Transverse sections of degummed ramie fiber, after treatment with 24% w/w sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature and the boiling condition, have been examined by light microscopy. The peripheral S1 layer of the secondary wall is not distinctly visible in most of the transverse sections of the fibers after sodium hydroxide treatment at boil. X-ray diagrams of the fibers showed that the conversion to cellulose II was complete in both the conditions of treatment. The microfibrillar orientation and mechanical properties of the fibers were in harmony with the change in the structure of the cell wall.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ChakravartyA. C., Ramie: Physical Properties of the Degummed Fiber, Indian Textile. J.84, 81 (1974).
2.
PetitpasT., Remarks on the Variations Caused by Temperatures in X-ray Diagrams of the Complex Cellulose-Sodium Hydroxide-Water Phase for High Sodium Hydroxide Contents, Mem. Services Chim. Etat36, 151 (1951).
3.
PetitpasT., X-Ray Diagrams of Mercerized Cotton, Ramie and Wood Fiber, Mem. Services Chim. Etat37, 271 (1952).
4.
PetitpasG.PetitpasT., Effect of Temperature on the Swelling and Crystalline State of Cellulose in Caustic Solutions, Mem. Services Chim. Etat37, 265 (1952).
5.
PrestonR. D., “The Molecular Architecture of Plant Cell Walls,”Chapman and Nail, London, 1952, p. 113.
6.
RayP. K., The Surface Topology of Ramie Fiber—Observations by Scanning Electron Microscopy, J. Textile Inst.66, 401 (1975).
7.
SissonA.SanerW. R., The Effect of the Temperature and the Concentration of Sodium Hydroxide on the X-Ray Diffraction Behavior of Raw and Degraded Cotton, J. Physical Chan.45, 717 (1941).
8.
WarwickerJ. O., Effect of Chemical Reagents on the Fine Structure of Cellulose, Part III. Action of Caustic Soda on Cotton and Ramie, J. Polym. Sci. A24, 571 (1966).
