Aqueous N,N-dimethylmorpholinium hydroxide as a novel solvent for cellulose

N,N-dimethylmorpholinium hydroxide was synthesized and its ability to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose and pulp was assessed for the first time. Microscopy and UV–Vis measurements showed that dissolution occurred over a range of 1–2 M concentration of the solvent and a maximum solubility of 7 wt% microcrystalline cellulose could be achieved. The stability of cellulose solutions was evaluated by size exclusion chromatography, which did not...