties and crosslink density under different conditions are investigated. The hydrogels are characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The morphology of hydrogels is examined through scanning electron microscope. The transparency of hydrogel is determined by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometer.