Cellulose acetate (technical grade)

• CAS: 9004-35-7
• Catalog Number: ACM9004357-20
• Category: Promotional Products
• Synonyms: Cellulose 2,5-acetate
• Application: Cellulose acetate is a versatile material that is used in a variety of industries for different purposes. It is a tough, flexible, and long-lasting material that is commonly used in the production of plastic film for food packaging, magnetic tape, and movie film. Additionally, cellulose acetate can be utilized in the packaging, clothing, and pharmaceutical industries. It can also be used in the fabrication of polymeric electrolytes for the production of electrochemical devices such as fuel cells, solar cells, and supercapacitors. Furthermore, cellulose acetate has been used in the fabrication of gold microelectrodes for electrochemical measurements and in the production of membranes for separations in aqueous systems and reverse osmosis processes. Overall, cellulose acetate is a valuable material with a wide range of applications in various industries.

Case Study

Cellulose Acetate for Desalination

Abdellah Ali, Salah F., Lovert A. William, and Eman A. Fadl. Cellulose 27 (2020): 9525-9543.

The most common reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for economical desalination applications are made of cellulose acetate (CA). Cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) are mixed with CA as an innovative combination to produce RO membranes through phase inversion technology. The relationship between the composition, structure, morphology, hydrophilicity, and suitability of the membranes was studied. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared were used to evaluate the microstructure of these membranes. Hydrophilicity, strength, salt rejection, and flow permeability were tested using a cross-flow reverse osmosis system and contact angle calculations. Contact angle measurements showed an increase from 56° for CA membranes to 71° for CAP membranes and 74° for CAB membranes. The hydrophobicity of such membranes increased with increasing CAP and CAB loading.
CA, CAB and CAP RO membranes were prepared using dioxane (27 wt%), acetone (13.5 wt%) and acetic acid (5 wt%) as solvents, while methanol (10.7 wt%) was used as non-solvent. All were stirred together at a temperature equivalent to room temperature for 24 h. CA, CAB and CAP RO membranes were prepared by spreading the solution on a glass plate at a constant speed of 10 mm/s at room temperature using an automatic film applicator to a thickness of 250 lm. The RO membranes were deposited on the glass plate and immersed in a 4 °C ice water bath for 15 min. After evaporation of the solvent, annealing was performed for 10 min. After 2 h in the water bath, the temperature was 85 °C. The prepared membranes were washed and stored in deionized water containing 2 or 3 drops of formaldehyde until testing. The casting solution contained CA, CAB or CAP in a mixture of acetone, dioxane, acetic acid and methanol. Acetone was included in the base solution as a conventional evaporable solvent for CA, CAB and CAP. Dioxane was required to prepare a homogeneous casting solution. Acetic acid was introduced as a softening agent to improve the fluidity of the polymer to promote the development of the polymer structure and freeze the structure through hydrogen bonding during the coagulation process.

Application of Cellulose Acetate in Biosensors

Baharifar, Hadi, et al. Nanomedicine Research Journal 2.4 (2017): 216-223.

The interest in cellulose and its derivatives has grown exponentially due to their excellent thermal stability, biocompatibility, chemical persistence, and biodegradability. Among various cellulose derivatives, cellulose acetate (CA) has been applied in many fields, including sensor systems, drug delivery systems, separation membranes, and tissue engineering. In recent years, electrospun nanofibers have been widely used and received increasing attention in biotechnology and biomedical applications. In this context, electrospinning methods are widely used to fabricate and generate novel nanomaterials and well-aligned structures of electrospun nanofibers. Electrospinning has become a powerful method to produce nanofiber assemblies using various polymers and composites, including CA fibers. These fibers obtained by this method are applied in biomedical applications, especially for sensing processes in medical diagnostic kits. Electrospun CA fibers and nanofibers are used in advanced sensing systems.
The amount of the desired material is assessed using biosensors and monitoring the UV-Vis spectra changes. Colorimetry is one of the most well-known methods in quantifying the concentration of materials. The key aspects of these methods are to find a colored substrate or product of the visible spectrum and determine the optimal lambda Max and linear region. It should be noted that CA in colorimetric methods is only used as a support membrane for the attachment of biological components (i.e., enzymes, antibodies, and aptamers). CA is usually activated before enzyme immobilization. Modification of CA can improve the attachment or sensing process of biological components through different mechanisms. Among various methods, the use of cross-linking agents is one of the common methods for CA activation. CA membranes can also be activated by treatment with sodium periodate solution, ethylenediamine solution, and glutaraldehyde, respectively. Different enzymes such as cholesterol oxidase can then be immobilized on the activated CA membrane.