Summary
A comparative morphological investigation by electron diffraction analysis was carried out on samples of cotton cellulose from different stages of dilute-acid-catalysed hydrolytic degradation reactions. Within the range from \(\overline {DP_n } \) 13000 (native material) to 500 only a gentle decrease of the relative crystallinity was observed. For \(\overline {DP_n } \) below 500 the crystallinity decreases much faster, together with a simultaneous marked increase in paracrystalline lattice distortion and the show up of crystallographic evidence for a new cellulose phase which became better defined as degradation proceeded. A clearly defined parallel can be established between the different kinetic stages of the degradation reaction and the degree-of-polymerization dependence of the morphological features. The resulting evidence is at odds with the traditionally held views about the effects of acid hydrolysis of cellulose on its morphological fine structure.
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Mugnolo, A.M.J., Macchi, E.M. & Marx-Figini, M. Dilute acid-hydrolized cotton cellulose An electron diffraction study. Polymer Bulletin 19, 187–192 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257014
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257014