The mechanism of cellulose alkalization in the isopropyl alcohol–water–sodium hydroxide–cellulose system

The mechanism of cellulose alkalization in isopropyl alcohol (IPA)–water–sodium hydroxide system was studied from the viewpoint of the selective distribution of sodium hydroxide between cellulose and the medium, and of the lattice transition of cellulose. A mixture of IPA, water, and sodium hydroxide spontaneously separates into two layers, i.e., the upper layer solution (ULS) consists of IPA, water, and a small amount of sodium hydroxide and the lower one (LLS) consists of sodium hydroxide, water, and a very small quantity of IPA. The role of the ULS and the LLS was distinctive. The ULS has a function to distribute sodium hydroxide with water in cellulose uniformly according to the distribution equilibrium between ULS and cellulose, and the ULS recovers sodium hydroxide with water from the LLS as the distribution equilibrium shifts in the alkalization of cellulose. The concentration of sodium hydroxide in the LLS and that of IPA in the ULS exerts an influence on the lattice structure of alkali cellulose. During the transformation from cellulose I to alkali cellulose, decrystallization does not occur. Some portion of alkali cellulose reverted to cellulose I by regeneration.