The invention relates to a method for producing cationized cellulose. The method comprises at least preparing a slurry of a cellulosic starting material in an alkaline liquid medium which comprises an organic liquid and performing mercerization of the slurry. The concentration of the cellulosic starting material in the slurry is at least 20 weight-%, calculated as dry from total weight of the liquid medium and the cellulosic starting material. A cationizing agent is added to the slurry after the mercerization step at a cationization temperature, which is less than the boiling point of the alkaline liquid medium, and the cellulose in the slurry is allowed to react with the cationizing agent, preferably under inert atmosphere and a cationized cellulose product is obtained.

An aqueous solution comprising a cationic polymer dissolved in water, wherein said cationic polymer comprises a hydrophobic quaternary ammonium group covalently attached to a hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer backbone. Also, a method of delivering a drug to a mucosal surface in a living body, said method comprising applying the aqueous solution to said mucosal surface.

A method for chemically functionalizing a cellulosic material using a diazo compound, and the functionalized cellulosic materials obtained by the method. The cellulosic materials may be functionalized with a functional groups selected from hydrophobic agents, catalyzing agents, sensing agent, diagnostic agents, printing agents chelating agents, ligands, antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, or drugs. Also, the uses of functionalized cellulosic materials obtained by the method in a variety of applications.

The present invention relates to a fabric treatment composition capable of enhancing cleaning properties of a soil during cleaning through treatment of a fabric to be treated and a method for treating a fabric with the fabric treatment composition. The fabric treatment composition is a fabric treatment composition containing a hydroxyalkyl cellulose (A) in which a hydroxyalkyl cellulose is bound to at least one selected from a cationic group and a hydrophobic group including a hydrocarbon group having 4 or more carbon atoms, the content of a surfactant (B) being 3.5 parts by mass or less relative to 1 part by mass of the hydroxyalkyl cellulose (A).

A fibrous cellulose composite resin being excellent in strength, a method for producing the same, and a reinforcing material for resins capable of significantly improving resin strength are provided. The fibrous cellulose composite resin includes fibrous cellulose containing microfiber cellulose, a resin, and an acid-modified resin, wherein the microfiber cellulose has an average fiber width of 0.1 μm or larger, an average fiber length of 0.02 to 2.0 mm, and a percentage of fibrillation of 1.0% or higher, and hydroxyl groups substituted with carbamate groups, and the carbamate groups are ionically bonded to acidic groups of the acid-modified resin.

The present invention provides novel hybrid polymers having unique physical properties. The hybrid polymers comprise a cellulose ether moiety, a linking group moiety, a spacer group moiety, and a lactam moiety. The present invention also provides compositions comprising the hybrid polymers and methods for preparing and using the hybrid polymers. In a first embodiment, the hybrid polymers have the structure:
A-(L.sub.1-S—(B).sub.k).sub.q
wherein A is derived from a cellulose ether moiety comprising a —OH group; L.sub.1 is a linking group moiety selected from the group consisting of urethanes, amides, esters, carbonates, and phosphate esters, or is derived from a moiety selected from the group consisting of anhydrides, cyclic ethers, and aziridines; S is a spacer group moiety, selected from the group consisting of straight- or branched-chain functionalized and unfunctionalized alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, and aryl groups, wherein any of the above groups may be with or without heteroatoms, or is a direct bond; and B is a lactam moiety; wherein k≥1 and q≥1. In a second embodiment, the hybrid polymers have the structure:
A-(L.sub.2-S—B).sub.y
wherein A is derived from a cellulose ether moiety comprising a —OH group; L.sub.2 is an ether linking group moiety; S is a spacer group moiety, selected from the group consisting of straight- or branched-chain functionalized and unfunctionalized alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, and aryl groups, wherein any of the above groups may be with or without heteroatoms, or is a direct bond; and B is a lactam moiety; wherein y≥1; with the proviso that when the cellulose ether moiety is hydroxyethyl cellulose, -(L.sub.2-S—B).sub.y is not derived from 1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone.

The present invention relates a composition capable of enhancing cleaning properties of a soil during cleaning by treating an object. The composition is a composition containing a modified hydroxyalkyl cellulose and at least one selected from an anionic surfactant and a nonionic surfactant, the modified hydroxyalkyl cellulose being one in which a cationic group and a hydrophobic group represented by the formula (1) are bound to a group resulting from eliminating a hydrogen atom from a hydroxy group of a hydroxyalkyl cellulose.
*—Z—R.sup.1  (1)
wherein, Z represents a single bond or a hydrocarbon group having an oxygen atom; R.sup.1 represents a hydrocarbon group having 2 or more carbon atoms; and * represents a binding position to a group resulting from eliminating a hydrogen atom from a hydroxy group of a hydroxyalkyl cellulose.

A laundry treatment formulation is provided, comprising: a modified carbohydrate polymer, wherein the modified carbohydrate polymer comprises a cellulose ether base material functionalized with (i) trialkyl ammonium moieties of formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein each R.sup.1 is independently selected from the group consisting of a C.sub.1-7 alkyl group and wherein the modified carbohydrate polymer has a Kjeldahl nitrogen content, TKN, corrected for ash and volatiles, of 0.75 to 2.5 wt %; and (ii) hydrophobic substituents each having 16 carbon atoms; wherein the modified carbohydrate polymer comprises 0.005 to 1.5 wt %, based on weight of the cellulose ether base material, of the hydrophobic substituents; wherein the hydrophobic substituents are randomly distributed across the backbone of the cellulose ether base material; wherein the cellulose ether base material has a weight average molecular weight, M.sub.W, of >800,000 Daltons.

A cellulose resin composition comprising a cellulose derivative (A) and a lubricant (B), wherein the cellulose derivative (A) is a cellulose derivative obtained by substituting at least a part of hydrogen atoms of hydroxyl groups of a cellulose with a short-chain organic group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms and a long-chain organic group having 8 to 30 carbon atoms with specific degrees of substitution; the lubricant (B) is at least one selected from the group consisting of a urea compound (B1) having a urea group (—NH—C(═O)—NH—) and an acyclic aliphatic group having 6 to 33 carbon atoms, an amide compound (B2) having an amide group (—C(═O)—NH—) and an acyclic aliphatic group having 6 to 33 carbon atoms, a fatty acid metal salt (B3), and a silicone-based lubricant (B4); and a content of the lubricant (B) is in a range of 0.1 to 10% by mass. A cellulose resin composition capable of forming a molded body having a high-quality appearance and scratch resistance is provided.

The present invention provides novel hybrid polymers having unique physical properties. The hybrid polymers comprise a cellulose ether moiety, a linking group moiety, a spacer group moiety, and a lactam moiety. The present invention also provides compositions comprising the hybrid polymers and methods for preparing and using the hybrid polymers.

In a first embodiment, the hybrid polymers have the structure:

A-(L.sub.1-S—(B).sub.k).sub.q

wherein A is derived from a cellulose ether moiety comprising a —OH group; L.sub.1 is a linking group moiety selected from the group consisting of urethanes, amides, esters, carbonates, and phosphate esters, or is derived from a moiety selected from the group consisting of anhydrides, cyclic ethers, and aziridines; S is a spacer group moiety, selected from the group consisting of straight- or branched-chain functionalized and unfunctionalized alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, and aryl groups, wherein any of the above groups may be with or without heteroatoms, or is a direct bond; and B is a lactam moiety; wherein k≥1 and q≥1.

In a second embodiment, the hybrid polymers have the structure:

A-(L.sub.2-S—B).sub.y

wherein A is derived from a cellulose ether moiety comprising a —OH group; L.sub.2 is an ether linking group moiety; S is a spacer group moiety, selected from the group consisting of straight- or branched-chain functionalized and unfunctionalized alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, and aryl groups, wherein any of the above groups may be with or without heteroatoms, or is a direct bond; and B is a lactam moiety; wherein y≥1; with the proviso that when the cellulose ether moiety is hydroxyethyl cellulose, -(L.sub.2-S—B).sub.y is not derived from 1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone.