title: A study of the surface properties of cotton fibers by inverse gas chromatography.
abstract: In the present study, the potential relationships between the microstructure and the surface properties of different cotton fibers are analyzed by inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution. By measuring the retention time of polar and nonpolar gaseous probes into a column containing the fibers, surface characteristics of these fibers, in particular the dispersive component of their surface energy and their surface morphological index, were determined. It is clearly shown that the presence of natural waxes on cotton fibers plays a major role on their thermodynamic surface properties, affecting the surface energy and the acid-base character as well as the morphological aspects of such fibers. Finally, it appeared that IGC is a well appropriate method for the evaluation of the surface characteristics of cotton fibers.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie des Surfaces et Interfaces (ICSI), UPR-CNRS 9069, 15 rue Jean Starcky, BP 2488, F-68057 Mulhouse Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Narjès
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rjiba
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nardin
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Dréan
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frydrych