Synthesis and properties of fatty acid esters of cellulose

Cellulose esters with linear aliphatic acyl Substituents [C8 (octanoyl chloride) to C18 (stearoyl chloride)] were synthesized elemental in homogeneous solution (DMAc/LiCl) using triethylamine (TEA) as acid-scavenger and characterized by means of analysis, FT-IR and CP/MAS C-13 Solid State NMR spectroscopy. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that solvent exchange has no effects on the crystallinity of cellulose, but crystallinity structure was destroyed after esterification in DMAc/LiCl homogeneous solution. SEM results suggested that fibril structure was also destroyed after esterification. Glass transition temperature (T-g) of cellulose octaonate (C8) increased linearly with degree of substitution (DS) from 61 degrees C for 0.08 to 172 degrees C for 1.57. At the experimental conditions, side-chain crystallization Occurred with increasing linear aliphatic side-chain length to C18.