Structure of decrystallized cotton in fabrics prepared by alkali and acrylonitrile treatments

The crystalline structure of decrystallized cotton, prepared by partial cyanoethylation with the use of sodium hydroxide aqueous solution and acrylonitrile, was examined by x‐ray and IR data, in connection with such fabric properties as moisture regain. It was found that the moisture regain of the cotton fabric first increased, passed through a maximum at about 6 mole‐% of cyanoethylation, and then slightly decreased with increasing degree of cyanoethylation. The increase of moisture regain in the region of the lower degree of cyanoethylation was well related to the decrease in the crystallinity of cotton. The x‐ray diffraction studies revealed that the distension and disorder of the unit cell occurred primarily in the direction perpendicular to the (101) crystal plane as cyanoethylation proceeded.