Physical Properties of Wool Fibers at Various Regains-

Abstract

Both direct absorption curves and derivative curves due to proton magnetic resonance absorption in wool have been obtained. Peak heights and widths of the absorption lines were measured for wool samples equilibrated at a number of relative humidities in the range 0 to 90%. All water protons in wool appear to be less firmly bound than the keratin protons, but less mobile than liquid water. It seems clear that an increment of absorbed water changes the binding energies of previously absorbed water. No evi dence was obtained of a subdivision of water in wool into two or three fractions with different binding energies which are successively bound as the equilibrium regain is increased.