Applications of NMR based methodologies investigating the behavior of lignin and cellulose towards bio-based carbon fibers production

Cellulose–lignin blends are proposed as alternative precursors for carbon fiber (CF) production, offering a potential sustainable and cost-effective alternative to the expensive fossil-based polymers currently used. The characteristics of the precursor fibers including their crystallinity, the incorporated chemical structures and the distribution of the biopolymers have a significant influence on their carbonization behavior and the properties of the CFs. They are partly determined by the composition of the bio-based resources and the conditions used during the fiber fixation, i.e. the coagulation, an important processing step. In this work, ¹³C solid and 2D solution NMR methodologies were applied to investigate the impact of coagulation and thermostabilization conditions on cellulose and cellulose-lignin blends using a thin film model. Solid state NMR spectroscopy showed that the choice of the anti-solvent influenced the proportion of cellulose II versus amorphous regions in the coagulated films. Independent of the presence of lignin, the choice of anti-solvent seems to impact the rate of thermal reactions. After thermostabilization at 245 °C, the samples were investigated using a solution NMR protocol devised for cellulosic materials. At 275 °C, most of the samples became insoluble for solution NMR. However, solid state NMR revealed further changes in the chemical composition, which were dependent on both the presence of lignin and the choice of anti-solvent. This multi-faceted approach combining solid state and 2D solution NMR techniques provides a comprehensive understanding of the cellulose structure and the products formed for cellulose-lignin-based CFs, which is crucial for optimizing their properties and potential applications.