title: The effect of cellulose molar mass on the properties of palmitate esters.
abstract: Nowadays one of the growing trends is to replace oil-based products with cellulose-based materials. Currently most cellulose esters require a huge excess of chemicals and have therefore, not been broadly used in the industry. Here, we show that decreasing the molar mass of cellulose by ozone hydrolysis provides cellulose functionalization with less chemical consumption. To reveal the differences in reactivity and chemical consumption, we showed esterification of both native cellulose and ozone treated hydrolyzed cellulose. Based on the results, the molar mass of the starting cellulose has a significant effect on the end product's degree of substitution and properties. Furthermore, molar mass controlled palmitate esters form mechanically strong, flexible and optically transparent films with excellent water barrier properties. We anticipate that molar mass controlled cellulose will provide a starting point for the greater use of cellulose based materials, in various application, such as films and composites.
authors.affiliation: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Willberg-Keyriläinen
authors.affiliation: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
authors.forename: Riku
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talja
authors.affiliation: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asikainen
authors.affiliation: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harlin
authors.affiliation: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland. Electronic address: Jarmo.Ropponen@vtt.fi.
authors.forename: Jarmo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ropponen
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D004951:Esterification; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010126:Ozone / Q000737:chemistry; D010168:Palmitates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D004952:Esters; D010168:Palmitates; D010126:Ozone; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Barrier properties; Cellulose film; Long chain cellulose ester; Mechanical properties