Characterization of cellulose I/II hybrid fibers isolated from energycane bagasse during the delignification process.: Morphology, crystallinity and percentage estimation

Cellulose I, cellulose II and cellulose I/II hybrid fibers were prepared from energycane bagasse using NaOH and NaClO2 treatments. The definitive defibrillation effect with an average width of 12 5 pm was observed for the fibers treated with 20 wt% NaOH for 10 h and NaClO2 for 2 h. The ribbon shaped cellulose I fibers were converted to a swollen state with a rougher surface by 20 wt% NaOH treatment for 10 h. The percentage of cellulose I decreased from 100% to 5%, and the corresponding Cl values increased from 58.2% to 68.8% during the conversion from cellulose I to II. After further NaClO2 treatment, the Cl values were decreased because of partial destruction of hydrogen bond network. XRD, NMR and FTIR results present the same trend in the degree of crystallization for all the samples. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.