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About the structure of cellulose: debating the Lindman hypothesis

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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 April 2012

Abstract

The hypothesis advanced in this issue of CELLULOSE [Springer] by Bjorn Lindman, which asserts that the solubility or insolubility characteristics of cellulose are significantly based upon amphiphilic and hydrophobic molecular interactions, is debated by cellulose scientists with a wide range of experiences representing a variety of scientific disciplines. The hypothesis is based on the consideration of some fundamental polymer physicochemical principles and some widely recognized inconsistencies in behavior. The assertion that little-recognized (or under-estimated) hydrophobic interactions have been the reason for a tardy development of cellulose solvents provides the platform for a debate in the hope that new scientific endeavors are stimulated on this important topic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Wolfgang G. Glasser

  2. Chem. Biol. Eng., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Rajai H. Atalla

  3. Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    John Blackwell

  4. Plant Cell Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

    R. Malcolm Brown Jr.

  5. Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Walther Burchard

  6. Southern Regional Research Center, ARS-USDA, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Alfred D. French

  7. Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Jena, Jena, Germany

    Dieter O. Klemm

  8. CERMAV-CNRS, Grenoble, France

    Yoshiharu Nishiyama

Authors
  1. Wolfgang G. Glasser
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  2. Rajai H. Atalla
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  3. John Blackwell
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  4. R. Malcolm Brown Jr.
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  5. Walther Burchard
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  6. Alfred D. French
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  7. Dieter O. Klemm
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  8. Yoshiharu Nishiyama
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Correspondence to Wolfgang G. Glasser.

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Glasser, W.G., Atalla, R.H., Blackwell, J. et al. About the structure of cellulose: debating the Lindman hypothesis. Cellulose 19, 589–598 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-012-9691-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-012-9691-7

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