Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-995ml Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T15:16:07.640Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Image Analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared Light Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy of Mercerized Cotton Yarns

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Eileen K. Boylston*
Affiliation:
Southern Regional Research Center, ARS, U. S. Department of Agriculture, New Orleans, LA70179
Get access

Extract

Renewed interest in mercerization as a pre-treatment for textile finishing has led to research on the effects of temperature on this process. Mercerization, the swelling of cotton in caustic soda, causes changes in crystallinity from a Cellulose I structure to a Cellulose II structure, along with changes in fiber physical dimensions, increased dyeability, luster and tensile strength. These changes are differentiated by light microscopy, image analysis and FT-IR, and transmission electron microscopy. Cotton yarns were mercerized with an aqueous solution of 23% NaOH and 1% wetting agent. The yarns were treated for 1 hour at 0, 20, 60, 80, and 110° C, and washed in distilled water at the same temperature as the treatment bath. Rapid embeddment procedures have been developed for analyzing the effects of treatments on cotton fiber structure. Cotton fiber cross-sections were prepared for light microscopy/image analysis by encasing the fibers in a tube,1 embedding in mefhacrylate plastic (Fig. la), polymerizing for 30 minutes with UV, and sectioning.

Type
Specimen Preparation Poster Session
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Boylston, E. K., Evans, J. P. and Thibodeaux, D. P., Biotechnic and Histochemistry, 70(1995)24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Boylston, E. K. and Muller, L. L., Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 19(1975)1079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar