In recent years, ionic liquids as a new kind of environmentally friendly media and soft functional materials have received considerable attention, and their applications have been concentrated mainly on synthesis, catalysis, electrochemistry, separation and extraction, etc. Among them, the cellulose chemistry in ionic liquids has been one of the hot topics in current research and development of ionic liquids. The appearance of ionic liquids also provides a broader scope for the development of cellulose chemistry. Ionic liquids have been proven as the efficient solvents of dissolving the cellulose because of their unique properties including low melting point, high stability, low vapour pressure, and tunable solubility, etc, and have been widely applied in the dissolution and regeneration of cellulose as well as the applications of developing new materials. In this paper, the recent advances in the dissolution behaviour of cellulose in ionic liquids are reviewed, including the influencing factors of the cellulose solubility, the dissolving process and the dissolution and regeneration mechanism of cellulose in ionic liquids, as well as their applications in the development of novel cellulose modified materials, etc. Finally, some problems that need urgent solution and the future research aspects of ionic liquids in cellulose chemistry are presented and suggested.

Key words: cellulose, ionic liquid, dissolution, regeneration