Morphological Changes in Wool After Solvent Extraction and Treatments in Hot Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

We have studied the morphological changes in the cell membrane complex (CMC) of fine wool fibers after extraction with chloroform / methanol, using transmission electron microscopy. Treatment of extracted fabric in boiling water resulted in mod ifications to the CMC of the cortex and degradation of the cuticle. When unextracted fibers were treated in boiling water, modification to the CMC and cellular texture was minimal and an amorphous material was deposited on the fiber surface. This material was separated from the exocuticular a-layer by a narrow unstained band, presumably the epicuticle. Extraction of internal lipids has apparently made fibers more susceptible to hydrolytic damage. These modifications follow a recent report showing that solvent- extracted fabric treated in boiling water suffered from reductions in tear strength to a greater extent than did the unextracted fabric treated under the same conditions.