Microwave-assisted ionic liquid preparation and characterization of cellulose/calcium silicate nanocomposites in ethylene glycol

Preparation of cellulose-based nanocomposites by microwave-assisted ionic liquid method allows the high value-added applications of cellulose by combining three major green chemistry principles: using environmentally preferable solvents, environmentally friendly method and renewable biomaterials. In this paper, we report the microwave-assisted ionic liquid method for the fast controlled synthesis of the cellulose/calcium silicate nanocomposites by using the microcrystalline cellulose, Ca(NO3)2·4H2O and Na2SiO3·9H2O in ethylene glycol. The calcium silicate nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in the cellulose matrix. The experimental results showed that the additive of ionic liquid favored the composite of cellulose and calcium silicate. The weight loss of nanocomposites was decreased with the increasing ionic liquid concentrations. The influences of heating times, heating temperatures, and ionic liquid concentrations on the products were investigated. This method is fast, environmentally friendly and suitable for the large-scale production of cellulose-based nanocomposites.