Sunday Oluyamo

By Oluyamo Sunday Samuel and Adekoya Mathew Adefusika

Influence of size classification on the properties of cellulose materials has been a subject of neglect over the years. Researchers had the opinion that there exist no significant difference between the characteristics of bulk particulate materials and sizes of their constituents. However, it has been affirmed that increase in crystallinity index, increases the strength properties of cellulose materials. Therefore, there is need to establish the influence of size classification as it affects the properties of cellulose materials. This study focused on the influence of size classifications on the structural and solid State characterization of cellulose obtained from wood dust. The structure of the cellulose composed principally of crystalline cellulose (I and II) and amorphous cellulose. The crystallinity and the inter-planar spacing revealed different structural properties for the two size classifications. The elemental composition consists of Carbon (C), Oxygen (O), Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) with Carbon having the highest percentage. The surface morphology of the isolated cellulose appears fiber -like for the size classifications examined. The isolated cellulose exhibits good mechanical and solid state properties with promising applications in device utilization. Within the limit of the research, size classification is noted to influence the characteristics of the cellulose materials.

Part of the book: Cellulose