Abstract
The swelling behavior of unbleached and bleached softwood Kraft pulp modified with butyric acid and oleic acid in cold plasma conditions, in alkaline solutions, has been studied comparatively with pristine polymers, by gravimetric measurements and optical microscopy. It has been established that the swelling degree depends on the type of cellulose fiber, on the solvent and concentration of the alkaline solution. The treated samples present higher susceptibility in NaOH solutions, in comparison with KOH solutions. Both cellulose fibers modified with oleic acid present a higher swelling degree than those treated with butyric acid. FT-IR spectroscopy of the swollen fibers showed that the modified celluloses present some modifications after swelling in alkaline solutions.
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