Thermal Unlocking of Cellulose Mercerization: High-Temperature Low-Concentration Phase Transition and the Twist−Stabilize−Lock Mechanism
Solid-state polymorphic transition from cellulose I to II (mercerization) generally requires high alkali concentrations (>12−15 wt %) to overcome hydrogen-bonding networks and topological barriers. In this study, we elucidated the phase behavior of cellulose in a high-temperature, low-concentration regime using in si...