Deformation mechanism of cellulose gels. II. Course of crystallite orientation compared to that required by Kratky's theory

The paper offers a verification by x‐ray experiments of Kratky's theory of affined transformation (affine Raumverzerrung), aiming at an explanation of the mechanism of deformation of swollen cellulose gels upon stretching. Isotropic model filaments of various degrees of swelling were stretched to various extents and x‐ray photographs were then taken. Following Kratky, the intensity distribution along the sickles of two paratropic planes of the ribbon‐shaped crystallites, the lamellar plane, A 0 and the A 3 plane (perpendicular to the latter) were measured and the average orientation, expressed in terms of the orientation factor, f x , was calculated. The superposition of the (021) interference on that of the A 3 sickle, which had been neglected by Kratky, was accounted for. The experimental results are in conformity with certain characteristic features of the theory; (a) the orientation of the A 0 planes advances more rapidly than that of the A 3 planes; (b) regardless of the initial degree of swelling of the isotropic filament, the average orientation is actually a univocal function of the elongation, v a . On the other hand, the rate of orientation appears to be much greater than that required by theory; the average orientation, expressed in terms of the orientation factor, increases almost twice as rapidly. It is shown, moreover, that, apart from low degrees of orientation, Kratky's theory fails to explain the velocity function of the relative rotation of the crystallites, as derived from the experimental data according to a procedure proposed by Kratky. It is concluded that further work is required to elucidate the mechanism of deformation.