Structural Features of Glycol and Acrylamide Treated Jute Fiber

ABSTRACT

Changes in structural features of jute fiber subjected to (a) limited oxidation using K₂S₂O₈ or NaIO₄ and subsequently to (b) treatment with monomeric/oligomeric glycols or acrylamide under specified conditions have been investigated through X-ray defractometry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry in the present study. Changes in surface morphology due to specified chemical treatments have been analyzed by scanning electron microscopic study. Observed chemical changes as revealed from FTIR-study have been explained through proposed reaction mechanism. Oxidative pretreatments by both NaIO₄ and K₂S₂O₈ causes some damage in the fiber surface structure, reduction in crystallinity percentage and show less thermal stability with generation of more -CHO groups in oxy-jute state; the treatment being relatively milder for K₂S₂O₈ pretreatment than NaIO₄ pretreatment. However, when K₂S₂O₈ pretreated oxy-jute is further treated with either 8% dosage of acrylamide or ethylene glycol or polyethylene glycol or 1:1 mixture of acrylamide and polyethylene glycol-1500, it renders measurable improvement in surface appearance and morphology of jute fibers, somewhat increased crystallinity in fine structure, less thermal stability for polyacrylamide grafted jute, and higher thermal stability for ethylene glycol modified jute. However, the treatment of K₂S₂O₈ pretreated oxy-jute with 1:1 mixture of 4% acrylamide and 4% PEG-1500 renders a balanced improvement in all these structural features of jute fiber.

KEYWORDS:

• Acrylamide
• chemically modified jute
• glycols
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
• differential scanning calorimetry
• scanning electron microscopy
• X-ray defractometry

Dr. Gautam Basu is grateful to Professor Prabir Ray, Principal of the Institute of Jute Technology in Kolkata, for providing necessary laboratory facilities and support. He is also grateful to the Director of the National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for granting study leave to carry out this work.