ON THE SUPERMOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF NATIVE AND ISOLATED CELLULOSE SAMPLES

By X-ray diffraction method the crystallinity, the dimensions and lattice distortion of native and isolated cellulose samples have been evaluated. The degree of crystallinity and the crystallite length of native cellulose from herbaceous plants are lower than those from native wood cellulose, flax or cotton cellulose. The lateral dimensions of the crystallites of native herbaceous plants cellulose and of wood cellulose are in the order of 3.5 to 4.0 nm, and those for native flax cellulose and cotton linters are 5.0 to 7.0 nm. During the isolation of cellulose by different cooking processes, aggregation of microcrystallites in transverse direction is observed, which leads to the formation of bundles of elementary fibrils of native cellulose.