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X-ray microdiffraction reveals the orientation of cellulose microfibrils and the size of cellulose crystallites in single Norway spruce tracheids

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Abstract

The microfibril angle (MFA) distribution and the size of cellulose crystallites in isolated double cell walls of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) tracheids were determined by synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction using the reflections 200 and 004. Samples were 25 μm thick longitudinal sections of earlywood from annual rings 6–18 of several stems. The asymmetric MFA distributions extended from −20° to 90°. The mean MFA of tangential cell walls decreased from an average of 24° into 19° from the pith to the bark. The mode of the MFA distribution was about 10° smaller than the mean MFA. The standard deviation of the MFA distribution varied between 18° and 25°. The mean MFA and the mode of the MFA distribution were larger in radial than in tangential cell walls. MFA distributions of mature wood samples exhibited a separate small peak at around 90°. The average width and length of cellulose crystallites varied between 28.9–30.9 Å and 192–284 Å, respectively. Both increased slightly as a function of annual ring number from the pith up to the 15th annual ring. An irrigation–fertilisation treatment of some of the stems resulted in longer cellulose crystallites compared to the untreated stems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) for allocating the necessary experiment time for our study. Dr. Manfred Burghammer and Dr. Christian Riekel of ESRF are gratefully acknowledged for their assistance during the measurements at ID 13. The authors are grateful to Professor Sune Linder (SLU, Sweden) for allowing the material from Flakaliden to be used in this experiment and to Dr. Harri Mäkinen of the Finnish Forest Research Institute for providing information on the widths of the annual rings in the stems used in this study. The Academy of Finland is gratefully acknowledged for financing (grant number 104837).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Sciences, Division of X-ray Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Marko Peura, Ulla Vainio, Matti-Paavo Sarén & Ritva Serimaa

  2. Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Leibnizstraße 19, Kiel, 24098, Germany

    Martin Müller

  3. Measurement and Sensor Laboratory, University of Oulu, Technology Park 127, Kajaani, 87400, Finland

    Matti-Paavo Sarén

  4. The Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA), P.O. Box 18, Vantaa, 01301, Finland

    Pekka Saranpää

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  1. Marko Peura
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Correspondence to Marko Peura or Ritva Serimaa.

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Communicated by T. Hogetsu.

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Peura, M., Müller, M., Vainio, U. et al. X-ray microdiffraction reveals the orientation of cellulose microfibrils and the size of cellulose crystallites in single Norway spruce tracheids. Trees 22, 49–61 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-007-0168-5

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