X-ray measurements of crystallinity and crystallite size in swollen and hydrolyzed cottons

Abstract

Crystallinity and crystallite size determinations have been carried out on a number of samples of swollen, hydrolyzed, and swollen and hydrolyzed cotton fibers, employing X-ray diffraction techniques and a Geiger counter recording spectrometer. A new hi variate analysis technique has been developed in order to determine the crystalline con tent of samples in which two crystalline phases are present, namely cellulose I and II. In the determination of crystallite dimensions the tilted fiber technique has been adopted for measuring crystallite lengths. A new method of resolving superposed line profiles for the measurement of crystallite width has also been developed. The results of these studies seem to suggest that there is a very close relationship between crystallinity and crystallite volume for all the types of chemical treatment studied, and that increasing crystallinity is a measure of increasing crystallite volume. On the other hand, no unique relationship between crystallinity and any one crystallite dimension has emerged for all the treatments studied. However, there are relationships which are specific to different kinds of chemical treatment of cotton.