Rheological and hydrodynamic properties of cellulose acetate/ionic liquid solutions

Rheological properties of cellulose acetate/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc) solutions are studied using shear dynamic and steady state rheology in a large range of polymer concentrations (from 0.1 to 10 wt.%) and temperatures (from 0 °C to 80 °C). Master plots for storage and loss moduli and for dynamic viscosity were built and shift parameters determined. Cellulose acetate/EMIMAc behaves as a classical polymer solution and obeys Cox-Merz law. Cellulose acetate intrinsic viscosity [η] was determined as a function of temperature and compared with the literature data for cellulose acetates dissolved in other solvents and cellulose dissolved in EMIMAc. Cellulose acetate intrinsic viscosity turned out to be much less temperature sensitive than that of cellulose. Specific viscosity-C[η] master plot was built: the slopes in log-log scale are 1.2 and 3.1 in dilute and semi-dilute regions, respectively. The activation energy as a function of concentration follows a power-law dependence.