Influence of gelation temperature on physicochemical properties of cellulose hydrogels prepared from ionic liquid/DMSO solution

In this study, cellulose hydrogels were produced using cellulose/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate/dimethyl sulfoxide at temperatures ranging from 5 to 60 °C. The relationship between the gelation temperature and physicochemical properties of the prepared gel (shrinkage rate, water content, crystallinity index, and mechanical strength) was thoroughly investigated. In addition, the interactions between cellulose and ionic liquids and between cellulose and cellulose were investigated using dynamic molecular simulations, nuclear magnetic resonance, and density functional theory calculations, and the effects of gelation temperature on gel physicochemical properties were elucidated from a molecular theoretical perspective.