Contribution of image processing for analyzing the cellular structure of cork

Abstract

The alveolar structure of cork confers to this natural material specific physical properties such as low permeability to liquids and gases, advanced thermal and acoustic insulation, and high elasticity. In this paper, a morphological analysis of natural cork cells is presented including statistical distributions of structural quantities. These results were obtained from the study of scanning electron microscopy images of natural cork stoppers. After automation of the image processing analysis, the area and perimeter distributions were measured in different cork sections: axial, tangential, and radial. Perpendicular to the radial direction we also focused on growth rings, which are characterized by smaller cell sizes. This systematic image analysis offers new possibilities to investigate the material at the cell scale and provides useful statistical information about the cork structure.

Multi-scale foam : 3D structure/compressive behaviour relationship of agglomerated cork

“…Only the microstructure of natural cork has been quite studied. SEM observations of natural cork give information concerning the cell specific geometry [2] and surface distribution of each direction [13] . Concerning the spatial organisation, only the macroscopic defects of natural cork, like lenticular channel (also called lenticels) or ants galeries, were investigated by using either neutron tomography [14] (for a spatial resolution of 200 μm), Compton tomography [15] or X-ray tomography [16,17] (spatial resolution of 2 mm and 50 μm).…”

Advances in Cork Use in Adsorption Applications: An Overview of the Last Decade of Research

“…For further characterization and visualization of cork and cork powder, particularly their physical characteristics, scanning electron imaging (SEM) has been extensively used in the past. However, more recently, Lagorce-Tachon et al [10] developed and automated an image processing analysis, thereby providing statistical distributions of useful structural properties such as cell size and wall thickness. This method can provide the geometrical characteristics of each cell and its walls (Figure 2) and has the potential to be used to study, in more detail, the mass transfer of gases such as oxygen through cork structure, which is relevant to cork stopper industry but also to newer applications such as pollutant gas adsorption.…”

Cotton–Cork Blended Fabric: An Innovative and Sustainable Apparel Textile for the Fashion Industry

“…Cotton is also very absorbent, breathable, and comfortable; hence, it is best suited for summer clothing [4,5]. Cotton is a unicellular seed fiber composed of approximately 85-90% cellulose, and the remaining percentage consists of lignin, hemicellulose, pectin, and wax [6,7]. Although the high cellulose content in cotton makes it very absorbent and comfortable, it also causes the cotton fabric to wrinkle significantly, and it cannot be worn in the winter without a brushed finish [6].…”

“…Cork is a natural, heterogeneous, anisotropic, cellular material obtained from the bark of the Quercus Suber L. cork oak tree, which makes it biobased and biodegradable [7,8]. Moreover, cork is considered a sustainable material, as it is obtained from a renewable resource, and no harm is caused to the tree or the environment while harvesting the cork [9,10].…”