Investigation of structural transformation in ripening cotton fiber by the methods of positron annihilation

Abstract

The microstructure of cotton fiber (sort 175-F, 4 type) at various ripeness stages has been investigated by measuring the spectra of positron life-time and the angular correlation of annihilation radiation. It has been established that the macro strength (breaking load) depends on the concentration and sizes of microdefects (radius less than 10 Å ) in amorphous interfibrillar areas. These defects can be studied by registering the characteristics of positron and positronium atom decay and which are hard to reach by traditional physical methods for the analysis of the cotton fiber structure.