A morphological examination of ceric ion and preirradiation acrylic acid-grafted rayon fibers

Using the ceric ion and preirradiation methods, acrylic acid was grafted to rayon. The fiber used was large denier (50) continuous filament, particularly suited for examining changes in morphology and properties. The grafted fiber was given decrystallization treatments involving ZnCl₂ and NaOH. Optimization studies conducted to seek maximum graft with minimum homopolymer formation has been published elsewhere.¹ Also published earlier were the results of changes in mechanical and physical properties of the fiber resulting from the grafting and decrystallization treatments.² Presented in this article are the results on the effects of these treatments on the structure and the morphology of the fiber. The structural features examined were the molecular orientation, crystallinity and crystalline orientation, and the surface morphology. Based on the results of this study and those of the earlier², it was possible to develop and propose a model of fiber structure that fits the present fiber. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.