Carbohydrate binders and materials made therewith

A method of making a collection of matter bound with a cured, thermoset polymeric binder, the method comprising:

• (i) providing a carbohydrate reactant, wherein the carbohydrate reactant comprises a cellulose hydrolysate comprising at least one reducing sugar;
• (ii) providing a nucleophile R1-Q-R2 wherein
• Q is alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, or cycloheteroalkyl, each of which is optionally substituted,
• R1 is an amine, and
• R2 is selected from the group consisting of an amine, an amide, an imine, an imide, a nitro, a nitrate, a pyridine, a phosphate, a phosphono, a hydroxyl, a sulphono, a sulpho, a sulfinyl, a sulfhydryl, an azide, a cyanate, an isocyanate, a thiol, a disulfide, a thiocyanate, a halogen, a haloformyl, a carboxyl, a carboxylate, and an alkoxide,
• provided that the nucleophile does not consist of polyethyleneimine;
• (iii) preparing an uncured aqueous binder solution containing reactants for producing the cured thermoset polymeric binder by combining the carbohydrate reactant and the nucleophile,
• (iv) disposing the uncured aqueous binder solution onto said collection of matter;
• and
• (v) thermally curing the uncured aqueous binder disposed on the collection of matter to form the collection of matter bound with the cured, thermoset polymeric binder.