THESIS - ROC CH ... - FINAL - resubmission.pdf - University of Guelph
THESIS - ROC CH ... - FINAL - resubmission.pdf - University of Guelph
THESIS - ROC CH ... - FINAL - resubmission.pdf - University of Guelph
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Absorbance<br />
SMF<br />
SNF<br />
Alkaline 2<br />
Acid<br />
Raw SF<br />
3800<br />
3400<br />
2920<br />
3000<br />
Figure 5.7: FTIR spectra <strong>of</strong> fibers obtained after specific steps <strong>of</strong> the extraction process.<br />
5.4.4 WAXD ANALYSIS<br />
2600<br />
2200<br />
Wavenumber cm -1<br />
Cellulose molecules have hydrogen bonds which are arranged in a patterned<br />
configuration resulting in crystalline-like properties. These crystalline regions are embedded<br />
amongst amorphous regions that are susceptible to chemical and mechanical treatments. With<br />
each successive treatment step, the relative crystalline portion <strong>of</strong> a given sample size should<br />
theoretically become higher. The estimated crystallinity <strong>of</strong> the fibers have been previously<br />
employed to indicate the efficacy <strong>of</strong> the cellulose extraction process towards nanometer ranges<br />
(Alemdar and Sain 2008; Chen et al. 2011; Wang and Sain 2007b). Figure 5.8 shows the<br />
WAXD results from the fiber extraction process through successive steps. It can be seen that all<br />
fiber samples except for the SNF have similar crystalline patterns exhibiting peaks around 2Ɵ =<br />
16° and 22.6°. These results concur with previously reported data for cellulosic materials where<br />
60<br />
1514<br />
1730<br />
1800<br />
1600<br />
1240<br />
1400<br />
1160<br />
1093<br />
1141<br />
1030<br />
896<br />
1000<br />
1010<br />
957<br />
600