HOMOGENEOUS SYNTHESIS OF CROSSLINKED CELLULOSE SPHERES FROM HEMP (CANNABIS SATIVA L.) STEM AND COTTON

Cellulose, extracted from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) stems, was successfully crosslinked with hexamethylene diisocyanate through the homogeneous reaction in the solvent N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO). Cotton was also used due to its high cellulose content. The cellulose spheres, about 1 pm in diameter, were obtained through chemical cross-linking reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the carbonyl group, NH-group and urethane were introduced. Thermogravimetry (TG) indicated that the crosslinked products had better heat resistance than native cellulose. It was found that the adhesion phenomenon appeared with the increasing amount of cotton cellulose. A possible model of formation of the crosslinked cellulose spheres was also proposed in this paper.