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Illumination of Cellulose with Linearly Polarized Visible Light
Author(s) -
Molenda A. Konieczna,
Molenda M.,
Fiedorowicz M.,
Tomasik P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.200851223
Subject(s) - cellulose , crystallinity , differential scanning calorimetry , degree of polymerization , hydrolysis , materials science , aqueous solution , polarized light microscopy , hydroxypropyl cellulose , polymerization , polymer chemistry , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , optics , composite material , physics , thermodynamics
Summary: Aqueous suspensions of cellulose of long polysaccharide chains, were illuminated with visible polarized light (VPL) for 20 and 50 hrs. Crystal structure, thermal properties with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and degree of polymerization (DP) of the samples were determined. Additionally, kinetic of enzymatic as well as acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose was estimated. Illumination of cellulose with VPL for 50 hrs increased its DP by 15%. X‐ray diffraction patterns revealed that the illumination resulted in an increase in the amount of cellulose crystalline phase. The DSC measurements indicated differences in the water molecules distribution depending on the sample treatment confirming an increase in the crystallinity of the illuminated cellulose. After prolonged illumination, cellulose was resistant to oxidation and had lower susceptibility to enzymatic and acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis.