Elastic modulus of the crystalline regions of cellulose polymorphs

Abstract The elastic modulus E l of the crystalline regions of cellulose polymorphs in the direction parallel to the chain axis was measured by x‐ray diffraction. The E l values of cellulose I, II, III I , III II , and IV I were 138, 88, 87, 58, 75 GPa, respectively. This indicates that the skeletons of these polymorphs are completely different from each other in the mechanical point of view. The crystal transition induces a skeletal contraction accompanied by a change in intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which is considered to result in a drastic change in the E l value of the cellulose polymorphs. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.