An efficient transformation of cellulose into cellulose carbamates assisted by microwave irradiation

Cellulose carbamates (CCs) were microwave-assisted synthesized from the native cellulose and urea under solvent-free and catalyst-free conditions. Types of raw materials, the effects of the reaction condition on the nitrogen content of CCs were investigated. CCs were characterized with infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ¹³C NMR spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetry. The results indicated that various source of native celluloses such as cotton linter, reed, bagasse and wood pulps with different degree of polymerization could be successfully converted to CCs by the efficient and environmentally friendly procedure. The nitrogen content of CCs increased with an increase of the urea content and the mass of the mixtures, as well as the pulsed times of microwave irradiation. CCs retained the cellulose I crystalline form of the native cellulose and the degree of crystallinity decreased with the incorporation of carbamates. This work provided a novel pathway for the preparation of cellulose carbamate, which is expected to be useful for the CarbaCell process.