Ionic liquid mediated technology for fabrication of cellulose film using gutta percha as an additive

Abstract A great paradigm for state-of-the-art biomaterials is to use renewable lignocelluloses with ionic liquid-based green regimes. Novel transparent films were successfully prepared from the purified eucalyptus cellulose by the moderate incorporation of gutta percha (GP, 5–15%) using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([bmim]OAc) as a versatile solvent. The refined GP was obtained from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver after hot-water extraction, alkaline treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and extended petroleum ether purification. The cellulose/GP films exhibited a well-distributed and smooth structure, and the crystalline structure of composite films was transformed from cellulose I to II. The incorporation of 5–10% GP obviously improved the tensile strength of films (129–139 MPa) as compared to the pure cellulose film (81 MPa). Moreover, the novel hybrid films showed excellent thermal stability and oxygen barrier property as a result of the reinforcement by GP. The cellulose/GP films with prominent tensile strength, thermal stability and oxygen permeability could be tuned via varying the ratio of GP to cellulose matrix, which can be exploited as a potential candidate of pollution-free, biodegradable and renewable cellulose-based composites for the substitute of petroleum derived packaging materials.