Morphological evolution of curaua fibers under acid hydrolysis

作者：Taipina Marcia de Oliveira; Favaro Ferrarezi Marcia Maria; Goncalves Maria do Carmo^*

来源：Cellulose, 2012, 19(4): 1199-1207.

DOI：10.1007/s10570-012-9715-3

• Fiber
• Cellulose whisker
• Acid hydrolysis
• Degradation
• Morphology

Cellulose whiskers were obtained by means of sulfuric acid hydrolysis of curaua fibers. Before hydrolysis, the natural fibers were treated with an alkaline solution to remove the non-cellulosic content. Fiber degradation evolution and cellulose whisker formation were analyzed by structural and morphological analysis. The original fiber structure underwent a fragmentation mechanism after being exposed for 3 min to sulfuric acid. Cellulose whiskers were lixiviated from the fiber surface after 10 min of hydrolysis, developing two scenarios: one where the whiskers became unattached from the original fiber, and the other which remained attached. The cellulose whiskers presented a needle-like geometry with an approximate diameter of 11 nm and average length of 185 nm, after 30 min of acid hydrolysis. Based on microscopic characterization, a schematic representation of the morphological evolution of the cellulose fibers submitted to acid hydrolysis is proposed.

• 出版日期2012-8