PROPERTIES OF COTTON FIBERS CONTAINING THE CELLULOSE-IV CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE

Complete conversion of the crystal form in cotton fibers to cellulose IV (cell IV cotton) was obtained by heat treatment of ethylamine-treated cotton cellulose in either saturated steam or formamide. To obtain a full appreciation of the changes caused by the treatment to convert the crystal structure of the cotton to cellulose IV, similar characterizations were made on the starting cellulose I fiber as well as the cellulose III and IV samples. Some data were obtained on mercerized fiber so that the differences between the cellulose IV sample and mercerized cotton could also be observed. Cell IV cotton can be formed with strength comparable to that of the starting cell I fiber but with higher accessibility. The surface of the cell IV cotton also appears to be smoother than that of the starting fiber, which may result in different fabric properties.