공초점반사현미경법을 이용한 섬유의 외부소섬유화 분석

Confocal Reflection Microscopy (CRM) was applied to investigate external fibrillation of different typesof fibers such as Kajaani reference fiber, Whatman filter fiber, thermomechanical pulp (TMP), and recycledTMP fiber. It was confirmed that the CRM images are created from surface structures of the fibercell wall. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) captured overall shape of the fiber, but minutedetails of the surface of the fiber were missed. CRM captured the minute details of the fiber surface. Fromthe CRM and CLSM images, it was observed that the CRM images mainly appeared on the fiber surfaces. External fibrillation of the fiber occurs at the fiber surface, not inside the cell wall. Thus, it was concludedthat investigation on the external fibrillation of the fiber was possible by utilizing CRM images. A directqualtitative and quantitative method for analysis of external fibrillation of fiber was demonstrated by utilizingsurface area to volume ratio, volume fraction, and roughness calculated from 3-dimensional imagesreconstructed from stacks of CRM images from the different fibers.