Properties of natural cotton stalk bark fiber under alkali treating

Abstract The natural cotton stalk (CS) bark fiber was obtained through degumming of CS bark, and then treated by sodium hydroxide solution. To investigate the influence of sodium hydroxide treatment on the properties of the natural CS bark fiber, the fineness, length, breaking strength, X‐ray diffraction, and morphology were tested. The results showed that the fineness, length, and crystallinity of the fiber decreased when the fiber was treated by sodium hydroxide solution. When the sodium hydroxide content increased from 10 to 50 g/L, the strengths of the fiber increased. The surface of the fiber after treating was bright compared with before treating, and the single cell had convolutions after alkali treating. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012