A NEW SYNTHESIS OF CELLULOSE FIBER: THE INFLUENCE OF IONIC LIQUID CONCENTRATION ON THE FORMATION OF CONTROLLABLE SIZE NANOPARTICLES

Studies on the production of cellulose fiber have attracted tremendous attention. However, current research on this material has been conducted only on the successful synthesis of cellulose fiber without further consideration of what products can be created during the synthesis process. This research aims to investigate the effect of catalyst concentration on the final product in the synthesis of cellulose fiber using ionic liquid through a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly method. We used banana stem gained from domestic waste and cis-oleyl imidazolinium acetate (CoimAc) was used as a model of an ionic liquid catalyst. The cellulose fiber was synthesized via a conventional mixing process with the assistance of a microwave reactor. Interactions between the CoimAc catalyst and cellulose raw material are found, resulting in the possible control of the formation of cellulose nanoparticles in the final product. The SEM images show that cellulose fiber with a mean size of about 1.5 um was identified along with nanoparticles. The TEM images show that this cellulose has a length of +/- 330 nm and a width of +/- 54 nm at the optimum condition with 100W power for 30 minutes. Based on FTIR analysis, the final products contain cellulose components. From XRD analysis on an 8:2 ratio, there was a typical peak of cellulose at 2 theta = 22 degrees with a crystallinity index of 63% and crystal size 52,68 nm, then re-conformation of cellulose structure from cellulose type Ito cellulose type II was detected. A decrease in thermal stability indicating an increase in surface area was also found according to TG-DTA analysis. Interestingly, increases in the CoimAc catalyst amount result in an increased number of particles with smaller sizes, which this information is not reported in other reports yet. Therefore, ideas gained from this study would be promising for bridging current development reports and realistic applications, especially relating to green engineering and technology.