Alkali-Swollen Morphology of Native Cellulose Fibers

The behavior of ramie fibers and some wood elements in the early stage of alkali swelling was examined. When the fibers were treated with alkali solution, they significantly shrank in length and swelled in wall thickness. Ramie fibers showed a shrinkage averaging 23% in length and a swelling averaging 92% in width in 100 seconds treating time. Dimensional changes showed different fashion in each element of woods. The tracheids of latewood especially in Pinus densiflora and Larix kaempferi woods swelled intensively and showed balloon swelling, but in the case of Cryptomeria japonica, it was hardly observed. The swelling morphology of libriform fibers was similar to that of tracheids. The walls of vessel elements and parenchyma cells also swelled considerably in thickness but, no balloon swelling was found in both elements. The differences of swelling in different elements can be interpreted in terms of the differences of organization and/or chemical components of the cell walls.