| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥3,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Wool keratin is a natural polymer containing various reactive functional groups as side-chains, which can be converted into new functionality by chemical modification.
We applied this principle to give high water absorbability to wool by succinylation for the purpose of effective re-use of waste wool. In the first part of this work, influence of succinylation on the interactions between wool fibers and water was studied. Succinylation after reduction or partial hydrolysis of wool fibers raises their water absorbability, hygroscopicity, and nonfreezing bound water content. The crystallinity of wool fiber decreases after succinylation, which suggests that the reaction affects not only the amorphous region but also the crystalline region. Both the increased amorphous region and the carboxyl groups introduced by succinylation contribute to the rise in hygroscopicity and nonfreezing water content. Water absorbability increases with the number of carboxyl groups, although it is not affected by a change in crystallinity induced by succinylation. In the next part of this work, effects of reduction, oxidation and descaling, which were respectively combined with succinylation, on water absorbability and hygroscopicity of wool fibers. Descaling of wool fibers increases their water uptake, while succinylation after descaling is not so effective. Introduction of a large amount of carboxyl groups into wool fibers by succinylation remarkably improves the water absorbability and the morphological change of wool fibers after descaling is also effective. There is no difference in hygroscopicity between intact and the pretreated wool fibers, while succinylation after these pretreatments significantly raises the hygroscopicity of wool fibers.
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