近年来,离子液体作为一种极具应用前景的绿色溶剂受到越来越多的关注。纤维素是自然界中含量最丰富的可再生资源,必将成为未来最重要的工业原料之一。离子液体在纤维素化学领域的应用遵循了绿色化学中开发环境友好溶剂和利用生物可再生资源为原料这两个基本原则,大大拓展了纤维素的工业应用前景,为纤维素资源的绿色应用提供了一个崭新的平台。本文对纤维素在离子液体中溶解的研究进展及其在制备再生纤维素材料、纤维素衍生物及生物乙醇等方面的应用进行了综述。纤维素大分子的降解机理及其控制途径、纤维素晶态结构变化规律及其调控途径、纤维素与固体反应试剂的均相衍生化体系的建立及提高衍生化效率的途径等基础问题仍需进一步深入研究。
Ionic liquids as a class of promising solvents have attracted much attention in recent years. Cellulose is the most abundant bio-renewable resource in the world and would be the most promising feedstock for industry in the future. Dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids combines two major green chemistry principles, using environmentally preferable solvents and bio-renewable feedstocks, and has opened a novel platform for the green utilization of cellulose materials. The progress in dissolution of cellulose with ionic liquids and its application for the preparation of regenerated cellulose composites, cellulose derivatives, and bio-ethanol are reviewed. More scrutinized studies on the fundamentals, such as the mechanism of dissolution and degradation of cellulose macromolecules, transformation of cellulose crystalline structure, and the homogeneous chemical modification of cellulose with solid reagents, have to be further investigated to develop new bio-polymers and prosper the industry.