Cellulose Chemistry and Technology

Title
Neutron techniques for wood chemistry
Authors
XAVIER THIBAULT

Published Volume 46 Issue 7-8 September-October
Keywords neutron, characterisation, structure, polymer, wood

Abstract
When a new biopolymer is incorporated into an industrial process (e.g. to improve the specificity of an emulsion or a foam or to replace a similar polymer derived from petrochemicals), its interactions with the other components of the solutions have to be well understood to ensure a controlled process. Such knowledge can be obtained through neutron scattering experiments. For instance, neutron scattering experiments allow investigation of the interaction of polysaccharides in solution with surfactants or evolution of films at the surface of a solution. Furthermore, neutron scattering allows us to study how water or a polymer modifies the structure of cellulose fibres, while inelastic and quasi-elastic neutron scattering allows us to follow the dynamics of water adsorption.