Abstract
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•A new kind of hydrophobic grafted cellulose paper was facile synthesized.•A one-pot metal-free catalyzed tandem reaction strategy was developed.•The polysulfonamide grafting ratio was up to 136 wt%.•The grafted cellulose paper separated oil/water mixtures effectively.
A facile and effective “grafting from” method by ROP of N-sulfonyl aziridines toward cellulose-g-polysulfonamides has been developed for efficient oil/water separation. The cellulose paper was initially succinylated to transform the hydroxyl to carboxyl acid groups, which act as the initiating sites for the ring-opening copolymerization of fluorescent 2-methyl-1-dansylaziridine and 2-methyl-1-tosylaziridine (TsMAz) towards the grafted cellulose. Both steps are catalyzed by the same compound, 7-methyl-1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (MTBD). The grafted polysulfonamide ratio was up to 136 wt%, and the surface contact angle up to 147°. A one-pot tandem strategy was applied to produce the grafted cellulose paper with a grafting ratio ranging from 96 to 150 % and a contact angle over 127°. The modified cellulose paper material showed promising properties for efficient oil/water separations.