The determiners of cellulose structure as seen in the cell-wall of cotton hairs

Abstract

and Doublers Association, Bollington.) .[P lates 5 and 6.]This analysis of cell-wall structure as seen in cotton hairs began with the inference that diurnal growth rings existed therein. After this inference had been confirmed* it was shown that spiral structures common to all the growth rings were present,j* and that these were of at least two kinds, quick or " pit spirals^ and slow spirals corresponding to objects figured by De Mosenthal. § In our last communication we concluded that these two kinds of spirals might sometimes be independent of one another ; but we now retract this conclusion in the light of results obtained by the improved micro-physical technique which we have substituted for the crude and difficult focussing method formerly employed. In the present communication we propose to study the origin of these spiral structures and to suggest some bearings of our results on problems relating to the molecular structure of cellulose. We abstain at present from extending our studies to comparisons with other plant cells.Before proceeding to the analysis itself we may perhaps mention one side issue of this investigation which affects many calculations about cell-walls. The spiro-fibrillar structure formerly described evidently suggests that the wall is a sponge-like structure with (in the dry state) free air spaces therein. We have ample evidence that this is so, and that the specific gravity of cotton cellulose cell-walls, in their natural condition, is somewhere round 0'90 to 1T0, instead of having the value of 1*55 commonly accepted for the cotton cellulose itself; but the accurate determination of the mean cross-sectional area of the undamaged hair at any fixed temperature and humidity is a matter of

Atomic force microscopy of cotton fiber cell wall surfaces in air and water: quantitative and qualitative aspects

“…Our AFM investigation of cotton ®bers builds upon earlier analyses that primarily dealt with qualitative aspects of ®ber surface morphology (Balls 1923;Farr 1934;Anderson and Kerr 1938;Tripp et al 1954;Rollins et al 1965;Westafer and Brown 1976;Ryser 1985). The ®ber surface is characterized by an extensive series of low furrows and ridges that are formed by bundles of underlying secondary wall micro®brils arranged in a spiral pattern around the longitudinal axis of the ®ber (Tripp and Rollins 1952).…”

A Study of the Distribution of Perimeter, Cell-Wall Area and Thickness, and Shape in Raw and Slack-Mercerized . Single Cotton Fibers

“…Perimeter, cell-wall area, and circularity increase with an increase in coarseness when the maturity of the fibers is maintained constant, while cell-wall thickness remains practically constant. 4. Perimeter decreases, circularity, and cell-wall thickness increase, while wall area remains practically constant with increase in maturity when the fineness of the fibers is maintained constant.…”

“…Detailed work by Balls [3,4] describes the structure of the cellulose wall of cotton hair in relation to its development and the origin of spiral structure.…”

Thermally induced microstructural changes in cotton fibers: A free‐volume study

“…The crosslinking seemed to cease at 190°C. Beyond this temperature, the changes in 2 and I 2 suggested that crosslinking changed the fiber structure from spiral 29 to a three-dimensional network. 24 After 210°C, the thermal degradation of the cotton fibers took place.…”