Reductive Amination of Dialdehyde Cellulose: Access to Renewable Thermoplastics

[Image: see text] The reductive amination of dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) with 2-picoline borane was investigated for its applicability in the generation of bioderived thermoplastics. Five primary amines, both aliphatic and aromatic, were introduced to the cellulose backbone. The influences of the side chains on the course of the reaction were examined by various analytical techniques with microcrystalline cellulose as a model compound. The obtained insights were transferred to a 39%-oxidized softwood kraft pulp to study the thermal properties of thereby generated high-molecular-weight thermoplastics. The number-average molecular weights (M(n)) of the diamine celluloses, ranging from 60 to 82 kD, were investigated by gel permeation chromatography. The diamine celluloses exhibited glass transition temperatures (T(g)) from 71 to 112 °C and were stable at high temperatures. Diamine cellulose generated from aniline and DAC showed the highest conversion, the highest T(g) (112 °C), and a narrow molecular weight distribution (D̵ of 1.30).