Changes in fiber structure of Japanese oak silk fibers by the treatment with methacrylamide

Abstract

Changes in the fiber structure and properties of Japanese oak silk fibers treated with methacrylamide (MAA) were investigated. The cross-sectional area of the Japanese oak silk fiber impregnated with the MAA polymer was given by the sum of the cross-sectional area of the original silk fiber and that of the MAA polymer. Tensile strength and Young's modulus of the Japanese oak silk fibers impregnated with the MAA polymer decreased with increasing polymer add-on. Scanning electron microscopic observations of fracture surfaces of Japanese oak silk fibers impregnated with the MAA polymer revealed that the silk fibers were split into fibrils by the polymerization of MAA infused in the fibers. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction measurements suggested that the destruction of crystallites in the fibers occurred homogeneously, independent of the sizes of the crystallites, by the MAA treatment.