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Chemical Composition and Characterization of Cotton Fibers

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Book cover Cotton Fiber: Physics, Chemistry and Biology

Abstract

Cotton fiber development includes at least four overlapping but distinctive phases: initiation, primary wall formation (elongation), secondary cell wall thickening (cellulose synthesis), and maturation, reflecting a continuous change in secondary cell wall composition and cellulose rearrangement. There are voluminous studies on the chemical, compositional, and structural aspects of cotton fibers at different stages, together with their physical properties and end-use qualities, by comprehensive and diversified methods and systems in cotton industry. The accumulated knowledge helps cotton breeders and growers to improve cotton quality traits and yield and also textile processors to enhance fiber processing efficiency and productivity. However, because cotton fiber cellulose is not easily dissolved in most solvents, it brings challenges in its chemical, compositional, and structural characterization rapidly and accurately. In addition to an overview of traditional fiber chemical composition and structural measurement, this chapter discusses the latest developments of utilizing Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, a rapid and nondestructive technique, to investigate fiber chemical composition and structure aspects for cotton fiber physiology and breeding applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cotton Structure and Quality Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Yongliang Liu

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  1. Yongliang Liu
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Correspondence to Yongliang Liu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cotton Fiber Bioscience Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    David D. Fang

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Liu, Y. (2018). Chemical Composition and Characterization of Cotton Fibers. In: Fang, D. (eds) Cotton Fiber: Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00871-0_4

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