Recently, we reported a proof of concept of enantioselective membrane filtration using a nonwoven membrane prepared by electrospinning of cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate) (CDMPC) synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose.
In the present work, CDMPCs having higher degrees of polymerization were synthesized from cellulose fibers derived from hardwoods by a collaboration with Centre Technique du Papier granted by PolyNat “SmartCell” project. The CDMPCs were electrospun to form nanofibrous membranes and their morphology was studied in relation to the degrees of polymerization. Enantioselective permeation of (S)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethanol was demonstrated by liquid-liquid permeation experiments of (R,S)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethanol. This was supported by theoretical simulations using a molecular docking model that indicates a higher binding energy between CDMPC and the (R)-enantiomer than the (S)-enantiomer.
This article is part of a collection of articles in honor of Dr. Henri Chanzy on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
The article is available on the publisher’s website: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10570-023-05644-4
