Infrared spectroscopical investigation of cotton subjected to swelling and deswelling treatments

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Abstract
The setting of textiles made from cellulosic materials can be done with swelling and deswelling processes. Standard cotton fibers, purified by extraction, have been set in sodium hydroxide solutions with and without additions of thiocyanate salts. Treatments have also been done in zinc chloride and calcium thiocyanate and in a solution of potassium hydroxide in a mixture of butanol and kerosene. After rinsing and drying of the cotton samples, KBr pellets for infrared investigations were produced. Deuteration of the fiber sample for investigation was made in a special apparatus. Single and differential infrared diagrams have been run with and without previous deuteration of the set cotton samples. The infrared maximum of absorption of the OH band changes as a result of the setting treatment. The infrared diagrams show that the setting treatment in alkaline solution gives a broadening of the OH band towards higher and lower wavelengths, which indicates a transfer of the hydrogen bonding energy both to higher and lower energies. The diagrams from the deuterated samples indicate that the strong hydrogen bonds resulting from the setting treatment are partly resistant to deuteration. The results are discussed on the basis of setting and setting reactions.