The dissolution of cellulose is important for a number of industrial processes and
 several solvents and mixtures have been tested. On the basis of an examination of the intermolecular interactions in cellulose novel approaches to cellulose dissolution are attempted. It is found that for aqueous systems the presence of amphiphilic compounds can facilitate dissolution as well as prevent re-association. It is also found that kinetic parameters are important in control cellulose systems and that anomalous temperature effects are encountered, similar to the case of several other nonionic polymers. Scattering techniques and NMR are used to characterize the state of cellulose in solution and in spun fibers.

People: Björn Lindman, Ulf Olsson, Manja Behrens, Joel Hagman,Marta Gubitosi, Luigi Gentile, Stefan Kuczera, Pegah Nosrati, Mona Kader Hamid, Daniel Topgaard, B. Medronho (U. Algarve), Tobias Köhnke (Swerea), Carina Olsson (Swerea), Alexander Idström (Swerea), L. Alves & M. Miguel (Coimbra).

Contact person: Ulf Olsson