title: Nanoscale analysis of degradation processes of cellulose fibers.
abstract: Mapping the morphological and nano-mechanical properties of cellulose fibers within paper sheets or textile products at the nano-scale level by using atomic force microscopy is a challenging task due to the huge surface level variation of these materials. However this task is fundamental for applications in forensic or cultural heritage sciences and for the industrial characterization of materials. In order to correlate between nano-mechanical properties and local nanometer scale morphology of different layers of cellulose fibers, a new strategy to prepare samples of isolated cellulose fibers was designed. This approach is based on immobilizing isolated fibers onto glass slides chemically pretreated so as to promote cellulose adhesion. The experiments presented here aim at the nano-scale characterization of fibers in paper samples aged under different external agents (relative humidity, temperature) in such a way as to promote hydrolysis and oxidation of polymers. The observed variability of local mechanical properties of paper fibers was related to varying degrees of cellulose polymerization induced by artificial aging.
authors.affiliation: ICRCPAL, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, via Milano 76, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teodonio
authors.affiliation: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Institute for Complex Systems, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: mauro.missori@isc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Missori
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pawcenis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Łojewska
authors.affiliation: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Via Gobetti 101, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: f.valle@bo.ismn.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valle
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005898:Glass; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D049329:Nanostructures; D058105:Polymerization; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose