ABSTRACT

Crystallinity, accessibility and the nature of the microstructural features of cellulose hold the key to understanding the course of chemical reactions that occur in the chemical finishing of cotton textiles. Crystallinity and accessibility assessments are based on the high degree of order, or lack thereof, in the arrangement of hydrogen bonds in this crystalline ß-1,4 polymer of glucose. Greater understanding of the microstructural detail of cellulose will provide the basis for development of improvements in products based on cellulose chemistry.