A novel biomass-ionic liquid platform for the utilization of native chitin

A room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), that is, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BminAc), is proposed to be a new good solvent for native chitins with different origins and molecular weights. A water and a methanol coagulant were used to regenerate the dissolved chitins and chitin materials with a variety of structures were prepared. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), Fourier transform IR (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to visualize the modifications of the native structures of chitin during the dissolution and the regeneration processes, as well as the morphological features and properties of the reconstituted chitin materials. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.