Dissolving Bacterial Cellulose in Room Temperature Ionic Liquid

Dissolution of bacterial cellulose (BC) in room temperature ionic liquid was studied as a green solvent, and the dissolving process was observed by the polarizing microscope. The structure of regenerated bacterial cellulose was characterized by TGA and FT-IR to probe into the possibility of dissolution and regeneration of BC in room temperature ionic liquid. Results show that 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride(［AMIM］Cl) is good and direct solvent for bacterial cellulose without reaction of other derivative. The thermal stability of regenerated bacterial cellulose is good, and the ionic liquid can be recycled.