Morphological evolution of curauá fibers under acid hydrolysis

Cellulose whiskers were obtained by means of sulfuric acid hydrolysis of curaua fibers. Before hydrolysis, the natural fibers were treated with an alkaline solution to remove the non-cellulosic content. Fiber degradation evolution and cellulose whisker formation were analyzed by structural and morphological analysis. The original fiber structure underwent a fragmentation mechanism after being exposed for 3 min to sulfuric acid. Cellulose...