Optimization of mechanochemical reactions through cellulose transacylation with vinyl laurate

Abstract

Cellulose esters with long-chain alkyl groups are promising sustainable materials because their hydrophobicity and thermal stability can be tuned through chemical modification. We report a mechanochemical transacylation method for synthesizing cellulose laurates using vinyl laurate in a dimethyl sulfoxide/sodium hydroxide medium. The process enables the efficient modification of 0.81 g of cellulose and yields products with degrees of substitution ranging from 0.50 to 2.94 under different designated conditions. Structural analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed successful esterification and reduced crystallinity. The physical properties varied systematically with substitution level, with higher substitution improving thermal stability and reducing wettability, providing opportunities to tailor performance. Response surface methodology, which is based on a five-level, four-factor central composite rotatable design, was applied to study the interactive effects of synthesis parameters and optimize the degree of substitution. The experimental results closely matched the predicted values with 97.3% accuracy, demonstrating the robustness of the approach. This study establishes a green and reproducible route for producing functional cellulose esters with potential applications in bioplastics. Our work introduces a sustainable and highly controllable mechanochemical route for producing cellulose laurates with tunable structure and performance. Precise regulation of substitution enables tailored thermal stability and hydrophobicity, expanding design freedom for bio-based materials. The successful integration of response surface optimization highlights a robust, scalable platform for advancing next-generation cellulose-based bioplastics.