A novel, low-cost, and high-efficiency method for nitrocellulose synthesis from plasma-modified cellulose

This research employed vacuum oxygen plasma processing to modify alpha-cellulose, enhancing its hydrophility, cross-sectional area, and surface roughness. The modified cellulose underwent subsequent nitration. This plasma treatment yielded several benefits, including reduced acid consumption, increased nitrogen content, enhanced nitrator and autoclave capacity, and improved quality of the resulting lacquer. The treatment induced physical changes, notably the formation of a nanoscale subsurface on the fiber surfaces. This alteration suggests increased surface energy and enhanced acid attraction to the cellulose. It should be noted that an acid-to-cellulose ratio of 1:60 is optimal for achieving a nitrogen content of 11.8-12.2%. However, the results demonstrated that treating cellulose surfaces with oxygen plasma enabled the production of nitrocellulose with an 11.8% nitrogen content using a lower acid-to-cellulose ratio (1:40). This improvement led to a 15% increase in nitrator capacity. Additionally, during the boiling phase, viscosity decreased, facilitating efficient acid removal from the fibers and thereby increasing autoclave capacity. The nitrocellulose-derived lacquer exhibited desirable characteristics, being both transparent and soft.