Biophysical Journal
Volume 91, Issue 3, 1 August 2006, Pages 1128-1135
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Mechanical Behavior of Cellulose Microfibrils in Tension Wood, in Relation with Maturation Stress Generation

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Abstract

A change in cellulose lattice spacing can be detected during the release of wood maturation stress by synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiment. The lattice strain was found to be the same order of magnitude as the macroscopic strain. The fiber repeat distance, 1.033 nm evaluated for tension wood after the release of maturation stress was equal to the conventional wood values, whereas the value before stress release was larger, corresponding to a fiber repeat of 1.035 nm, nearly equal to that of cotton and ramie. Interestingly, the fiber repeat varied from 1.033 nm for wood to 1.040 nm for algal cellulose, with an increasing order of lateral size of cellulose microfibrils so far reported. These lines of experiments demonstrate that, before the stress release, the cellulose was in a state of tension, which is, to our knowledge, the first experimental evidence supporting the assumption that tension is induced in cellulose microfibrils.

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1

This article is dedicated to deceased colleague Takashi Okuyama.

2

Bruno Clair’s present address is Equipe Mécanique de l’Arbre et du Bois, Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil (LMGC), UMR 5508, CNRS-Université Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillon, cc 048, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.