Acid hydrolysis roles in transformation of cellulose-I into cellulose-II for enhancing nitrocellulose performance as an energetic polymer

Abstract

Cellulose nitrate, commonly known as nitrocellulose (NC), is an energetic polymer with a broad function in industrial and military applications. The use of biomass waste for nitrocellulose production offers a promising solution to the growing demand for renewable and sustainable raw materials, addressing one of the most critical issues of recent decades. However, the product quality remains suboptimal, presenting one of the biggest challenges in developing NC production from biomass. Enhancing NC performance through the modification of cellulose crystal structures and allomorph is considered an excellent approach. Herein, the transformation of cellulose-I into cellulose-II was explored during the hydrolysis step to produce high-performance NC. The present study demonstrated that cellulose-II precursors effectively produced the highest-performance NC from the solid byproducts of avocado seed extraction (EAS), highlighting its promising potential for high-energy applications.