Design and Synthesis of Epoxidized Hemicellulose Polyether from Viscose Fiber Waste as Efficient Plasticizer for Ethyl Cellulose

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Ethyl cellulose (EC) has been widely used in pharmaceutical and food packaging aspects due to its biodegradability and antimicrobial properties; however, it suffers from excessive brittleness, which must be plasticized to meet the requirement of industry. Herein, hemicellulose polyether glycidyl ether (EPPG) was developed as a plasticizer for EC using viscose waste liquor as feedstock through etherification and epoxidation. When 40 wt % EPPG (based on the weight of EC) was blended with EC, the elongation at break was increased from 3.0% (Neat EC) to 54.5% (EC/EPPG), while the glass transition temperature of EC/EPPG decreased from 137.5 °C (Neat EC) to 73.1 °C, which were better than those of EC plasticized by 40 wt % DOP (dioctyl phthalate) (EC/DOP). Comprehensive characterization through XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations provides molecular-level evidence of strong intermolecular interactions between EPPG and the EC matrix, imparting excellent compatibility and plasticization. The EPPG-plasticized EC films exhibit decent stability characteristics, showing only 15.5% mass loss in n -hexane migration tests and maintaining thermal stability up to 276.9 °C ( T 5% ). In contrast, the migration rate of EC/DOP films is as high as 25.0%, and the T 5% is only 254.2 °C. This work represents a significant advancement in sustainable material design, simultaneously addressing two critical challenges: the valorization of viscose waste stream components and the development of high-performance, biobased alternatives to conventional plasticizers.

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