Degrees of polymerization (DP) and DP distribution of dilute acid-hydrolyzed products of alkali-treated native and regenerated celluloses

Three groups of cellulose II samples, 20% NaOH-treated native celluloses (M-native celluloses), commercial regenerated celluloses and those treated with 20% NaOH (M-regenerated celluloses), were subjected to dilute acid hydrolysis at 105 °C to obtain so-called leveling-off degrees of polymerization (LODP). Molecular mass parameters of the acid-hydrolyzed products were analyzed by SEC-MALLS using 1% LiCl/DMAc as an eluent. The LODP values were in the order of M-native celluloses ≅ M-regenerated celluloses > regenerated celluloses. The LODP values of M-regenerated celluloses are 1.5–1.7 times as much as those of the regenerated celluloses; the cellulose II crystallites in regenerated celluloses increase in size to the longitudinal direction by the alkali treatment and the successive acid hydrolysis at 105 °C. This increase in the longitudinal crystal sizes might primarily occur during acid hydrolysis. All the acid-hydrolyzed products had bimodal SEC elution patterns, i.e. the predominant high-molecular-mass and minor low-molecular-mass components, the latter of which corresponded to DP 20.