Characterization of ramie yarn treated with sodium hydroxide and crosslinked by 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid

Ramie yarns were treated with various concentrations of NaOH at room temperature and subsequently crosslinked with 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The microstructure and tensile properties of the treated yarns were characterized. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR were used to study the crystalline structure of the resultant ramie yarns. The results showed that the maximum change in the structure of the alkali‐modified ramie took place at 16% NaOH, which would completely transform cellulose I to cellulose II. At the same time, the crystallinity index and fiber orientation decreased to the minimum value while the absorption properties were enhanced. The average degree of polymerization (DP ) of the treated ramie yarns slightly decreased after NaOH treatment. Tensile properties including tenacity, breaking elongation, and modulus of the treated yarns were also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the breakage of the treated yarns. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1857–1864, 2004